This Is Everything We Get Wrong When We Talk About Weed

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"The differences between marijuana strains are as diverse as the differences between wines."

Weed is much more complex than you might think.

As marijuana legislation takes pot out of basements and into the display cases of medical dispensaries, it's time to reexamine how we talk about pot. Our classifications are archaic, they make us sound like noobs and deserve an overhaul. When we understand the origin of our favorite plant, we can use that knowledge to get a better, more personal high.

According to David Drake, founder of Cannabis Reports, the people who research pot to legitimize the industry generally categorize marijuana into two classifications, indica and sativa, which date back to the 18th century. For decades, people said sativa makes you social and uplifted, while indica makes you subdued and introspective. But these binary groups are "decades old and don't mean anything anymore," Drake said in a phone interview.

Drake says plants haven't been purely indica or purely sativa for years. So calling it one or the other, even though it's a handy distinction, isn't doing the user, or cannabis research, many favors.

In 2015, researchers put out a genetic analysis of hemp and marijuana strains. It showed that there's a lot more diversity in marijuana than the two classifications of sativa and indica. In fact, the differences between marijuana strains are as diverse as the differences between wines.Cannabis Reports has 8,000 strains of marijuana classified in its database alone.

"If you go to Amsterdam and look at the cannabis menus, instead of seeing indica, sativa and hybrid, they have them organized by strain- and country-based classification," Drake said. "You'll see citrusy Thai strains, speedy Mexican Acapulco strains. The area of the world where the cannabis has been [cultivated] for many years has a huge impact."

Continue to Full Story at Mic

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