ask Leah ...
ask Leah ...
Missouri Cannabis Education
Sativa , Indica , or Hybrid ?
Or Somewhere In Between ? Indica Hybrid Vs Sativa Hybrid by Leah Maurer , contributing writer
Hybrid
Leah
Leah Maurer , a native Missourian , is now a canna-journalist and activist living in Portland , OR . She is a co-owner of www . TheWeedBlog . com , a top national cannabis news and information publication , where she serves as the Editorial Lead . In 2014 , Leah founded Moms for YES on Measure 91 through grassroots efforts alone , it proved pivotal in the passage of the Measure , successfully legalizing recreational / adult-use cannabis in the OR . Leah is a social justice and cannabis activist at the core and hopes to see an end to the prohibition of cannabis globally .
There is always the age-old cannabis question of what the difference between an Indica and a Sativa cannabis flower is . It is a topic that has been covered extensively in cannabis media overall and one that The EVOLUTION Magazine has covered in past issues . But what about hybrids ? A hybrid cannabis flower can mean many things , as this term covers every type of cannabis flower that ranges between the Indica and Sativa spectrum .
One astute reader recently asked this question . Hey Leah , I totally understand the difference between Sativa , Indica , and Hybrid . Lately , I ’ ve begun seeing things like Indica Hybrid or Sativa Hybrid . What ’ s the difference between these and plain Hybrid flower ? The dispensary guys didn ’ t have a clue . All they could say was , they ’ re all Hybrids . Thanks , from a curious reader .
The reader has a valid question , and I ’ m not so sure “ the dispensary guys ” were incorrect either . My understanding is that the majority of Missouri cannabis is considered to be a hybrid in some sense . So , here I will focus on information about the difference between an Indica Hybrid and a Sativa Hybrid .
A little background first .
Because of the rapid growth of regulated cannabis , both in Missouri and all over the U . S ., it is much less common to find pure Sativas or Indicas . Just as Red Delicious and Granny Smith apples have been sidelined in favor of hybridized Honeycrisp and Gala apples , market demand for customized strains has resulted in a plethora of hybrid formulations in cannabis genetics . There is a whole subset of the cannabis industry devoted to breeding together various Sativa and Indica plants to produce a sum total of all sorts of catered sensations ( or crafts ) that cannabis consumers may desire .
For this reason , it is quite possible in the current state of the market to smoke a Sativa flower that ends up giving you a significant sedative effect , just as you can find Indica dominant strains that might energize you ( which is the opposite of what most published articles would say on the topic of Sativa versus Indica ). It all depends on the genetics of that specific plant and its effect on your particular endocannabinoid system .
There are other factors that may determine how the hybrid strains affect you . One of them is the type of cannabinoids present , including THC , CBD , and other lesser-known cannabinoids . Another factor is what terpenes are present in the cannabis flower . Terpenes are the compounds produced by Indica , Sativa , and Hybrid plants alike that give off varying aromas of lemon or blueberry or skunky . Different combinations of these terpenes are a significant indicator of whether a strain will have sleep-inducing or invigorating properties , so it ’ s not simply a matter of Indica versus Sativa .
In recent years , more common ground has been reached on the subject of terpenes and
12 December 2023