New Jersey’s current recreational cannabis market is a far cry from just a few years ago when you couldn’t simply walk into a dispensary and have your pick.
The current adult-use recreational cannabis landscape offers consumers an embarrassment of riches—especially at a dispensary like One Green Leaf. Our vast selection of high-quality offerings can chill you out, send you sky-high, or anything in between.
However, more choices often make it harder to choose.
While we’d argue there’s no such thing as “bad” cannabis (unless it’s shoddily cultivated), not every strain is for everyone.
We all have unique tastes and nuances in our personalities. Thus, indulging in cannabis that’s too strong, too weak, too energizing, or too sleep-inducing can make or break your experience.
In the era of choice and more tailored cannabis experiences, you shouldn’t have an issue finding the ideal strain for your needs.
So, let’s discuss the basics of strain types and then delve into the specifics of hybrid strains.
Indica Versus Sativa: An Ongoing Discussion
Many factors exist in purchasing your preferred cannabis products, but filtering it down to its barest elements brings us to the topic of ‘indica versus sativa.’
There isn’t a single cannabis connoisseur without their own unique take on sativa and indica. Many swear by one and won’t touch the other. Others believe in balance. And all are willing to discuss the differences between the two ad nauseam, delving into topics like whether said differences even exist.
With that said, here are the typical effects of indica strains:
- Indica strains are typically sedating in nature, calming and relaxing users.
- Many believe indicas provide pain relief and can reduce inflammation symptoms.
- Indicas are associated with an increased appetite.
- Many will use indica strains as sleep aids.
- Indica strains can improve mood because they can disassociate users from their worries.
- Such strains heighten sensory experiences with sounds and colors.
Now, let’s delve into the general effects of indica strains:
- Sativa strains—at their best—uplift and energize.
- They’re associated with increased creativity, concentration, and focus.
- Without sedating users, some sativas might offer pain relief.
- Certain sativa strains make some people more talkative and friendly.
- Sativa is considered a “daytime” cannabis, enhancing mental clarity, reducing fatigue, and increasing alertness.
- Sativas can vastly enhance sensory experiences (e.g., colors and sounds).
- A sativa strain might also have anti-inflammatory effects.
The Potential Negatives Of Indica And Sativa Strains
As much as sativas might make you more energetic and productive, they could also cause you to be jumpy and anxious, defeating their purpose.
While indicas are calming and therapeutic, they can also trigger couch lock and extreme lethargy, upending all potential plans for the day.
So, what if you want to enjoy the best of both sativa and indica strains while avoiding their pitfalls? What if you want to be relaxed and productive? What if you’d prefer to forget all your worries while tapping into your creativity? What if you have a social event and wish to be as mellow as you are talkative?
Here’s where hybrid strains come into play.
Broadly speaking, hybrid strains give you the chill of an indica and the energy boost of a sativa. The idea is to offset each strain type’s potential negatives while maximizing the positives.
The Types Of Hybrid Strains
You’ll typically encounter three types of hybrid strains at any given dispensary. They are as follows:
50/50 sativa-Indica split
In a 50/50 sativa-indica split (or something similar), you’re cutting everything down the middle, and the characteristics of indica and sativa are shared. The precise balance of these strains aims to maximize the positive effects while minimizing the otherwise more unsettling characteristics.
Legend’s El Lechero strain is one example of a 50/50 hybrid. It offers both “calming” and “energetic” effects, meaning it uplifts without making you feel overwhelmed or anxious.
Sativa-dominant hybrid
If you want to be productive or creative, a hybrid with more of a sativa lean should do the trick. This way, you’ll enjoy the potent punch of energy offered by most sativas, and the little bit of indica hints will keep you calm and balanced. Hence, your flurry of energy remains focused and mellow.
Hamilton Farms’ White Blizzard strain is a sativa-dominant hybrid strain of high quality and potent THC levels. By consuming this strain, you’ll be hit with an impactful high that doesn’t derail your day—instead, turning it into a memorable one filled with creativity and fun.
Indica-dominant hybrid
Indica-dominant hybrids are for those who want to chill out for a few hours (or a whole day or an entire weekend) without succumbing to lethargy. These strains foster your mellowest mood without melting you into your couch. An indica-dominant hybrid is ideal for a summer BBQ with some of your closest friends, for instance. You’ll be laid-back and able to socialize.
Look no further than our Hamilton Farms Garlic Knot strain for an indica-dominant hybrid that balances chillness with just enough energy to offer a dynamic cannabis-induced experience.
Other Factors To Consider When Selecting Hybrid Strains
While your choice of a sativa or indica-heavy hybrid will impact your overall experience, so will an array of other factors, including:
- THC content will largely dictate the quality and potency of any cannabis strain. Anything 25% THC and over will pack a resounding punch and hit harder, no matter the purported effects most associated with a strain type.
- The other present cannabinoids will dictate your experience, too. For instance, CBD is a strictly therapeutic cannabinoid and can offset some of the more potentially unpleasant characteristics of THC when present in a given cannabis strain.
- No matter the hybrid strain, examine the terpene content. Terpenes dictate the flavor and aromas of your strain, but they also interact with cannabinoids, contributing to the overall effects and potency of sativas, indicas, and hybrids.
Whether you want the best hybrid, indica, or sativa strains in New Jersey, One Green Leaf has what you’re looking for. View our online menu today or visit our store in person.