The effect tags on a strain page are, on most cannabis databases, generated from whether the strain is filed as indica or sativa, not measured from the plant. That is worth knowing before you choose a product on the strength of them, and it applies to our listings as much as anyone else's.

Key Takeaways

  • Lab-tested cannabinoid figures are the only part of a listing measured from the product.
  • Effect and terpene tags are usually derived from the category label rather than from testing.
  • The category tells you little about strength: 2.1 points separates the averages.
  • A batch COA beats every other source, because it describes the jar rather than the cultivar.
  • Strain names are not standardised, so the same name from two growers can be two different plants.

On this page

What a listing can and cannot evidence

What a strain listing can evidence What a strain listing can evidence Grounded in something • A lab-tested THC and CBD figure for a batch • The named lineage, where a breeder published it • Price per gram • Which store is selling it Usually inferred, not measured • The effect tags (relaxed, creative, focused) • The terpene list, when no assay is linked • Flavour descriptors • "Indica" or "sativa" as a prediction of effect Most databases, ours included, derive the right-hand column from the strain’s category rather than from testing each plant.
The split between what a strain page can actually evidence and what it generates from a label.

None of this means strain pages are useless. It means the two halves carry very different weight, and they are presented identically: same typeface, same confident tone, same little tag pills. A lab-tested 22% THC and a "creative" tag look equally factual on screen and are not.

Where the information comes from

Where a strain page’s information comes from Where a strain page’s information comes from Strongest evidence at the top Batch COA A lab certificate for the exact product The only direct measurement of what you are buying Producer testing Typical figures for that cultivar Real data, but not your jar Breeder lineage Published parentage Unverifiable and often disputed Aggregated listings Averaged from other databases Inherits every upstream error Category inference Derived from indica / sativa / hybrid How most effect and terpene tags are produced
Five sources, in descending order of how much they actually tell you about the product in front of you. Most strain pages on the internet, including most of ours, sit at the bottom two rungs.

The gap between the top and bottom rungs is large. A certificate of analysis describes the specific batch in front of you. Category inference describes a convention about how a word is usually applied. Both end up rendered as a confident line on a product page.

A reasonable test: if a listing states a terpene profile but links no assay, it is describing the cultivar's reputation rather than the jar's contents.

What indica and sativa are worth

The labels have real history, they began as a botanical distinction about plant morphology, but they have been applied so loosely for so long that their predictive value for effect is weak. As a potency signal they are close to worthless.

What the category label is worth as a potency signal What the category label is worth as a potency signal Average listed THC, 3,536 published strains Indica 22.1% Hybrid 21.1% Sativa 20.0%
A 2.1-point spread between category averages. Whatever indica and sativa describe, it is not how strong the product is.

What the categories do carry is a convention about reported character: indica-labelled products are generally described as more physically sedating, sativa-labelled as more stimulating. That convention is not nothing, and plenty of people find it a useful shorthand. It is just not a measurement, and the industry's habit of generating effect tags from it turns a loose convention into what looks like data.

How to read a listing anyway

Three habits make strain pages more useful without pretending they are more rigorous than they are.

Treat cannabinoid figures as a band, not a number. Potency varies between harvests of the same genetics and between parts of the same plant. A listed 22% means roughly that, for the batch tested.

Read effect tags as genre, not prescription. They tell you which shelf a product sits on and how it is conventionally described. They do not predict your experience, and they were probably not measured.

Weigh what is checkable. Price per gram, who stocks it, what the store's shipping threshold is. These are verifiable, and between two similar products they are a firmer basis for choosing than a tag.

FAQ

Are strain effect tags accurate?
They are conventional rather than measured. On most cannabis databases, including ours, effect tags are generated from whether the strain is filed as indica, sativa or hybrid rather than from testing individual plants. Treat them as a description of how a strain is usually talked about.
Does indica always mean sleepy?
It conventionally implies a more physically sedating character, and many people find that shorthand useful. It is not a measurement, and it says almost nothing about strength: category averages sit within 2.1 percentage points of each other.
What is a COA and why does it matter?
A certificate of analysis is a lab report for a specific batch. It is the only source that describes the product you are actually buying rather than the cultivar in general, which is why it outranks every other kind of listing information.
Can I trust a terpene profile on a strain page?
Only if an assay is linked. Terpene content varies substantially between grows of the same genetics, so a profile stated without testing is describing the cultivar's reputation rather than any particular product.
Why do two sites list different THC for the same strain?
Because they are describing different batches, or aggregating from different upstream sources, and because strain names are not standardised. The same name from two growers can be genuinely different plants. See what strain names reveal .

Potency figures are computed from Weedpedia's published strain database (3,536 strains with a listed THC value) at the time of writing. Related reading: how strong Canadian weed actually is, what Canadian weed grades mean, and the strain glossary.

For adults 19+. General information about how product listings are compiled, not medical advice or a claim about any specific product.