The opening line in any exchange of cannabis is so often, do you prefer indica or sativa? Assuming that sativas always provide a burst of energy while indicas consistently lend a dreamy and relaxing high, your budtender is operating under a deep-seated cultural understanding of cannabis that has shaped nearly every market worldwide.
It was only a matter of time before high-minded curiosos began asking the question, but what makes a sativa energizing and an indica sedating?
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Before cannabis legalization caught on like wildfire, we lacked the research and data that would inform more useful organization of cannabis strains. We knew that sativa and indica cannabis strains look different—so it wasn’t far off to assume that they were chemically different, too.
But here’s what we know now: cannabis is so much more complex than that, and we need a system of organization that’s as sophisticated as the many expressions of the plant.
Prepare to have your world turned upside-down as Leafly’s principal data scientist, Nick Jikomes, explains how lab-verified data will pave a new future for cannabis—one in which we can explore strains on a deeper level than achievable through the indica/sativa system.
What: Reimagining Cannabis With Lab-Verified Data
When: Friday, March 15 from 5-6 p.m.
Where: SXSW in Austin, Texas — Hilton Austin Downtown Salon G
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Join us to learn how cannabis prohibition produced incomplete knowledge that affects consumer decisions today, as well as how legalization is ushering in a new era of science-informed strain organization based on chemical profiles.
Other burning questions Nick will address include:
- Are strain names meaningless?
- How can we accurately segment strains based on their similarities?
- What makes lab data reliable and accurate?
Leafly is the leading voice in strain information, and as our understandings of cannabis evolve, so do we. We’re excited to share with you a glimpse into the future, and please join us in the Leafly Lounge afterward to kick back, relax, and talk cannabis with the Leafly squad.
