Indica vs Sativa vs Hybrid: What the Labels Mean and What Matters More

How the 3 labels are usually used, and what research has found behind each:

Carl Linnaeus named Cannabis sativa in 1753, a name that referred to hemp, the plant grown for its seeds and fibre, according to the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy. In 1785 Jean-Baptiste Lamarck described a second species, Cannabis indica. His description, translated in a 1975 UN Bulletin on Narcotics paper, says the plants were collected in India and calls them smaller and more branched, with very narrow leaflets, the opposite of today's broad-leaf indica stereotype.

Today's plant-shape stereotypes came later, from 20th-century botanists such as Richard Evans Schultes (1974) and Loran C. Anderson (1980). A 2017 paper in The Botanical Review argues that 20th-century botanists helped spread a vernacular 'Sativa' and 'Indica' that does not match the original species, and that both groups are, botanically, subpopulations of a single subspecies. Botanists still debate whether cannabis is a single species or several.

Today the words mostly describe expected effects. As the AIHP exhibit puts it, sellers' use of sativa and indica describes 'the perceived effects of the marijuana strain, rather than the taxonomic difference.'

Several research teams have tested whether the labels match what is inside the plant:

Strain names are not much better. The Nature Plants team found that samples sharing a name, such as OG Kush, were often as different genetically and chemically as samples with different names. As one of the researchers noted for Dalhousie News, a strain called AK-47 won the Sativa Cup at the 1999 Cannabis Cup and the Indica Cup 4 years later.

The labels are not pure noise, though. In the Nature Plants data, myrcene alone explained about 21% of the variation in how samples were labelled, with indica-labelled samples containing more of it. The researchers think growers have been assigning labels mainly by aroma and purported effects.

Many people say they do. In a 2023 Arizona State University study that followed 101 regular users for 2 weeks, 78.3% preferred either sativa or indica, for reasons that matched industry claims (Okey et al.). After accounting for THC, expectations and other factors, strains classified as indica-dominant (using Leafly's categories) were linked to more low-arousal feelings, such as sluggishness. The authors call the work preliminary and say controlled lab studies are needed.

A 2020 analysis of Leafly reviews covering more than 800 strains also found that people describe indica- and sativa-tagged strains in clearly different terms, though the tags were assigned by Leafly users and the authors note that strain names can bias what reviewers report (de la Fuente et al.).

On the other side, the 89,923-sample study concluded there is currently no clear scientific evidence that the labels predict effects. Neurologist and cannabis researcher Ethan Russo has called the distinction as commonly used 'total nonsense', arguing that the differences people notice come mainly from terpenes such as myrcene (Piomelli and Russo, 2016). That terpene idea, often called the entourage effect, has itself been hard to confirm experimentally, the PLOS ONE authors note.

The fair reading: the label may carry a weak hint about aroma and feel, but it is not a reliable guide on its own.

These factors have clearer support than the indica or sativa label:

A hybrid is a cross between indica-type and sativa-type parents. The 2 lines have been interbred so much that, in Russo's words, only a lab test 'tells a potential consumer or scientist what is really in the plant', and you cannot guess a plant's chemistry from its height, branching or leaf shape.

Labels such as indica-dominant, sativa-dominant, balanced or 75/25 come from breeders and sellers. In the Nature Plants study, samples were sorted on a 5-point scale from 100% sativa to 100% indica as reported by their sources, and those ratios lined up poorly with measured genetics. Read them as a hint about intended style, not a measurement.

Whatever the label, THC can cause unwanted effects, especially at higher doses. Health Canada lists possible immediate effects including impaired memory and attention, anxiety, panic, paranoia, dizziness and an increased heart rate, and serious side effects such as extreme confusion, severe anxiety and hallucinations. If you take too much and feel unwell, call 1-844-POISON-X (1-800-463-5060 in Quebec) or 9-1-1, or go to the nearest hospital.

Health Canada advises choosing products with a low amount of THC and an equal or higher amount of CBD, starting low and going slow, and waiting to feel the effects before taking more. For medical questions, talk to a doctor or pharmacist.

GasDank offers same-day delivery across Toronto and the GTA, usually within 1 to 2 hours, and mail order across Canada. Browse indica flower, sativa flower or hybrid flower; the menu carries lab-tested products. Customers must be 19 or older (21 in Quebec), with ID checked at the door.