Many cannabis questions are answered by solving one simple conundrum; sativa, indica or hybrid?
Sativa and indica are two variations of the cannabis plant. Sativa plants are known for producing energetic feelings, while indica plants produce more of a sedative feeling. Depending on your mood or the activity, both have their own place in the cannabis rotation.
Gillian Marsden is the manager of The House of Cannabis in Barrie. She says most users lean towards indica cannabis as it produces the typical mellow feeling that a lot would associate with smoking weed.
A hybrid cannabis combines elements of both sativa and indica, and for newbies, she recommends trying a hybrid cannabis with a lean towards indica. Most people will experience the body buzz from an indica cannabis with the head high of sativa.
The House of Cannabis budtenders can help you narrow things down to a product that suits your style.
“It’s not going to be too extreme one way or another,” Marsden said. “Some people cannot have a sativa because they’re already high energy. But then you don’t want to be body-locked and not be able to move.
“A hybrid is not going to blow your head off, it’s not going to make you stationary, you’re just going to be feeling pretty good. It’s like the Goldilocks of weed.”
Any cannabis that leans 80 percent or more towards one strain is typically labelled as strictly sativa or indica, but you can find hybrid strains that fall into the sativa or indica dominant side.
“If you’re going to get one that’s going to lean a little more sativa, you can still expect nice body effects, but not body effects that will make you stay on the couch,” Marsden said. “Your body will feel buzzy a little bit, and you’ll still feel social, energetic and creative.
“If it’s a little bit more of an indica lean, it’s still not going to want to put you in the couch, but you still may feel up for socializing; going for a coffee or going to a movie.”
Cannabis users often choose sativa, indica or hybrid relative to the activity or the type of evening they’re looking for. People turn to sativa when they’re doing social stuff like concerts, festivals or events, or they’re looking to be creative.
Indica is more for relaxed activities like watching a movie, reading a book or taking a bath. Cannabis from the indica family is mostly for people looking to wind down and chill out at the end of their day.
If you’re looking for a taste of both categories — to feel euphoric and social with some of that body buzz — a hybrid is the way to go. You can avoid the feeling of paranoia that sometimes comes from sativa, and you won’t experience being sluggish or low-energy from indica.
“If you do too much of a sativa, it might be too much in the head and that might be a really uncomfortable feeling for some people,” Marsden said. “If you do too much of the indica, then people don’t move and they don’t like that. It kind of makes them couch locked. Hybrid is right in the middle.”
Sativa, indica or hybrid? To find out which might work best for you, come into The House of Cannabis and speak with one of their budtenders.
Check out their store in Barrie at 66 Dunlop Street West, or place an order for same-day delivery at TheHouseofCannabis.ca.