{"id":14285,"date":"2024-08-13T10:30:08","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T14:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.veriheal.com\/blog\/?p=14285"},"modified":"2026-03-26T02:21:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T06:21:29","slug":"how-science-is-changing-the-way-the-industry-categorizes-cannabis-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.veriheal.com\/blog\/how-science-is-changing-the-way-the-industry-categorizes-cannabis-products\/","title":{"rendered":"How Technology Is Transforming the Cannabis Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cDo you want an indica or a sativa?\u201d is a common first question being asked by those who are dispensing cannabis along with the question \u201cIs this an indica or a sativa<\/a>?\u201d from cannabis consumers. However, these questions have largely been rendered obsolete thanks to further research<\/span>. Because c<\/span>annabis strains have been crossbred so much, pure indica and sativa strains don’t exist<\/span>. Nowadays, one can purchase an \u2018indica\u2019 with sativa-style effects and vice versa- which is why science has taken to reclassifying types of cannabis. They are no longer able to categorize cannabis by indica, sativa, afghanica nor ruderalis, but rather as type 1, 2, and 3.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The New Way to Sort Cannabis\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The fact that cannabis plants are interbred to the point where indica and sativa categorizations are void, the need for finding new ways to categorize cannabis becomes especially important in order to separate them from each other in terms of their intended taxonomy, the likely therapeutic effects as well as the other potential effects which could be expected. <\/span>The current means, though outdated for some time, does little to provide an estimate or describe an individual’s cannabis experience which leaves the industry without a way to properly consult with customers and consumers about certain products.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is the final ingredients, or compounds, in the cannabis plant which will indicate which effects can be expected, not whether it is indica, sativa, or a hybrid. The final compounds in a plant are influenced by the genetics of the seeds as well as being influenced by environmental factors including the light, temperature, soil microbiome, pests, chemicals being used as well as the nutrients and feed amongst others. All these factors impact the phytochemical output, cannabinoid, and terpene output, which then also allows for a synergetic process to take place- which is known as <\/span>the \u2018entourage effect\u2019<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So the question then becomes, how can the industry classify cannabis in a manner which is both accurate and approachable? Perhaps the answer to this question could be the first step towards being able to better regulate cannabis for legalization and medical prescription purposes. Fortunately, science is on the task and has even tried to simplify the categorization so that it would not be a lot of fine print- as it would be if we classified cannabis based on their content lab reports.<\/span><\/p>\n

The following means of categorizing cannabis was first proposed by Ernest Small in his 1973 paper, <\/span>which is published in Nature and is called <\/span><\/a>\u201cCannabinoid phenotypes in Cannabis Sativa\u201d. Now, this system is being used to assist in distinguishing between the many cannabis compound profiles<\/a>. Mr. Small create three primary categories, which are as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

Type I<\/strong><\/h2>\n