Creative is one of the most popular effect tags, and the one research has tested most directly. The best-known trial found no creativity boost at a low dose and a measurable drop at a high one.

What the Creative Tag Means

The effects on our strain pages are what sources describe for each strain: a report, not a measurement or a promise. A strain tagged creative is one that people describe that way, and the same strain can feel different to different people, or to you on a different day.

What the Research Says

In a randomized, double-blind trial published in Psychopharmacology, regular cannabis users vaporized a low dose (5.5mg THC), a high dose (22mg THC) or a placebo. The low dose had no detectable effect on creativity; the high dose made people significantly worse at divergent thinking,, the kind of open-ended idea generation measured by listing alternative uses for an object.

Health Canada does list heightened sensory experiences of sight, taste, smell and sound among the short-term effects, along with impaired concentration and attention.

Before You Choose by Effect

Strain type is not a shortcut either. The Ontario Cannabis Store notes that indica and sativa describe the plant, and that plant type may not be the most reliable indicator of potential effects; cannabinoid content, terpenes, consumption method, amount and your own tolerance all play a part.

How you take it changes when an effect arrives. Health Canada says smoking, vaping or dabbing can be felt within seconds to minutes, while eating or drinking cannabis takes 30 minutes to 2 hours, and effects from either can last up to 24 hours.