The Indica and Sativa labels don’t actually tell you what effects you will get from one or the other.
Most people don’t know this. Many have their minds blown when they learn that these labels are only that, labels.
Indica and Sativa don’t mean what most people think they do.
To explain this, first a little history. Yeah, it’s boring, but it has to be done for a little background. Bare with it.
Sativa received the name in 1753 by Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish “Father of Botany.” He named it Cannabis Sativa. It was based on the word kannabis (κάνναβις), the Greek word for hemp. One can find that the word Sativa was derived from the Latin word meaning “cultivated” in the 2003 book Cannabis: A History by Martin Booth.
In 1783, the famous French naturalist, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck said that the hemp plant in Europe was noticeably different from the plants growing in India. So he reclassified them. He kept Linnaeus’ Cannabis Sativa for the European plant and named the plant from India, Cannabis Indica
Ok, so think about what was just read. Indica merely means the plant from India. Sativa simply means cultivated in the European regions.
Like most people, one is fairly new to the cannabis world and don’t know this. Of course, one could also be a seasoned cannabis enthusiast and still have not known this.
Some people have been seasoned users and are just learning that the way they are choosing their medicine is all wrong.
So now one needs to know why the cannabis industry sells us Indica if a person wants to relax and relieve stress. Why Sativa if a person wants uplifting and energizing? Why those promotions when the Indica and Sativa labels don’t predict how a strain will affect a person?
A couple of experts to learn from.
Canadian CEOs have taken a proactive stance on educating the public and private sector of the cannabis industry in Canada and worldwide.
Tabitha Fritz of Penelope’s Wrist is passionate about educating consumers. She started her cannabis journey in her thirties and it won’t be mentioned when that was.
Tabitha says, “Almost all of the cannabis strains that are available in today’s market are hybrids between Sativas and Indicas, or (more often) hybrids of hybrids.
Labeling strains as Indica or Sativa can be quite misleading. A plant’s genetic parentage doesn’t necessarily predict the effects from that strain.”
She goes on to say, “A better predictor of effects is the strain’s actual terpene profile. Terpenes are like the essential oils of a plant. They are naturally occurring scent molecules that occur in plants to attract pollinators and to repel predators or disease.
For any cannabis experience, the terpenes present help to steer the direction of the outcome. Whether that’s uplifting and energizing (which is typically associated with Sativa strains) or it’s relaxing and relieving (which is typically associated with Indica strains). “
Although she says the labels Indica and Sativa are misleading, they have served their purpose up to this point. “These labels have created a common language that consumers of any type of cannabis can understand,” Tabitha states.
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“But we’re now at a inflection point. Because of increasing legalization, more and more people are having the “cannabis conversation” and wondering if cannabis is the right tool for them.
As cannabis consumers’ diversity continues to grow, we find ourselves in need of more accurate ways to talk about the outcomes consumers are looking for. In other words, the “Indica/Sativa” label isn’t bad; we’re just outgrowing it,” Tabitha concluded.
Expanding on the Indica and Sativa debate is Matthew O’Brien.
Matthew O’Brien, Co-Founder, and CEO of Highly, also agreed to provide some answers for the article. Highly provides highly personal product suggestions based on your feedback.
Matthew is another professional who asserts the labels Indica and Sativa really don’t matter. You can find his original post here.
Matthew agrees with Tabitha when he says, “The labels Indica and Sativa misinform consumers.”
Matthew goes on to say, “The far majority of all products in the industry are currently labeled either as Indica, Sativa or Hybrid. This makes it easy for retailers to present products to consumers. However, it doesn’t take into consideration that virtually every modern cannabis cultivar (strain) is effectively a hybrid. And that cannabis affects everyone differently.”
This supports Tabitha’s statement that the labels may make it easier for retailers and consumers alike, but they don’t properly let us know as consumers just what the best strain for our needs are.
Matthew and Tabitha both agree that people need to move away from these labels in order to educate and serve the consumer better. More and more retailers, shop owners, and budtenders are turning to companies such as Green Flower out of Ventura, CA for their training and education.
We also need to be responsible for our education.
We, as consumers, also need to educate ourselves. Read, research, and reach out to these companies and individuals. Trust in asking, they won’t mind answering some questions for you. The good ones will be more than happy to.
Consumers also need to hold our local growers, shop owners, and budtenders to a higher standard and demand that we are not just sold to.
Coming armed with knowledge will be part of the change. Be the pioneers that move towards a more all-inclusive cannabis community.
That what is strived for at Texas Cannabis Collective. That every consumer (Texan or not) knows what works best for them, and to have all of the educational material people need at their fingertips.
This is what TCC is working towards and would love to hear how well they are meeting that standard. Please don’t hesitate to contact TCC on any topic you would like to hear more about and they’ll do their best to bring it to you.
Like to reach out to our contributors for this article?
Tabitha Fritz can be reached at Penelope’s Wrist or find her @penelopeswrist on Twitter and Instagram.
Matthew O’Brien can be contacted on his website myhighly.com, by email at matt@highly.app, or on his LinkedIn profile.
Look forward to our next article about Terpenes and how they can more accurately predict the effect a certain cannabis strain can have on a person.