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I've heard of all these weed strains, like "Hawaiin Butterscotch" and "White Widow." What does the word "strain" refer to? Different species? Different strengths? Plants that were raised different ways? And above all do different strains tend to have different unique characters or effects. Where do these strains come from and how do you know what you're getting.
There are two main types of marijuana, indica and sativa. There are a lot of strains of each of these and countless mixes of the two.
Think of strains like types of apples. You have macintosh, granny greensmith, red delicious, fuji, etc. They're all apples but look and taste a bit different.
Growers develop different strains by cross breeding established strains with each other.
As far as knowing what you are getting, its pretty tough. Unless you are getting it directly from a grower, someone you trust who knows the grower, or getting it from a legal source such as a medical marijuana "cannabis club" you can never be sure. A lot of dealers will call their weed one thing or another to make it sound more desirable and charge a higher price for it.
There's not even a way to know if you're getting indica and sativa? What are the differences between those two in general? Why are those the two big groups that all the other strains fall under? Thanks
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Originally Posted by WannaSmokePot
sativa high is more uplifting energetic cerebral high and Indica is more of the bodyhigh/couch lock, and sometimes its a mix of the two.
indica and sativa are considered two different species, although they can be mixed with little to no difficulty. Sativas tend to have a higher ratio of THC to other active chemicals, so the uplifting, cerebral effects of the THC are more pronounced. Indicas have higher proportions of other cannabinoids such as CBD, which tend to lead to more of a body stone.
Different strains are like breeds of animals or varieties of apples. In theory, cannabis of a given strain will have that strain's characteristics, which are passed genetically (sort of like a family line). In practice, all sorts of random crap gets called "Hindu Kush" or "Purple Haze" or whatnot (those are both well-known high quality strains, btw), and it's hard to tell. Your best bet is to look up pictures online of a given strain to see if the stuff you're getting looks similar, although different plants can look rather different. Different strains have subtly different balances of the various active chemicals (THC, CBD, etc.), and many also have a distinct taste (Blueberry, for example, which is supposed to taste like its namesake) or appearance (Purple Haze, which has purple tinted buds).
blueberry is one strain that u take a hit of and you know if it's blueberry or not. the first time i got something called blueberry it tasted like weed. the second time it really tasted like blueberries so i think i actually got some blueberry the 2nd time. plus the stone was incredibly long lasting too
Check out this website http://www.smokersguide.com/sg/index.html it lists descriptions of over 200 strains. You'll see most are actually indica/sativa crosses.
The best way to tell if you've gotten an indica or a sativa is to smoke it. A saticva will make you happy, give you the giggles and munchies, and make you want to go and do something. Sativas are good if you're going out to a party or doing something active
An indica, however, will tend to give you a more relaxed, body high. A lot of medical users like indicas because the body high is better for pain. You're more likley to want to just kick back on the couch and watch tv. Maybe take a nap after a while.