Navigating the Different Strains

It’s your first time buying smokable flower at a dispensary and it’s already overwhelming. The names of each range from the absolutely absurd to questionable at best. Member Berries, Sour Jack, Nine Pound Hammer, Blue Dream, it all means nothing to you. So where do you start when choosing the best medical marijuana strains?

Some people leave it up to their budtender. Give me what’s good. The budtender will pick the strongest or bestselling off the shelf and your transaction is easy. Maybe you like what you get, maybe you’ll know better to avoid it in the future. It’s hit or miss this way.

Some go by sativa, hybrid, or indica- basing their decision on what kind of feeling they’re looking for. While there’s not much difference between the plants, most sativas tend to have profiles that lean towards the energetic side, a happy head high. Indicas leave you “in-da-couch” a lot of the time as they lean more for a heavy body high that leaves you relaxed and calm. Hybrids are the best of both worlds and simply mix the opposing strains together to create a more mellow feeling. In the end, it’s really the terpene profiles of your cannabis that matters as some sativas are sedative and some indicas are racy.

But if certain medical marijuana strains seem to make you antsy, or you hate the way you get couch locked, it may be time to sit down and find your right cannabis strain. What’s the first step?

So What Are Terpenes?

They’re these magical compounds in our cannabis, our foods, our herbs, and our flowers. They give distinct tastes and flavors and the compounds even affect the smell. Ever wonder why lavender is so calming? It’s linalool. This terpene is responsible for the relaxing and calming affects you may feel. It relieves stress and aids in depression and anxiety symptoms. Imagine a cannabis strain heavy in linalool- you’ll probably experience this same effect. Knowing what terpenes you prefer is the first step in discovering the right cannabis strain for you.

Each flower you purchase either has the percentages right there on the packaging, or you can find the makeup of each strain on the website of the dispensary you purchased it from or websites like Leafly. Keep track of the strains you seem to enjoy and what their top three terpenes are. Then you can go into a dispensary ready to give your budtender your preferences.

Keeping a journal may feel like a lot of work just to shop for cannabis but if you want to pinpoint what strain is right for you, it may be your best chance in keeping track of what you like best.

Researching medical marijuana strains can also help you learn which ones help which ailments. Maybe you need a super heavy 9lb Hammer to put you to sleep at night without all the aches and pains. But in the morning that’s just too much, so Blue Dream puts you in a good mood, eases early morning stress, and gets you ready for your day.