Strain

A cannabis strain refers to an individual cultivar variety of the cannabis plant purposefully bred to express certain specific characteristics such as a distinct aroma, flavor, appearance, cannabinoid profile, terpene composition and psychoactive effects caused by interactions with the human endocannabinoid system. While genotype ultimately determines the ceilings of a marijuana strain's phenotypic expression, environmental factors affect the final characteristics. There now exist thousands of named cannabis strains bred from ancestral landrace genetics originating in Central Asia, India and Southeast Asia. The proliferation of hybrid strains results from systematic crossbreeding between distinct varieties of indica and sativa descendants for many generations. This continual diversification of the marijuana gene pool provides consumers and patients tremendous options to choose from like OG Kush, Blue Dream, Gorilla Glue, Granddaddy Purple, Sour Diesel, Triangle Kush and many other popular strains. Though actual effects vary based on individual body chemistry and tolerance, exploring different cannabis strains allows recreational and medical users the opportunity to taste and directly experience a wide spectrum of distinct marijuana flavor profiles, textures and experiential effects.