How to Read a Dispensary Menu: A Complete Guide to THC%, Terpenes, COAs, and Product Types

You walk into a dispensary, and the budtender hands you a menu or points you to a tablet or touchscreen kiosk. The screen shows dozens of products. Each one has a name, a price, a percentage next to "THC," sometimes another number next to "CBD," and often a string of letters and percentages that might as well be a chemistry exam.

Most people freeze, pick something familiar (or whatever the budtender suggests), and leave hoping for the best.

This guide is going to change that. After reading it, you'll walk into any legal dispensary in the country and confidently interpret their menu, knowing what the numbers mean, which ones matter, what to ignore, and what to ask for that's not on the menu.

What a Dispensary Menu Is (And What It Isn't)

A dispensary menu is a real-time or near-real-time inventory list of cannabis products available for purchase. In legal markets, point-of-sale platforms typically power menus by pulling data from licensed product testing labs. This means the percentages you see on the menu should correspond to actual, third-party-verified chemical analyses of that specific batch, not a manufacturer's marketing claim.

However, "should" is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Menu data quality varies significantly by market and dispensary. Understanding how to evaluate that data is the first skill worth developing.

Section 1: The Product Categories

Most dispensary menus are organized by product type. Here's what each category means:

Flower

The cured, harvested cannabis plant is what most people picture when they think of cannabis. Sold by weight, typically in the following amounts: 1g, 3.5g (eighth), 7g (quarter), 14g (half-ounce), and 28g (ounce). This is where terpene profiles matter most, since heat from vaporization or combustion volatilizes these compounds directly. Our beginner's guide to choosing cannabis strains covers in detail what to look for in flower.

Pre-Rolls

Pre-rolled joints, sold as singles or multipacks. Important note: pre-rolls often use "trim" or lower-quality flower that wouldn't sell as whole buds. Premium pre-rolls ("infused pre-rolls") are usually made from whole flower and coated or filled with concentrate. The menu should specify which type.

Concentrates

Highly potent extracts of cannabis in various forms: wax, shatter, live resin, rosin, hash, and diamonds. THC concentrations typically range from 60–95%. These are not beginner products. If a concentrate is listed on your menu, it will usually specify the extraction method — which matters significantly for terpene preservation.

Vape Cartridges

Distillate or live resin oil in a cartridge for use with a vape pen battery. Convenient and discreet, but the menu listings often show less detailed terpene information than flower. Ask whether the cartridge uses distillate (less flavorful, more processed) or live resin (preserves the original plant's terpene profile).

Edibles

Infused food and drink products. The THC content is listed in milligrams (mg), not percentages. For edibles, the dose unit matters more than anything else on the label — and the onset time (30 minutes to 2 hours) means patience is essential. Start with 2.5–5 mg for beginners.

Tinctures and Capsules

Oil-based or alcohol-based sublingual products and pill-form cannabis. Listed in mg/dose or mg/mL. Precise dosing and moderate onset (15–45 minutes sublingual, 30–90 minutes capsules).

Topicals

Creams, lotions, balms, and patches applied to the skin. These do not produce a psychoactive high (except transdermal patches, which deliver THC directly to the bloodstream). It is useful for localized pain, inflammation, and skin conditions.

Section 2: Decoding the Numbers

THC% — What It Actually Means

The THC percentage on a dispensary menu represents the percentage by dry weight of the primary psychoactive cannabinoid in that product. A flower listed at 22% THC contains approximately 220mg of THC per gram of flower.

What most consumers get wrong: Higher THC percentage does not equal a better or stronger experience for most people. Research consistently shows that experienced users cannot reliably distinguish high-THC from moderate-THC flower in blind tests when terpene profiles are controlled. THC percentage is one variable in a complex interaction and often not the most important one.

What to actually look for: The relationship between THC, CBD, and the terpene profile. A 19% THC strain with a rich myrcene and caryophyllene profile will outperform a 28% THC strain with a stripped or simple terpene profile for most therapeutic purposes.

CBD%

The percentage of cannabidiol. This non-intoxicating cannabinoid modulates the psychoactive effects of THC, reducing anxiety, paranoia, and cognitive impairment while preserving pain relief and mood benefit. Products with a 1:1 or 2:1 THC:CBD ratio are often recommended for medical users and beginners. High-CBD flower (10%+ CBD, low THC) may appear on menus specifically for medical patients or those seeking non-intoxicating therapeutic benefit.

The Ratio

Some menus list a THC:CBD ratio instead of or alongside raw percentages. A 2:1 ratio means there's twice as much THC as CBD. Common ratios and their uses:

• 10:1 or higher THC:CBD — Standard recreational product; significant psychoactive effect
• 4:1 THC:CBD — Moderate; often used for daytime pain management
• 1:1 THC:CBD — Balanced; gentle intoxication, strong therapeutic profile, good for beginners
• 1:4 THC:CBD or higher — Primarily CBD; little to no psychoactive effect; used for anxiety, inflammation, pediatric conditions

Minor Cannabinoids (CBN, CBG, THCV)

Some menus are beginning to list minor cannabinoids. Here's what they mean in practical terms:

• CBN (cannabinol) — Mildly sedative; formed as THC degrades. Higher CBN correlates with stronger sleep-promoting effects. Look for it on sleep-focused products.
• CBG (cannabigerol) — Anti-inflammatory; may support focus and appetite regulation without psychoactivity.
• THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin) — Reduces appetite and may produce a clear-headed, shorter-duration high. Increasingly sought for daytime use and weight management.

Section 3: Terpene Profiles — The Data That Actually Predicts Effects

This information is the section most budtenders skip and most menus hide in a dropdown. It's also the most valuable information on the entire menu.

Terpenes are the organic aromatic compounds that give each strain its unique smell and flavor and they directly influence the effects you experience. They're not just aromatics; they interact with cannabinoid receptors and modulate how THC and CBD behave in your brain and body. For a profound understanding of the most important ones, read our complete guide to cannabis terpenes.

Here's a quick reference for what to look for by goal:

Most premium dispensary menus now include at least the top 3 terpenes by concentration. If a menu doesn't list terpenes at all, that's meaningful information — it may indicate lower-quality inventory or a testing gap.

Section 4: How to Find and Read a COA

A Certificate of Analysis (COA) is a third-party lab report that verifies the cannabinoid and terpene content of a specific product batch. In licensed markets, COAs are legally required. They should be available at the dispensary — either printed on request, accessible via QR code on packaging, or searchable on the lab's website using a batch number.

A complete COA will include:

• Potency panel — THC, CBD, and often a dozen or more minor cannabinoids
• Terpene panel — Percentage by weight of the major terpenes detected
• Pesticide panel — Screen for regulated pesticides
• Microbial panel — Tests for mold, yeast, and bacteria
• Heavy metals panel — Screens for lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium
• Residual solvents panel — For concentrates only; ensures no harmful extraction chemicals remain

What to do with a COA: Confirm that the batch number on the COA matches the batch number on the packaging. Check that the test date is recent, ideally within 6 months for flower, 12 months for concentrates. Verify that the pesticide, microbial, and heavy metals panels show "pass" or "ND" (not detected). Then use the potency and terpene panels to make your product selection.

Section 5: Questions to Ask Your Budtender

A good budtender is not a salesperson. They should function more like a knowledgeable pharmacist who happens to specialize in cannabis. Here are the questions that separate dispensaries worth returning to from those worth avoiding:

"Can I see the COA for this batch?" If they can't produce one, that's a concern in a licensed market.

"What's the terpene breakdown on this strain?" A budtender who doesn't know or doesn't think it matters is telling you something.

"What do you personally recommend for [your specific goal]?" Good budtenders give personalized answers, not just "this one is really popular."

"Is this flower or trim in those pre-rolls?" This is a legitimate question; the answer significantly changes the value calculation.

"Do you have anything with a 1:1 THC:CBD ratio?" If they don't carry any, note it — a good dispensary should have options across the ratio spectrum.

Section 6: Red Flags on a Dispensary Menu

Dispensary menus — and dispensaries — vary in quality. Watch for:

No terpene data listed. In 2026, this situation is unusual for quality operators. Either their products haven't been terpene-tested, or they're not displaying data that exists.

Products listed only by brand name, not strain. You can't make informed decisions without knowing the genetic or product basis.

Extreme THC percentages. Anything listed above 35% THC in flower is almost certainly a testing anomaly or a mislabeled product. Genuine flower rarely exceeds 30% THC under accurate testing methodology.

No COA access. Such testing should be a hard requirement in any licensed market.

There is pressure to make a purchase based solely on THC. If the sales approach is "this is our strongest one," walk away or ask more questions.

How to Use JointCommerce to Extend Your Research

JointCommerce has designed the 20,000+ strain profiles precisely for this kind of pre-shopping research. Before you visit a dispensary, you can look up any strain by name — including classics like Blue Dream, OG Kush, Sour Diesel, and Green Crack — and review their full genetic lineage, expected terpene profiles, and user-reported effects.

You can also find dispensaries near you and review their menus before leaving home. Walking in with 2–3 specific strain names and knowing their terpene profiles puts you in an entirely different position than browsing the menu cold.

The more you know before you walk in, the better the outcome — every time.

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. Cannabis laws and testing requirements vary by jurisdiction. Always verify local regulations before purchasing or consuming.