Classification of Cannabis Strains Based on their Chemical Fingerprint—A Broad Analysis of Chemovars in the German Market

Cannabis cultivars were usually categorized based on their genetic profile as sativa, indica, or hybrid types. However, these three criteria do not allow sufficient differentiation between the numerous varieties of cannabis strains. Furthermore, this classification is based on morphological and bio-geographical properties of the plants and does not represent the chemical composition of different cultivars. The concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes are crucial for the pharmacological effect, not only because of the known entourage effect, and therefore needs to be considered by categorization.