Ask a Stoner: Is the term "Scary Sativa" Valid?

Westword

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Dear Stoner: Is "scary sativa" full of crap, or is there any validity to it? Some strains have made me feel weird, but I couldn't tell you what they were.
Allura

Dear Allura: The short answer: yes, because the whole indica and sativa thing is full of crap. While there are actually pure indica and sativa strains, those designations have more to do with plant structure and DNA, with the latter too muddled to label one or another nowadays.

click to enlarge

Scott Lentz

Original indicas and sativas, or landrace strains, are rare in the United States, and even landraces affect people differently. Landrace sativas like Durban Poison and Colombian Gold make my mind race, but they don't do that to everyone, and I've smoked cuts of both that knock me out. The reputation likely stems from strains like Amnesia Haze and Sour Diesel in the '80s and '90s. They had the tall, loose bud structures of sativas and were way stronger than '70s swag, so sativas were scapegoated when people began freaking out from smoking too much THC.

Today's weed is too hybridized to traffic in such slang, not that it was ever accurate to begin with, so don't be afraid of sativas. In fact, don't even call them that!

Send questions to [email protected].