The dispensary categorizes the different strains of cannabis as indicas, sativas or hybrids.
The general rule is that indicas are more of a body-high.
They provide relaxing, mellowing and soothing effects and are recommended for nighttime use. Some people associate “couch-lock” with indicas. Indica strains tend to offer higher percentages of CBD but without necessarily sacrificing THC levels. Sativas are considered to offer a cerebral high. They create energizing, inspiring effects and are recommended more for daytime consumption. Most sativa strains provide higher THC potency and lower CBD levels. Hybrids can be just about anything. There are more and more hybrid strains showing up on the shelves of the dispensary all the time. Growers are cross-breeding plants to deliver sky-high THC levels or to target specific therapeutic effects. Hybrids can be sativa-dominant or indica-dominant and provide any combination of relaxing to energizing sensations. After some long discussions about the various categories with a budtender at the dispensary, I realized I should be paying more attention to cannabinoids and terpenes. The terms sativa and indica actually refer to the origin of the cannabis plant. It has more to do with the grow climate, shape of the leaves and height of the plant than the effects it delivers. Fortunately, cannabis products are very well labeled and the staff at the dispensary is super knowledgeable. I’ve now been exploring THC percentages, CBD percentages, flavonoids and a variety of consumption methods. While smoking flower or vaping provides almost immediate onset of effects, edibles can take hours to fully set in yet offer greater intensity of effects. Concentrates are typically more potent and topicals cause no high at all.