Cannabis Flower
Cannabis flower is the dried, cured bud of the cannabis plant, sold by weight and smoked or vaporized. It is the oldest format on any dispensary shelf and still the largest category in New York adult-use retail.
Flower at a glance
- Sold by
- Weight, most often 3.5g, 7g, 14g, or 28g
- Onset
- Seconds to a few minutes when inhaled
- Typical duration
- Two to four hours
- Labelled with
- Third-party lab THC and CBD percentages
What to know before you buy
Indica, sativa, and hybrid
These three words describe plant lineage, not a guaranteed experience. Growers and retailers use them as broad shelf categories: indica-leaning, sativa-leaning, and hybrids that sit between the two. They are a starting point for a conversation with a budtender, not a specification.
Reading a THC percentage
Every jar sold in a New York licensed dispensary carries lab-tested THC and CBD percentages. A higher number is not automatically a better jar. Percentage tells you concentration by weight, and says nothing about aroma, flavour, how it was grown, or how carefully it was cured.
Terpenes
Terpenes are the aromatic compounds that give each cultivar its smell, from citrus and pine to fuel and pepper. Many shoppers find the terpene profile a more useful guide to what they will enjoy than the THC number, and most New York lab panels list the dominant few.
Storing it
Flower keeps best in an airtight container, out of direct light, at stable room temperature. Heat and light degrade both cannabinoids and terpenes. A cupboard is better than a windowsill, and the fridge is not necessary.
When flower is the right call
Format mechanics decide this more than anything printed on the label. These are the evenings flower suit, and why.
Not sure flower is your format?
Flower questions, answered
How much flower can an adult buy in New York?
New York adult-use law allows a person 21 or older to possess up to three ounces of cannabis flower and up to twenty-four grams of concentrated cannabis for personal use.
Does a higher THC percentage mean better flower?
No. THC percentage measures concentration by weight only. Cultivation quality, cure, freshness, and terpene profile all shape the experience, and none of them appear in that single number.
What is the difference between indica and sativa?
They describe plant lineage and are used as broad shelf categories. Indica-leaning cultivars are usually shelved for evening browsing and sativa-leaning ones for daytime, but the labels are general guidance rather than a guaranteed effect.