Every legal package in Canada carries the same set of numbers, and most people read one of them. Here is what all of it means.
THC and total THC
You will often see two figures. THC is what is active in the product right now. Total THC accounts for THCA converting to THC when it is heated. For dried flower, total THC is the number that matters, because you are going to heat it.
For edibles and beverages the figure is given in milligrams per package rather than a percentage, capped at 10mg.
CBD and total CBD
Same logic. CBDA converts to CBD with heat, and total CBD is the meaningful figure. CBD is not intoxicating on its own. It is often present alongside THC and is sold on its own as well.
Ratios
A 1:1 product has roughly equal THC and CBD. A 20:1 CBD product has twenty times as much CBD as THC. Higher CBD relative to THC generally means a milder, less intoxicating experience, which is why a lot of people who found cannabis overwhelming in the past end up on balanced products.
We are a shop, not a clinic, so we will not tell you what any of that will do for a specific condition. If you are using cannabis for a health reason, or you take medication, that conversation belongs with a pharmacist or a doctor.
The standardised cannabis symbol
The red octagon with a cannabis leaf and THC lettering appears on every legal product containing more than 10 micrograms of THC per gram. If you do not see it, the product did not come through the legal supply chain. That symbol plus the excise stamp is the quickest way to tell legal from grey market. There is more in our piece on legal cannabis in Ontario.
The rest of the label
- Packaged on date. The most useful thing on a flower package. See how to choose flower.
- Net weight. Grams for flower and concentrate, millilitres for liquids.
- Lot number. Keep the package if you want to reorder the same batch, or in the event of a recall.
- Licence holder. Who actually grew or made it, which is not always the brand on the front.
- Terpene content. Not mandatory, but printed by the better producers.
What the numbers will not tell you
Whether you will enjoy it. Potency is not quality, freshness beats percentage, and aroma predicts satisfaction better than any figure on the box.
Browse with confidence. See the shelf, delivered free across our local Toronto area.