Quick pick
ACDC flower with THC under 1%. ACDC is the most common CBD-dominant strain on US dispensary menus. Reported CBD runs 15% to 20%. Reported THC runs under 1% in most lots. No lot is the same. Read the certificate of analysis for the batch you buy.
What the label means
THC drives the high. CBD does not. A product that will not intoxicate you tests at or below 1% THC by dry weight. Hemp tests at or below 0.3% delta-9 THC under the 2018 Farm Bill. Flower sold as CBD-dominant in a state dispensary can hold 5% to 15% THC. Ask for percent and milligram numbers, not the word CBD.
cannabis strains for neuropathy pain
Options, ranked
1. ACDC
Ratios run from 1:1 to 20:1 by cut and grower. Pick a lot under 1% THC. CBD 15% to 20%. Terpenes in the profile include myrcene and pinene.
What Are the Best Marijuana Strains for Pain? A Cannabis Store Guide
2. Charlotte's Web
Reported CBD to THC near 20:1. THC 0.3% to 1% in most lots. Bred in Colorado for pediatric epilepsy patients. Sold as flower in some states and as hemp product in others.
3. Harle-Tsu
A cross of Harlequin and Sour Tsunami. Reported CBD 15% to 22%. THC under 1% in select lots. Some lots test higher. Check the batch number on the package.
4. Ringo's Gift
Reported CBD near 20%. THC near 1%. Sold as flower and as concentrate. Concentrates raise the THC dose per hit. Skip them if you want no high.
Strains sold for pain that carry more THC
- Harlequin: 5:2 CBD to THC. THC 4% to 6% in many lots. A mild high is possible.
- Cannatonic: 1:1 to 2:1. THC 4% to 10%.
- Sour Tsunami: near 1:1. THC around 6%.
- Pennywise: 1:1.
None of these four is a zero-high product. A new user can feel impairment at 4% THC.
At the counter
- Ask for the certificate of analysis, or COA. It is a lab report with batch numbers, cannabinoid percentages, and pass or fail results for pesticides, mold, and heavy metals.
- Match the batch number on the package to the report. A report for another batch proves nothing.
- Ask for the harvest date. THC oxidizes into CBN as flower sits.
- Start at 1 mg to 2 mg THC if you have no tolerance. Wait two hours before more.
- Ask about the return policy. Many US dispensaries take no returns on opened flower.
What the research supports
The FDA has approved one CBD drug, Epidiolex, for two rare seizure disorders. It has not approved any CBD product for pain. Clinical trials on cannabis for chronic pain used products that contain THC, or nabiximols, an oral spray not sold in the US. Results are mixed. Reviews report modest effects in some neuropathic pain trials and weak evidence in others. Store staff are not clinicians. State rules bar most dispensaries from medical claims.
Label limits
State lab rules differ. Oregon requires potency and pesticide tests. Other states require less. Potency labels also drift from lab results. PubMed-indexed studies found cannabinoid content in some cannabis products off from the label by wide margins. Treat the COA as the record and the menu description as marketing.