The People Have “Smoke-en”
Stuck inside thanks to a nationwide quarantine, Ranker users spent more time than ever voting on lists ranking the best types of cannabis. Here’s what people love to smoke most — and why they smoke it.
Photo: Unsplash
The economy as a whole may not have the surest footing in the wake of this year’s coronavirus pandemic, but consumer interest in one industry is thriving more than ever. In the weeks after federal and state governments issued orders requiring people and businesses to practice “social distancing,” Ranker saw a 5X jump in traffic — specifically, traffic to lists about using cannabis.
Photo: Ranker
Our lists about cannabis covers everything from the celebrities who use surprisingly love weed (Patrick Stewart comes to mind) to best TV shows to watch while stoned (our readers picked Rick and Morty). But it also has a ton of lists ranking the best strains of marijuana to smoke and when. The results showed us how much has changed about cannabis and the people who smoke it — Ranker readers told us about what strains they use not just to relax, but to exercise, get relief from medical conditions both physical and mental, and to focus on work.
Ranker is the original source for reliable, crowd-sourced rankings for just about everything, including cannabis strains. Below you’ll find the strains that Ranker readers voted #1 in their respective categories: whether you’re looking to jump-start your creativity, ease your anxiety, or if you’re just looking for something that will give you the giggles. We also sourced some intel about each of these strains from the cannabis review site Leafly to help you understand more about the marijuana our readers love most.
GRANDDADDY PURPLE: “Granddaddy Purple (or GDP) is a famous indica cross of Purple Urkle and Big Bud. This California staple inherits a complex grape and berry aroma from its Purple Urkle parent, while Big Bud passes on its oversized, compact bud structure. GDP flowers bloom in shades of deep purple, a contrasting backdrop for its snow-like dusting of white crystal resin… Its potent effects are clearly detectable in both mind and body, delivering a fusion of cerebral euphoria and physical relaxation.”
Granddaddy Purple is more popular with readers aged 50 and over than with any other age group.
Men and women voted for this strain as the best indica in about equal numbers.
Though Granddaddy Purple is native to California, West Coast voters picked another strain, G-13, as their top Indica.
SOUR DIESEL: “Sour Diesel, sometimes called Sour D, is an invigorating sativa-dominant strain named after its pungent, diesel-like aroma. This fast-acting strain delivers energizing, dreamy cerebral effects that have pushed Sour Diesel to its legendary status.”
Sour Diesel is popular among readers from every part of the country, but especially in Arizona, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
If you live in a state that typically votes Republican, you’re twice as likely to prefer Sour Diesel over other sativas.
People across age groups (18-30, 30-49, and 50 and up) voted almost identically on this list, picking the same top three sativa strains.
WHITE WIDOW: Among the most famous strains worldwide is White Widow, a balanced hybrid first bred in the Netherlands by Green House Seeds. A cross between a Brazilian sativa landrace and a resin-heavy South Indian indica, White Widow has blessed every Dutch coffee shop menu since its birth in the 1990s. Its buds are white with crystal resin, warning you of the potent effects to come. A powerful burst of euphoria and energy breaks through immediately, stimulating both conversation and creativity.
The only region of the U.S. that doesn’t prefer White Widow over every other hybrid strain is the Northeast, where Blueberry Kush is number one.
Those who vote up White Widow on our list of best hybrids are more likely to vote up Northern Lights, Pink Indica, and Sour Bubble as their top Indica strains.
Surprise: people who prefer Bubble Gum, no. 7 on the Best Hybrid list, seem to have a sweet tooth. They also tend to vote up Sour Patch Kids as the best snack to take with you into a movie theater.
CHERRY PIE: “Cherry Pie's parents are Granddaddy Purple and Durban Poison. With buds that are dense and full of orange hairs and a touch of purple, this strain smells of sweet and sour cherry pie. The effects have been known to come on in minutes and stick around for a couple hours.”
While Cherry Pie may hold the title for now, it may not have it for long — since 2018, Pineapple Kush has been slowly clawing it's way up the list. It made it all the way to second place a year later, though it has since fallen back to 3. If trends continue, this fruity hybrid could soon be the first strain that cannabis users turn to when they’re in search of a particularly giddy high.
KALI MIST: “Kali Mist is known to deliver clear-headed, energetic effects that can verge on psychedelic at times. Despite having an unknown genetic history, Kali Mist is believed to have originated in the 1990s through crossing two sativa-dominant hybrids. This lightweight sativa is a perfect choice for consumers looking to maintain focus and productivity throughout their day.”
Kali Mist has been in first place for this category nearly since the list was published on April 9th, 2018, overtaking Blue Dream and White Widow by 4/20 of that year.
While Kali Mist is the top pick in this department for Ranker users, the Ranker staff pick for strains that get your creative juices flowing (off the clock, of course) is actually Blue Dream.
PLATINUM GSC: “This Cup-winning hybrid—a cross of OG Kush, Durban Poison, and a third unknown strain—fills your nose and lungs with sweet notes of berry and candy, followed by a fruity spiciness. Patients with severe pain, nausea, swelling, migraines, and stress should look no further for relief as symptoms both physical and mood-related melt away instantly. The Platinum GSC strain flaunts a heavy coat of crystal trichomes over its sage green leaves, assuring its potency to any consumer in doubt.”
This is the only list on which Platinum GSC makes on appearance on our rankings (though its relative Girl Scout Cookies is the top choice among strains ideal for meditation), which suggests that it is associated specifically with the treatment of anxiety for Ranker voters.
Another cannabis product that is highly popular in the treatment of anxiety among our readers is Endoca RAW Hemp Oil.
Other top strains on this list include Granddaddy Purple, AK-47, Headband, and Acapulco Gold.
GOD’S GIFT: “A strain that became popular in California dispensaries in 2005, God's Gift contains flavors of grape, citrus, and hash. Its parents are Granddaddy Purple and OG Kush. No matter what your belief system, this strain is a ‘gift’ with its dreamy, blissful effects.”
Other depression-related lists on Ranker include the best video games, TV shows, and movies for dealing with depression symptoms (Minecraft, House, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, respectively).
The number of visits to this list is nearly 10X the number of total visits, which suggests that most people who read it are looking for help picking a strain that will help them deal with depression symptoms. Expect that to change as the industry grows and as the positive effects of marijuana on depressive disorders become better known.
NORTHERN LIGHTS: “Northern Lights stands among the most famous strains of all time, a pure indica cherished for its resinous buds, fast flowering, and resilience during growth.”
Northern Lights has been ranked #1 since May of last year, but it’s been swapping it back and forth with Blue Dream since 2020 began.
Northern Lights is also considered by our voters to be the #2 choice for strains that help with insomnia and with indicas in general.
People frequently voted on this list after visiting our article on “Celebrities Who Smoke Weed.”
SOUR DIESEL: “Stress, pain, and depression fade away in long-lasting relief that makes Sour Diesel a top choice among medical patients. This strain took root in the early '90s, and it is believed to have descended from Chemdog 91 and Super Skunk.”
More search traffic to this list comes from California than from any other state. It seems as though this state in particular associates cannabis use and a healthy lifestyle.
Internationally, Sour Diesel is the number one choice on our list of Best Sativa strains among voters living in Australia and Canada. It’s number two for those in the U.K. and India.
SILVER HAZE: “Silver Haze delivers the full-strength Haze experience in a fatter, faster, more compact form. Crossing Haze with Northern Lights, Silver Haze maintains strong but clear-headed effects. Introduced by Sensi Seeds, Silver Haze gets its name from the massive amount of shiny THC glands covering the buds.”
Ranker staffers again broke with voters here, recommending Headband over Silver Haze for first-time smokers.
Silver Haze is number one among Ranker voters living in both the U.K. and Germany for Best Sativa Strains.
Silver Haze is among the top three sativa choices for those in California, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Louisiana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah. It’s also the #1 pick for among West Virginians.
BLUE DREAM: “Blue Dream, a sativa-dominant hybrid originating in California, has achieved legendary status among West Coast strains. Crossing Blueberry with Haze, Blue Dream balances full-body relaxation with gentle cerebral invigoration…With a sweet berry aroma redolent of its Blueberry parent, Blue Dream delivers swift symptom relief without heavy sedative effects. This makes Blue Dream a popular daytime medicine for patients treating pain, depression, nausea, and other ailments requiring a high THC strain.”
Blue Dream is particularly popular in Oregon, where it’s 7X more likely to be voted up by our readers.
Blue states vote Blue Dream — this is the number one sativa strain among voters living in states that typically vote Democrat.
GRANDDADDY PURPLE: While your thoughts may float in a dreamy buzz, your body is more likely to find itself fixed in one spot for the duration of Granddaddy Purple’s effects. Granddaddy Purple is typically pulled off the shelf for consumers looking to combat pain, stress, insomnia, appetite loss, and muscle spasms.
This strain is so popular in the U.S. that the only states where it isn’t ranked the #1 indica are Florida, Kentucky, Nevada, Vermont, and Washington
Despite its popularity , Granddaddy Kush wasn’t the #1 choice for strains that aid with insomnia until a few months ago. In fact, it was all the way down at #13 in October of 2018 before it started slowly climbing to the top of our ranking.
ISLAND SWEET SKUNK: “Island Sweet Skunk, sometimes called Sweet Island Skunk, is a sativa strain that consumers enjoy for its energetic effects. The flavor is most easily described as 'sweet skunk,’ where tropical fruit flavors take the lead…Some varieties of Island Sweet Skunk have a heightened CBD content to help patients treating anxiety, inflammation, and muscle spasms.”
Despite its popularity on this list, Island Sweet Skunk isn’t particularly popular among Ranker voters generally (with the exception of Colorado, where it’s ranked as the #1 hybrid strain). It doesn’t crack the top 20 for either men or women among top hybrid strains.
What do those using cannabis to treat nausea eat when they get the munchies? The top three best foods for nausea among Ranker voters generally are ginger, peppermint, and chicken soup.
GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: “GSC, formerly known as Girl Scout Cookies, is an OG Kush and Durban Poison hybrid cross whose reputation grew too large to stay within the borders of its California homeland. With a sweet and earthy aroma, GSC launches you to euphoria’s top floor where full-body relaxation meets a time-bending cerebral space.”
Like Platinum GSC, the original Girl Scout Cookies strain only appears on one list, indicating that it’s beloved by people who know cannabis well and understand exactly what they want.
Girl Scout Cookies is in tough competition with the other members of the top four on this list: White Widow, Skywalker OG, and Blue Dream. The four strains have all had turns at the top over the course of the last year.
JACK HERER: “Jack Herer is a sativa-dominant cannabis strain that has gained as much renown as its namesake, the marijuana activist and author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes…Its rich genetic background gives rise to several different variations of Jack Herer, each phenotype bearing its own unique features and effects. However, consumers typically describe this 55% sativa hybrid as blissful, clear-headed, and creative.”
Those searching for strains associated with improving focus are also more likely to look for strains that help them with depression.
Jack Herer is the #2 best sativa strain for those living in the Midwest and on the West Coast, but nowhere across the U.S. is it the number one choice among all those of its blend. That could be because the strain has highly specific effects and qualities, which lend itself to focus and productivity, but might not be as effective at making users relaxed or giggly.
BUBBA KUSH: “Bubba Kush is an indica strain that has gained notoriety in the US and beyond for its heavy tranquilizing effects. Sweet hashish flavors with subtle notes of chocolate and coffee come through on the exhale, delighting the palate as powerful relaxation takes over. From head to toe, muscles ease with heaviness as dreamy euphoria blankets the mind, crushing stress while bringing happy moods. Bubba Kush exhibits a distinctive, bulky bud structure with hues that range from forest green to pale purple.”
Readers interested in cannabis strains that relax them are also likely to check out strains that are great for first-time smokers
Bubba Kush is also ranked #4 on our list of strains that are great for insomnia, but fairly low (#22) on our list of strains for experiencing euphoria.