You pick up a cannabis product and turn it around.
THC. CBD. Total cannabinoids. Batch number. Net weight. Serving size. Ingredients. Warning symbols. Terpenes. Testing information.
Suddenly you’re holding what appears to be the nutritional label from a spaceship.
The good news is that learning how to read a cannabis label in Minnesota is actually pretty simple once you know which numbers and terms matter.
And you definitely do not need to understand every microscopic line of text before buying cannabis.
At SPARK Minnesota, we spend a lot of time helping customers make sense of product labels because those labels contain some genuinely useful information. The trick is knowing what you’re looking at.
So let’s decode one.
How to Read a Cannabis Label: What Should You Look at First?
First, figure out what you’re actually holding.
Seems obvious, but cannabis now comes in a lot of forms:
Flower.
Pre-rolls.
Vapes.
Edibles.
Beverages.
Concentrates.
If you’re still figuring out the differences between these categories, check out our guide to types of cannabis products.
Each type of cannabis product is labeled a little differently because the information that matters changes depending on how the product is used.
For flower, you’ll usually be looking at things like weight and cannabinoid percentages.
For edibles, milligrams per serving and milligrams per package become much more important.
Minnesota labeling rules require cannabis products to provide specific information depending on the product category, including cannabinoid information, weight or volume, batch information and other required disclosures.
You can review Minnesota’s current cannabis packaging and labeling requirements through the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management.
In other words, that tiny label is doing more work than it looks like.
THC: The Number Everybody Looks at First
Let’s start with the celebrity of the cannabis label.
THC.
THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the primary intoxicating cannabinoid in cannabis.
With cannabis flower, THC potency is commonly displayed as a percentage.
You might see:
THC: 18%
or
Total THC: 24.7%
That number gives you useful information about potency.
What it does not tell you is whether the product is automatically good, bad, strong enough, too strong or perfect for you.
We’ve said this before, and we’ll probably keep saying it until somebody makes us stop:
Higher THC does not automatically mean better cannabis.
A 30% flower is not automatically superior to a 22% flower.
Think of THC percentage as one piece of the puzzle.
A pretty important piece.
But still just one piece.
THC Percentage vs. THC Milligrams
This is where newer cannabis shoppers sometimes get confused.
Flower generally uses percentages.
Edibles and beverages generally use milligrams.
Those are two different ways of expressing potency.
Understanding how to read a cannabis label makes this much easier, especially when you’re comparing flower with edibles or beverages.
For example, cannabis flower might say:
THC: 25%
A gummy might say:
5 mg THC per serving
and:
50 mg THC per package
Do not compare those numbers directly.
A 25% flower and a 5 mg gummy are completely different products consumed in completely different ways.
It would be a little like comparing the horsepower of your truck to how many ounces are in your coffee.
Both numbers are useful.
They just aren’t measuring the same thing.
Pay Attention to Serving Size
This is especially important with edibles.
Knowing how to read a cannabis label is especially helpful here because the THC per serving and the THC in the entire package can be very different numbers.
Minnesota rules require ingestible cannabis products to provide the serving size, number of servings in the container and THC and CBD content both per serving and for the entire package.
This matters.
A package might contain multiple gummies, chocolates or other pieces.
The number printed prominently on the front may not necessarily represent one serving.
Look for:
THC per serving
and:
THC per package
Those are two very different things.
If the package contains 10 servings at 5 mg THC each, the whole package contains 50 mg THC.
That does not mean one serving contains 50 mg.
This is one of those occasions where reading the fine print is significantly more important than pretending you read the terms and conditions before updating your iPhone.
What Does CBD Mean?
CBD, or cannabidiol, is another cannabinoid found in cannabis.
Unlike THC, CBD is not generally intoxicating on its own.
Some products contain very little CBD.
Others may contain meaningful amounts of both THC and CBD.
Minnesota labeling requirements for ingestible cannabis products include both THC and CBD content per serving and for the entire package.
So if CBD matters to what you’re looking for, check the cannabinoid information instead of assuming every cannabis product contains the same amount.
They definitely do not.
What Are “Total Cannabinoids”?
You may also see a larger cannabinoid profile on the package.
Cannabis contains far more than THC and CBD.
Depending on the product and testing information, you might see cannabinoids such as:
THCA
THC
CBD
CBDA
CBG
CBN
and others.
You absolutely do not need to memorize this alphabet soup before walking into SPARK.
The important thing is understanding that THC is only one cannabinoid found in cannabis.
The broader cannabinoid profile gives you a more complete picture of what’s actually in the product.
Wait. What’s THCA?
This one confuses a lot of people.
And understandably so.
THCA is tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, a naturally occurring cannabinoid found in raw cannabis.
When cannabis is heated, such as when flower is smoked or vaporized, THCA converts into THC through a process called decarboxylation.
This is why cannabis labels may show both THCA and THC values or display a calculated “total THC” figure.
You don’t need to do the math yourself.
Your weekend is too short for that.
Terpenes: The Part of the Label We Wish More People Looked At
If THC gets all the attention, terpenes are the supporting cast quietly doing some very interesting work.
Terpenes are aromatic compounds found throughout nature.
They’re part of what gives cannabis its smell and flavor.
Depending on the product, you might see terpenes such as:
Myrcene
Often associated with earthy or herbal aromas.
Limonene
Typically associated with citrus aromas.
Caryophyllene
Commonly associated with peppery or spicy aromas.
Pinene
Associated with pine-like aromas.
Linalool
Often associated with floral aromas.
Not every cannabis package will display terpene information, but when it’s available, we think it’s worth looking at.
Especially if you find a strain you really like.
Instead of simply remembering, “I liked that one,” check its terpene profile.
Over time, you may start noticing patterns in the products you prefer.
That can be considerably more useful than blindly shopping for whichever package has the largest THC number.
What Does “Indica,” “Sativa” or “Hybrid” Tell You?
You’ll often see cannabis products classified as:
Indica.
Sativa.
Hybrid.
Those labels can provide a useful starting point, but as we covered in our guide to indica vs. sativa vs. hybrid, they aren’t a perfect predictor of how a product will affect every person.
The actual cannabinoid profile, terpene profile, genetics and your own individual response matter too.
So look at the classification.
Just don’t stop there.
What Is the Batch Number?
This one isn’t exactly sexy.
Nobody has ever walked into SPARK and yelled:
“SHOW ME YOUR FINEST BATCH NUMBER.”
At least not yet.
But batch numbers are important.
Minnesota requires cannabis products to include batch information that allows products to be tracked through the regulated cannabis system.
Think of the batch number as the product’s tracking ID.
If there were ever a testing issue, recall or other concern involving a particular production batch, that number helps identify the affected products.
You probably won’t use it during normal shopping.
But you’re glad it’s there if it ever matters.
Who Grew or Made It?
Cannabis labels also tell you something about where the product came from.
For cannabis flower in Minnesota, labeling requirements include information identifying the licensed cultivation business and its license number.
Manufactured cannabis products also carry required identifying information related to the licensed producer.
This is one of the benefits of purchasing cannabis through Minnesota’s regulated market.
There is accountability behind the product.
It didn’t simply appear in a sandwich bag with somebody saying:
“Trust me, bro.”
We’ve made progress.
What Do Those Cannabis Warning Symbols Mean?
Minnesota requires regulated cannabis products to carry standardized symbols identifying them as intoxicating cannabinoid products.
You’ll see the universal intoxicating cannabinoid symbol on regulated cannabis packaging along with required warning information.
There is also a 21+ warning symbol used on applicable regulated products.
Those symbols are there so consumers can quickly recognize that a product contains intoxicating cannabinoids and needs to be stored responsibly.
Which brings us to an especially important point.
Keep cannabis products securely stored away from children and pets.
And if something looks like candy, please remember that a 4-year-old doesn’t know the difference between your THC gummy and a fruit snack.
Adults do.
Act accordingly.
What About Ingredients?
For edibles and other ingestible cannabis products, read the ingredient list just like you would with any other food product.
That can be especially important if you have food allergies or dietary restrictions.
Minnesota labeling requirements for ingestible cannabis products include an ingredient list, serving information and cannabinoid content.
If you don’t recognize something or have questions about a product, ask us.
Nobody gets bonus points for pretending they understood the label.
Does the Product Have to Be Tested?
Cannabis sold through Minnesota’s regulated adult-use market is subject to state testing requirements.
That testing is intended to evaluate products for things such as potency and contaminants before they reach consumers.
Testing information is part of the regulated system that makes the label useful in the first place.
You’re not simply taking somebody’s word for the THC percentage printed on the package.
There is a regulatory and testing structure behind it.
Price Matters Too
We’re a cannabis dispensary.
We’re not going to pretend price doesn’t matter.
Of course it does.
At SPARK, our in-store product information cards are designed to make comparison easier by showing customers important information such as:
Brand.
Strain.
Product amount.
THC percentage.
Terpenes when available.
And price.
Because ultimately you’re trying to answer a pretty simple question:
What am I getting for my money?
That’s a perfectly reasonable question.
So What Should You Actually Look at First?
If you’re standing in a Minnesota cannabis dispensary holding a package and don’t know where to begin, keep it simple.
Once you know how to read a cannabis label, you can quickly zero in on the information that actually matters.
First, identify the product type.
Then look at the THC potency or milligrams.
For edibles, check the serving size and THC per serving.
Look at the strain or cultivar.
Check the terpenes, if they’re listed.
Consider the brand and producer.
Then look at the price.
You do not need to analyze every microscopic number printed on the package like you’re preparing testimony for Congress.
Use the label to help you ask better questions.
That’s really what it’s there for.
Ask Your Budtender
If you still don’t understand something on a cannabis label, ask.
Seriously.
That’s part of our job.
Bring us the package and say:
“What does this mean?”
We would much rather explain something than have you buy a product based solely on a giant THC percentage because it happened to be the easiest number to understand.
Cannabis labels contain a lot of information.
Once you know what you’re looking for, they’re actually pretty useful.
The Bottom Line
Learning how to read a cannabis label in Minnesota doesn’t require a chemistry degree.
You don’t need to memorize every cannabinoid.
You don’t need to know every terpene.
And you definitely don’t need to pretend you understand something when you don’t.
Start with the basics:
What is it?
How much THC does it contain?
How much is one serving?
What’s the strain?
What are the terpenes?
Who made it?
How much are you getting?
How much does it cost?
Those answers will tell you quite a bit.
And if you’re looking at a cannabis label at SPARK Minnesota and still feel like you’re reading instructions for assembling Swedish furniture, grab one of us.
We’ll help.
No chemistry degree required.
