<p>When&nbsp;browsing cannabis strains&nbsp;or purchasing cannabis at a&nbsp;dispensary, you&rsquo;ll notice that strains are commonly broken up into three groups:&nbsp;indica,&nbsp;sativa, and&nbsp;hybrid. Most consumers and budtenders use these weed types to predict effects, but are they accurate?<br />
Science is pointing to a better way of determining the effects a cannabis strain will have on you: cannabinoids and terpenes, the compounds that make up a particular strain&rsquo;s chemical profile.<br />
So why do smokers and budtenders alike still use indica, sativa, and hybrid instead of the cannabinoid and terpene model?&nbsp;<br />
There&rsquo;s a big push in the cannabis industry to disavow the indica/sativa/hybrid classification system because it is not based in data and science&mdash;the terms are botanical names that refer to a plant&rsquo;s structure, not the effects it produces.&nbsp;<br />
However, most of the cannabis industry, including shops where you buy weed, is still stuck in classifying strains as either indicas, sativas, or hybrids for one main reason: It&rsquo;s easy. Give a consumer three options&mdash;up, down, or in-between&mdash;and you can easily explain how a certain strain will make them feel and sell a product. Like it or not, the indica, sativa, hybrid classification system is still entrenched in the world.<br />
Both models have value, and consumers of all levels can use both. For an easier, more general way to pick a weed strain and its effects, the indica/sativa/hybrid model may work for you. Once comfortable with cannabis, you may want to dig into the nuances of weed a bit more, and learn about chemical profiles, cannabinoids, and terpenes&mdash;our preferred method.&nbsp;<br />
Let&rsquo;s look at the differences between indicas and sativas, and the usefulness of the two classification systems.</p>
