The narrative handed down for generations is that “sativa” varieties are associated with more awake, “caffeine-like” effects that make them ideal to consume during the day, whereas indica products tend to be associated with a full-body high and so-called “couchlock effects” that make them more appropriate to consume in the evening.
Nonetheless, modern analytical testing of so-called true indica versus true sativa varieties identifies few differences in the plants’ analytical makeup and none responsible for these supposed disparate effects. In 2018, cannabinoid scientist Robert McPartland concluded, “Categorizing cannabis as either ‘sativa’ or ‘indica’ has become an exercise in futility. … Ubiquitous interbreeding and hybridization render their distinction meaningless.”