Knowledge is power, right? In the medical cannabis space, advocates want to pass on as much knowledge as possible so that patients are empowered to make wise decisions. So discussions about things like indica and sativa are not unusual. The problem is that so many patients don’t understand these discussions.
A lack of understanding is important when you consider that new patients have no choice but to believe what they are told. The implications are easy enough to understand by looking more closely at the ‘indica’ and ‘sativa’ terms.
Two Subspecies of Cannabis
Cannabis is a plant found around the world. It offers a number of varieties and subspecies. Two of its subspecies are cannabis indica and cannabis sativa. In the early days of medical cannabis, self-proclaimed experts went out of their way to discuss all the differences between the two subspecies.
Cannabis indica was commonly associated with the plant’s sedative effects. People would talk about how indica products would help them relax and remain calm. Indica was also promoted for its ability to offer a ‘body high’ that could relieve pain, anxiety, and insomnia.
The way experts talked about cannabis sativa was a bit different. Sativa was associated with a psychoactive ‘mind high’ that energized patients and made them feel more uplifted. Advocates talked about sativa products improving focus, enhancing creativity, and boosting productivity.
An Oversimplification That No Longer Matters
Some 30 years after California became the first state to legalize medical cannabis, we recognize the past distinctions between indica and sativa as an oversimplification of a complex botanical issue. More importantly, none of it really matters anymore.
Any cannabis company that continues pushing indica and sativa as remarkably different is doing an injustice to patients. Why? For a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the old associations attributed to the two subspecies were never universal. People react to cannabis in different ways.
Second, there is very few pure indica or sativa plants remaining, if any at all. Most modern plants are hybrids grown from mixing and matching multiple subspecies. Growers have become very adept at creating very specific varieties that emphasize their chosen cannabinoid and terpene profiles. So today’s cannabis looks nothing like what growers were producing in the 1990s.
Ingredients Are What Matter
So if the indica and sativa designations are now mostly useless, what really matters to medical cannabis patients? According to the experts at the Beehive Farmacy medical cannabis pharmacy in Brigham City, UT, it is all about medicine ingredients.
Beehive staff explain that the medical benefits derived from cannabis are directly related to cannabinoids and terpenes. The two primary cannabinoids for medical consumption are THC and CBD. Those medicines that require a state-issued medical cannabis card contain THC.
Patients should also note that combining different terpenes with THC can produce slightly different therapeutic effects. There are too many combinations to get into in a post like this, so patients are encouraged to speak with their medical cannabis pharmacists about cannabinoid-terpene profiles.
Don’t Be Fooled by Marketing
Distinguishing between indica and sativa is little more than a marketing ploy in the 2020s. Likewise in distinguishing between strains. Neither one is relevant now that growers can produce highly specialized cultivars. If you are a medical cannabis patient, do not be fooled by the marketing.
Most of what you need to know about a product’s therapeutic value is found in its ingredients. And if you do not know how cannabinoids and terpenes apply to your medical condition, don’t rely on marketers to tell you. Talk to your pharmacist instead.