Sativas vs Indicas—Does it Really Matter?

Sativa, Indica, or Hybrid? It is likely that you hear this question whenever you walk into a dispensary, and for good reason: that is how they organize and store all of their product.

However, does this distinction really guarantee the type of high you will experience?

In a short answer— no it doesn’t. There are no guarantees to the type of high or side effects you may experience based on whether it is an Indica, Sativa, or a Hybrid. Instead, we and other professionals in the industry feel it is more important to focus on chemical composition and what’s inside the plant.

Basically, it’s impossible to determine how anything will affect you based on outward appearances.

Misconceptions of Indica vs Sativa

One of the biggest differences between indicas and sativas are their physical differences. Board certified neurologist and national leading cannabis researcher Ethan Russo Ph.D commented “You cannot tell the effects a plant will have based on its shape—the shape of its leaflets, its size, or how tall it is.”

Science has also proven that different strains produce different effects, and each unique strains effects are varied by each person’s individual body chemistry, metabolism, genetics, environment, and mood. It is so much more complicated than just “sativas are stimulating” and “indicas are calming.” There are hundreds of compounds found in cannabis (cannabinoids, trichomes, and tepenes) that all band together to get you high. How they will ultimately influence you depends on several outside factors.

Chemist and scientific director of Bellevue’s WERC Shop cannabis lab, Jeffery Raber PhD, had this to add: “You can’t extrapolate too far from what basic science has done with only one terpene. It’s really whole cannabis compositions that we need to start to understand better. Terpinolene is known to be a sedative, but it’s typically found with an energetic effect. By itself it might have one response that the rat or rabbit has in a lab, but together with many other terpenes and cannabinoids it’s a very different physiological response.”

As you can see the distinction of indica or sativa is just not sufficient enough to determine the type of high you will have, or how you will be affected. Instead focus on how each strain you try personally influences you and your overall experience to determine what kind of high you will have according to strain. There are just too many variables in and out of the plant to accurately predict how a strain will influence an entire population of people.

Final Toke

Moving beyond the sativa-indica paradigm may be difficult at first because old habits do die hard, but as scientific evidence and personal know-how develop, so will getting over antiquated ways of thinking.

The cannabis community needs to focus more on education and schooling people to go for effect over terminology. Or as we like to say: “just follow your nose.”

We hope this was helpful in educating you to better understand how to get the most out of your product and smoke sessions. For a visual and more in-depth explanation about why focusing on indica v. sativa is a waste of your time—check out this video from our friends over at The Puff Puff Post!   

Sources:

Jeffery Raber PhD had this to add: “You can’t extrapolate too far from what basic science has done with only one terpene. It’s really whole cannabis compositions that we need to start to understand better. Terpinolene is known to be a sedative, but it’s typically found with an energetic effect. By itself it might have one response that the rat or rabbit has in a lab, but together with many other terpenes and cannabinoids it’s a very different physiological response.” – https://www.thestranger.com/weed/2017/08/23/25380755/please-shut-up-about-indica-versus-sativa

Ethan Russo Ph.D commented “You cannot tell the effects a plant will have based on its shape—the shape of its leaflets, its size, or how tall it is.”- http://zenpype.com/please-shut-up-about-indica-versus-sativa-its-not-that-simple/