Many regular marijuana users have heard of cannabis sativa, cannabis indica, and hybrid cannabis strains. For newcomers, though, learning about hybrid cannabis strains could come as a surprise if they have only heard of pure indica or sativa products.
What is hybrid marijuana? Is it an equal hybridization of the two strains, or are there different hybrid cannabis plants? Keep reading to learn more about the original strains and hybrid cannabis product options, and visit Cannabis and Glass to learn more from a budtender in Eastern Oregon or Eastern Washington.
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What Are Indica, Sativa, and Hybrid Strains?
All marijuana comes from the same plant, cannabis sativa L. In the late 18th century, a French biologist named Jean Baptiste Lamark determined that there were two types of cannabis plants based on each plant’s appearance.
Indica plants were shorter and had thicker leaves and firm stems, while sativa plants had thin leaves with feathered edges and grew to be much taller. However, the difference between the strains was simply a result of the environment each plant grew in. Still, lacking a better alternative for naming, the indica-sativa dichotomy stuck and is still in common use today thanks to marketability.
Did you know that all dogs are technically the same species and have been selectively bred into different breeds? Marijuana growers have grown plants using selective breeding for hundreds of years, attempting to select for greater production and certain effects. They then label each as a pure strain or hybrid cannabis product based on Lamark’s system.
How Are Hybrid Cannabis Strains Different from Pure Indica or Cannabis Sativa Strains?
Hybrid cannabis plants can be indica-dominant, sativa-dominant, or can feature an even 50/50 distribution of genetic material from cross-bred parent plants. So what is hybrid marijuana? Plant breeders can use the environment to their benefit to produce plants with certain traits and crossbreed them with other varieties to create hybrid cannabis strains.
If you find that you often get a relaxing body high from indica and an energizing mental boost from sativa, a blended hybrid strain cannabis product could give you a balanced effect between the two. However, you could also experience negative side effects from a hybrid cannabis strain that you don’t normally get from a pure indica or sativa strain.
Effects from a hybrid cannabis product can include:
- Reduced anxiety
- Euphoria or increased energy
- Reduced pain
- Improved sleep
- Increased appetite
- Relaxation
- Altered perception of reality or time
- Increased anxiety or paranoia
- Fatigue or drowsiness
- Reduced motor control
- Reduced capacity to commit new information to short-term memory
Marijuana can be a stimulant, depressant, and hallucinogen. Whether you use a pure strain or a hybrid strain, the effects can vary between individual uses, even with the same cannabis product and delivery method.
Is the THC Content Different in Hybrid Strains?
Breeders target THC content as one factor when breeding pure strains and hybrid strains. Sometimes they will select for higher THC content in either a pure strain or a hybrid strain. The only way to know what’s in a cannabis product is to read the label and choose your product based on the effects you want.
If you want a stronger high, look for products that contain higher quantity of THC. However, if you prefer more CBD for medical use, a hybrid like Cannatonic could be the right choice for you.
How Do Different Strains Come from the Same Plant?
Tomato growers do the same to produce everything from red beefsteak tomatoes to tiny yellow, purple, and orange cherry tomatoes, all from the same Solanum lycopersicum species. Tomatoes can grow in bushes or on vines, and breeders select for their preferred varieties. Marijuana growers do the same with hybrid cannabis strains.
Popular hybrid strains include:
- OG Kush
- Purple Kush
- Blue Dream
- Sour Space Candy
- Cannatonic
- Wedding Cake
- White Widow
- Runtz
- Pineapple Express
- Sour Diesel
- Gorilla Glue
Visit a Cannabis and Glass Location Near You in Eastern Oregon or Washington
So what is hybrid marijuana? Hybrid plants have the combined characteristics of sativa and indica plants, depending on its genetic lineage. If you’re looking for a favorite strain in Eastern Washington or Oregon, visit Cannabis and Glass and ask a budtender for help choosing from our hundreds of cannabis and glassware products.