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What Are Cannabis Strains Phenotypes And Cultivars?
Ready to start experimenting with growing cannabis and maybe trying a new cannabis cultivar.
When shopping for cannabis strains, you will notice that there are many other terms that are used to describe them. These include phenotypes, chemotypes, genotypes, and cultivars. These are also important terms to know if you want to grow your own cannabis. Here’s insight into what are cannabis strains phenotypes and cultivars.
Cannabis Strains and Cultivars
Cannabis strains are the variation names formed by cultivars, and any offspring that has resulted from these modified plants. They can be produced through regular breeding or other more modern methods, sometimes they can also occur through genetic mutations.
A cannabis strain name, such as Blue Dream, Afghan Kush, or Sour Diesel refers to the characteristics retained by the strain. There are almost 1,000 cannabis strains known today, which are further classified into one of three categories: sativa, indica, or hybrid. Generally speaking, sativa cannabis strains are known for their energizing and uplifting qualities when consumed, while indica strains are more sedating and relaxing – suitable for nighttime use. Meanwhile, hybrid strains combine effects of both.
With cannabis use becoming more widespread around the world, there is always a new strain to try and look forward to as breeders explore making their own.
Botanically speaking, strains and cultivars refer to plants that were sexually breeded by seed propagation. Selected plant seeds, such as those chosen because they express certain characteristics, are used to create another generation. During sexual reproduction of cannabis plants, mutations can occur though they usually affect just one plant which the breeder can usually remove from the rest of the population.
At the end of the day, both cannabis strains and cultivars are exactly the same thing. Scientists tend to use the term cultivars, while strains are a more popular mainstream term.
When shopping around for cultivars, here are some things to think about or ask the breeder:
Genetic lineage: Understanding the genetic lineage of a cultivar will help you identify any that are familiar. There are also numerous phenotypes possible for a cultivar, so it isn’t enough to know them by name.
Laboratory testing: If you are interested in learning about a strain’s effects in detail, a laboratory test will be able to tell you more specifically about its THC and CBD content as well as its cannabinoids and terpenes.
Effects: The way to know the effect of a cultivar is to research what consumers say. This will help you understand if you have specific needs that the strain can or can’t meet, and if other consumers are able to satisfy their needs with that strain. It’s a good place to start though people will have varying effects because there are other factors that impact how we feel when we consume a strain such as our own endocannabinoid system which is different from other people’s endocannabinoid systems.
Leaf variety: In some cases you can easily tell the leaf variety by looking at the plant, other times it won’t be as obvious so you would have to ask. If it has big fat buds, they are likely to possess the same genotypes and phenotypes as broad leaf cultivars (BLV) while those with long, thin buds and leaves will have the characteristics of a narrow leaf cultivar (NLV).
Cultivar Shapes and Sizes
Aside from the psychoactive characteristics, cultivars and strains are also identified by their physical characteristics. As mentioned, there are broad leaf (BLV) cultivars which are fat and bushy plants with wide leaves, while the narrow leaf (NLV) are skinny and lanky plants with thin leaves. Broad leaf plants are known to have sedating and calming effects while narrow leaf plants are uplifting and energizing.
Keep in mind that while these are the common effects that are associated with said cultivars, it’s not limited to these. They do guide the phenotypes and varietals that breeders want to grow, though. For this reason, breeders now can create strains or cultivars that are uplifting and energizing, while being mildly sedating. This has led to the growth of the hybrid cultivar market where you can now buy many backcrosses and mixes for a uniquely enjoyable experience.
Phenotypes, Genotypes, Chemotypes
Earlier, we mentioned that cultivars or strains are classified based on their observable effects: uplifting, sedating, etc.
These phenotypes are essentially the obvious traits of a plant, which are associated with the effects they have on the consumer. On the other hand, a genotype is the genetic makeup of the plant and its internal blueprint which was passed down from its ancestors. A genotype indicates the list of possible characteristics that a plant may have and pass on to its offspring though a cannabis genotype will be influenced by the environment in which it is grown. The overall smell, shape, and color of a plant will all be impacted by the environment in which cannabis has been grown.
A chemotype refers to the chemical makeup of the plant, or what chemical components and cannabinoids are found as well as its quantity. Specifically, this would tell you how much CBD or THC a plant has, as well as its cannabinoids and terpenes. There are around 85 known cannabinoids all of which have various health benefits and effects while terpenes contribute to the unique smells of the strain as well as influence its therapeutic and psychoactive effects.
Differences in the Same Cannabis Strain
It’s not uncommon for you to discover that upon buying another batch of Lemon Kush, it tastes, looks, and feels different from the last batch you bought, which you absolutely loved. This can happen because environment and genetics will affect the strain, thus the end result is a plant expressing different phenotypes.
Now that you are armed with information, you’re ready to start experimenting with growing your own or perhaps trying a new cannabis cultivar.
Source: https://thefreshtoast.com/cannabis/what-are-cannabis-strains-phenotypes-and-cultivars/
New Mexico regulators fined a cannabis operator nearly $300,000 and revoked its license after the company allegedly created fake reports in the state’s traceability software.
The New Mexico Cannabis Control Division (CCD) accused marijuana manufacturer and retailer Golden Roots of 11 violations, according to Albuquerque Business First.
Golden Roots operates the The Cannabis Revolution Dispensary.
The majority of the violations are related to the Albuquerque company’s improper use of BioTrack, which has been New Mexico’s track-and-trace vendor since 2015.
The CCD alleges Golden Roots reported marijuana production only two months after it had received its vertically integrated license, according to Albuquerque Business First.
Because cannabis takes longer than two months to be cultivated, the CCD was suspicious of the report.
After inspecting the company’s premises, the CCD alleged Golden Roots reported cultivation, transportation and sales in BioTrack but wasn’t able to provide officers who inspected the site evidence that the operator was cultivating cannabis.
In April, the CCD revoked Golden Roots’ license and issued a $10,000 fine, according to the news outlet.
The company requested a hearing, which the regulator scheduled for Sept. 1.
At the hearing, the CCD testified that the company’s dried-cannabis weights in BioTrack were suspicious because they didn’t seem to accurately reflect how much weight marijuana loses as it dries.
Company employees also poorly accounted for why they were making adjustments in the system of up to 24 pounds of cannabis, making comments such as “bad” or “mistake” in the software, Albuquerque Business First reported.
Golden Roots was fined $298,972.05 – the amount regulators allege the company made selling products that weren’t properly accounted for in BioTrack.
The CCD has been cracking down on cannabis operators accused of selling products procured from out-of-state or not grown legally:
- Regulators alleged in August that Albuquerque dispensary Sawmill Sweet Leaf sold out-of-state products and didn’t have a license for extraction.
- Paradise Exotics Distro lost its license in July after regulators alleged the company sold products made in California.
Golden Roots was the first alleged rulebreaker in New Mexico to be asked to pay a large fine.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/new-mexico-cannabis-operator-fined-loses-license-for-alleged-biotrack-fraud/
Four marijuana companies, including a multistate operator, have filed a lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in which they allege the federal MJ prohibition under the Controlled Substances Act is no longer constitutional.
According to the complaint, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, retailer Canna Provisions, Treevit delivery service CEO Gyasi Sellers, cultivator Wiseacre Farm and MSO Verano Holdings Corp. are all harmed by “the federal government’s unconstitutional ban on cultivating, manufacturing, distributing, or possessing intrastate marijuana.”
Verano is headquartered in Chicago but has operations in Massachusetts; the other three operators are based in Massachusetts.
The lawsuit seeks a ruling that the “Controlled Substances Act is unconstitutional as applied to the intrastate cultivation, manufacture, possession, and distribution of marijuana pursuant to state law.”
The companies want the case to go before the U.S. Supreme Court.
They hired prominent law firm Boies Schiller Flexner to represent them.
The New York-based firm’s principal is David Boies, whose former clients include Microsoft, former presidential candidate Al Gore and Elizabeth Holmes’ disgraced startup Theranos.
Similar challenges to the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) have failed.
One such challenge led to a landmark Supreme Court decision in 2005.
In Gonzalez vs. Raich, the highest court in the United States ruled in a 6-3 decision that the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution gave Congress the power to outlaw marijuana federally, even though state laws allow the cultivation and sale of cannabis.
In the 18 years since that ruling, 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized adult-use marijuana and the federal government has allowed a multibillion-dollar cannabis industry to thrive.
Since both Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice, currently headed by Garland, have declined to intervene in state-licensed marijuana markets, the key facts that led to the Supreme Court’s 2005 ruling “no longer apply,” Boies said in a statement Thursday.
“The Supreme Court has since made clear that the federal government lacks the authority to regulate purely intrastate commerce,” Boies said.
“Moreover, the facts on which those precedents are based are no longer true.”
Verano President Darren Weiss said in a statement the company is “prepared to bring this case all the way to the Supreme Court in order to align federal law with how Congress has acted for years.”
While the Biden administration’s push to reschedule marijuana would help solve marijuana operators’ federal tax woes, neither rescheduling nor modest Congressional reforms such as the SAFER Banking Act “solve the fundamental issue,” Weiss added.
“The application of the CSA to lawful state-run cannabis business is an unconstitutional overreach on state sovereignty that has led to decades of harm, failed businesses, lost jobs, and unsafe working conditions.”
Alabama regulators are targeting Dec. 1 to award the first batch of medical cannabis business licenses after the agency’s first two attempts were scrapped because of scoring errors and litigation.
The first licenses will be awarded to individual cultivators, delivery providers, processors, dispensaries and state testing labs, according to the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC).
Then, on Dec. 12, the AMCC will award licenses for vertically integrated operations, a designation set primarily for multistate operators.
Licenses are expected to be handed out 28 days after they have been awarded, so MMJ production could begin in early January, according to the Alabama Daily News.
That means MMJ products could be available for patients around early March, an AMCC spokesperson told the media outlet.
Regulators initially awarded 21 business licenses in June, only to void them after applicants alleged inconsistencies with how the applications were scored.
Then, in August, the state awarded 24 different licenses – 19 went to June recipients – only to reverse themselves again and scratch those licenses after spurned applicants filed lawsuits.
A state judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Chicago-based MSO Verano Holdings Corp., but another lawsuit is pending.
Source: https://mjbizdaily.com/alabama-plans-to-award-medical-cannabis-licenses-dec-1/
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