Why are we making Sativa/Indica percentages?
Have you ever seen this on marketing material for a dispensary?
(Cultivar Name)
40% Sativa/60% Indica
……….
HOW DO THEY COME UP WITH THIS!?
We all know that Sativa vs Indica is a tired and irrelevant description for genetics, as it means different things to different people depending on who you talk to and what you are talking about. But the percentages…? It is completely arbitrary and made up…can we please do away with it?
The classification of cannabis into "sativa" and "indica" dates back to the 18th century, when European botanists first tried to organize the plant based on its physical traits and geographic origin. Carl Linnaeus initially described Cannabis sativa in 1753, based on European hemp plants used mainly for fiber and seed. Later, in 1785, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck identified Cannabis indica from India, which was shorter, bushier, and more psychoactive, used traditionally for hashish. Over time, "sativa" came to refer to taller, narrow-leaf plants typically associated with uplifting effects, while "indica" described shorter, broad-leaf plants thought to produce sedative effects. But we have since hybridized this plant so much, that these labels are mostly irrelevant.
The most confusing part is that the labels provide information on both psychoactive experience (effect based) AND plant morphology (agronomy based). So if I’m advertising genetics and using a “sativa” label, it might be because it is long-flowering and tall, whereas “indica” is short flowering and short (agronomy based). But if I’m advertising a flower product, it may be “sativa” because it is uplifting and has a citrus or fresh aroma (effects based). But what if the flower is tall and flowers a long time, but has a sedative effect? What if the plant is short and purple, but gives you an uplifting effect?
The truth about commercial cannabis these days is that almost every commercially viable cultivar is mostly “Indica”, since almost no one who is interested in running a successful business can tolerate the long flowering times. So our understanding of what a true “sativa” is has shifted considerably since marketing departments want more diverse offerings. Therefore, marketing depts label a slightly uplifting plant as “70% Sativa” (seriously where does this number come from!??).
We are long overdue for a better or more descriptive system to characterize cultivars in a shorthand way. Such a system is necessary since there are so many hybrids, consumers need a shortcut to get a sense of what profile the plant takes.
How do you think we should categorize cannabis cultivars?
Should “sativa” and “indica” just be abandoned? Or can they be modernized and redefined to mean something more substantial?
Maybe we all just need to agree on what these words mean as a community.
But please do me a favor…and let’s agree to ditch the “37.6% Sativa/62.4% Indica” labels!
