All these strains that you can buy at the dispensary - Purple Nurple, OG Kush, Sour Diesel, etc. - is this Indica-dominant strain fundamentally different from that Indica-dominant strain? Or are they all just marketing terms (like “Dawn” and “Ajax” are both just glycerin, dye and perfume, with different names)?
Well, “fundamentally” is a strong word - you could say they’re all “fundamentally” marijuana, so end of story, but if you’re asking if different strains can be significantly different in looks, taste, and effects, then the answer is, not surprisingly, yes.
If you smoke a single strain for too long, you’ll get used to it and it become less effective. Switching strains will ‘reset’ you, so to speak.
On edit I’ll just add that this is no different for the vast majority of “crops.” Think of tomatoes - beefsteak, roma, cherry, yellow, etc. They’re all fundamentally tomatoes, but they all look and taste differently.
There are also testing methods used to determine the levels of “active” ingredients in marijuana like THC, CBN and CBD and these show differences from strain to strain.
These various strains are the result of cross-breeding and do have different characteristics. Different in color, smell, drug levels and the effects they convey. Some will zonk you out, some will let you continue to function, some are body effects, some cerebral.
No, they are not just dye and perfume, the type of market this pot is now targeted for would never tolerate such things. These varieties are now being marketed much the same way that wines are, “a hint of lemon, berries and grapes.” And they do have different effects and taste.
The store that I go to has on-line product lists, descriptions of both the product and effects, prices, and reviews. I always do a little shopping before actually going to the physical store. And yes, I live in and next to a state that allows legal recreational purchases.
The types of pot being sold now are far removed from what you may have encountered when pot was a wild plant grown in the woods and harvested. I expect that after the market stabilizes there will be a desire for “heirloom” varieties of the original strains of the past, much like tomatoes.
Not posting links, but PM if you want them.
Won’t do me a lick of good until cross-state pot mail-order becomes a legal thing, lol.
Well, I assume Pot Smoking Tours for whatever the druggie equivalent of oenophiles may be will soon become a thing in America.
Visiting the great vineyards, talking knowledgeably about terroir, taking little chews and spitting them out, wearing hemp clothing ( because hemp crops will be a magic bullet for the economy once those fools in Washington see the light ), collecting free medical permits, listening respectfully to the pot-master and guest lecturers, and enjoying good company whether the fellow members of the group arrived in expensive BMWs or beat-up old vans.
In reality each strain is some sort of combination of indica/sativa. This is the result of cross-breeding and extensive experimentation by growers.
There are other factors, but the general rule is that an indica-heavy strain will put you to sleep on the couch and a sativa-heavy strain will get you running a marathon.
That’s why they call Indica “in da couch.”
These tours already exist here in Washington state!
HeyHomie,
Im a Colorado native whos educated in pot growing,strains,soil,additives,harvest,male vs. female,seeds,size,location,laws,zones,costs,medical use, do’s an dont’s, security, moon rise & fall, astrology, farmers wisdom, wives tales, good luck, bad luck, ditch weed, tree weed, flat weed, stink weed, piss weed, fish weed, goose weed, duck weed,etc. Most strains"you can buy at the dispensary" are just plants that have been hybrid and crossed to produce crops of high grade mmj. Catchy names are cool like the few you mentioned. Sour Diesel !
HeyHomie,
Im a Colorado native whos educated in pot growing,strains,soil,additives,harvest,male vs. female,seeds,size,location,laws,zones,costs,medical use, do’s an dont’s, security, moon rise & fall, astrology, farmers wisdom, wives tales, good luck, bad luck, ditch weed, tree weed, flat weed, stink weed, piss weed, fish weed, goose weed, duck weed,etc. Most strains"you can buy at the dispensary" are just plants that have been hybrid and crossed to produce crops of high grade mmj. Catchy names are cool like the few you mentioned. Sour Diesel !
woops.
Been samplin’ the product again?? 
Not to worry; the hamsters at SDMB double-clutch once in awhile. We’ve all done it.