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.
Fengzi Reviewed by Fengzi on . different strains 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. Rating: 5