Cannabis Classification Scheme Outdated
by DAVID M. JOLLEY, J.D.
Since the legalization of cannabis medicinally or recreational in a majority of the states, there has been an increase of interest in understanding what the different cannabis strains do and their differing effects on the human body, both physically and psychologically. Currently, cannabis strains are divided into three different categories: indica, sativa, and hybrid. Generally speaking, indica strains tend be shorter plants with broader leaves and produce a more relaxing body high; whereas sativas are taller with narrower leaves and produce a more mentally stimulating high; and finally, hybrids are some combination of the two. However, recent research on this matter suggests this system of categorizing strains is inconsistent (if not inaccurate) to the plant’s actual chemical makeup and effects.
Origins of Current Classification System
In 1753, Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist and physician published Species Plantarum, in which he classified all cannabis plants as “Cannabis sativa L,” where cannabis is the genus, sativa is the species and the “L” indicating Linnaeus’ system.
Later in 1785, French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed dividing the cannabis plant into two subspecies in which cannabis that was largely cultivated from continents in the western hemisphere (North and South America) would be known as Cannabis sativa and species grown in India and neighboring countries in the eastern hemisphere as Cannabis indica. These classifications (in addition to hybrids) are still used today to indicate the plant’s psychological and physical effects.
Finally, Cannabis ruderalis, a low-THC variety native to Central, Eastern Europe and Russia was identified by Russian botanist, Dmitrij Janischewsky in the early 20th century. While some scholars believe Cannabis ruderalis to be its own species, others have postulated that ruderalis is a subdivision of Cannabis sativa. As of 2022, the consensus is to call it Cannabis sativa var. ruderalis.
Recent Studies
Recent studies suggest this current methodology for categorizing cannabis is both outdated and mostly inaccurate. In a 2021 study, researchers compared and analyzed the genetic makeup of over 100 different samples of cannabis strains and found that “Sativa and Indica-labelled samples were genetically indistinct on a genome-wide scale” from one another. The samples were labeled on a five-point scale that is typically used in dispensaries today (i.e. indica, indica-dominant, hybrid, sativa-dominant, and sativa). Genetic testing revealed that those labels failed to accurately describe the plant’s chemistry and effects.
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The study also showed that cannabis strains of the same classification (indica, sativa, etc.) were often genetically and chemically different from each other. According to the researchers, this shows that cannabis labels are not an accurate indicators of a strain’s genetic or chemical identity.
In another study from May 2022, researchers identified three main classes of terpene combinations that are common in some strains. Terpenes are the plant’s chemical components that give cannabis its unique odor. The three combinations identified were: caryophyllene and limonene, myrcene and pinene; and terpinolene and myrcene. However, the study’s authors determined that these combinations did “not neatly correspond to the indica, sativa and hybrid labeling scheme….In other words, it is likely that a sample with the label indica will have an indistinguishable terpene composition as samples labelled sativa or hybrid,” they wrote.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of these studies, the current “indica/sativa” classification system is not an accurate description of a plant’s chemical composition or even its effects in some cases. Perhaps a more accurate way to predict and determine a particular strain’s effects is to examine more closely the plant’s cannabinoid and terpene compounds, which we know combine to create the plant’s “entourage effect” and the feeling of being high. So rather than the simple indica, stative, or hybrid designation, cannabis labels would include the quantities of key compounds of the plant and their medicinal effects. This would be especially useful for medical cannabis patients who need reliable and accurate information about a particular strain and how it will affect their condition.
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