What’s the difference between sativa, indica and hybrid – and does it matter?

The weed industry has reached a point of sophistication where “sativa,” “indica” and “hybrid” are no longer accurate or science-y enough to explain how certain strains will affect people’s brain holes. Actually, it’s always been that way, but people who want to suck the fun out of everything are insisting more and more that people use proper terminology when describing the effects of different strains.

If you know wine, using “indica,” “sativa,” and “hybrid” to describe strains is kind of like referring to malbec, sauvignon blanc and rosé as “red,” “white,” and “pink.” But these three terms offer a convenient simplicity, particularly for people new marijuana, so since they’ll probably be around for a while you might as well learn them.

Learn more about the difference between Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC.

The why do these terms matter (to weed snobs)?

Just for your FYI, so you’ll know why the first weed snob you meet will stutter in consternation when/if you use these terms in their presence, “sativa” and “indica” in fact refer to the plant’s botanical structure, not their effects. The weed snob will then start babbling about “cannabinoids,” “terpenes.” and other educational stuff that you probably didn’t sign up for. You can just tune them out for now and instead focus on how great you’re going to feel in about an hour.

If you really want to get into how cannabinoids and terpenes can help you chose the perfect strain, here’s a long explanation with diagrams to make it more accessible.

Indica

“Indica,” A.K.A. “Cannabis indica” is some Latin shit an 18th-century nerd came up with. But since indica is sedating, it has famously reverse-evolved into a contraction for “in da couch.” As in, if you keep smoking indica, pretty soon almost nothing will get you off the couch – except snacks.

I’ll take what I can get, of course, but since 99% of my marijuana use is part of a night-night wind-down ritual, I do like me some indica. It’s also great for listening to music. You may be familiar with the genre called “trip hop,” well that’s music made for people on indica, by people on indica. Other complimentary activities include watching a light, fun movie or just peacefully staring out the window.

Sativa

“Sativa” is also some Latin shit and no one has gotten around to making up a contemporary wordplay to help noobs with word association.

Sativa is generally considered to be energizing. If you have a friend that likes to get stoned before cleaning their house, they’re consuming sativa. People also use sativa to enrich physical activities like hiking and even running. Another sativa trait is that it’s supposed to help you focus. So, it’s probably great for puzzles, cooking/baking and assembling IKEA furniture.

Hybrid

You guessed it, hybrids are a combination of indica and sativa strains. Most hybrids will “lean” more heavily toward sativa or indica, so keep an eye out for that information, if it really matters to you.

But seriously,

Having said that, we all have our own unique body chemistry, and each strain has its own chemistry, so there’s no way to declare with absolute certainty how any specific strain will affect you. You’ll just have to try several things until you zero in on what you like.

For example, some people can go hard on the sativa and just want to take a nap. But the majority of people will experience the energizing effects described above. Also, without some kind of classification, like with wine, its all just weed, so we all need to use these general guidelines to a certain degree.

Ideally, once you’ve gotten an idea of what kind of high you’re chasing, these classifications should help you make informed decisions as you continue to explore weed.