The High Society Guide to Cannabis Products

Cannabis contains more than 100 cannabinoids, compounds made in the resin glands on the plant’s flowers. THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is the best known, and it is what makes cannabis intoxicating: it can temporarily change mood, thoughts and perceptions.

How THC works in the body

Your body has its own endocannabinoid system: cannabinoid receptors, the endocannabinoids your body makes, such as anandamide and 2-AG, and the enzymes that build and break them down. THC works mainly through CB1, the receptor type most common in the central nervous system and above all in the brain, while CB2 receptors are found mostly on immune cells.

Delta-9, THCA and the number on the label

In raw flower, most of the THC is still in its acid form, THCA, which can make up as much as 90% of the plant’s total THC. THCA is not psychoactive in people. Heat from smoking, vaping or baking turns it into THC, which is why flower labels give a total THC figure: labs calculate it as the THC plus the THCA multiplied by 0.877. Michigan counts THCA as THC when it decides what is marijuana, and it regulates delta-8 THC as marijuana too. Delta-8 may make up no more than 10% of a concentrate or vape, or 10% of the THC an infused product may hold. Our article on THC and THCA explains the math.

Why the same product can feel different

THC affects people differently, and the same person can react differently from one time to the next. Health Canada lists factors such as sex, age and health conditions. Strength and amount matter too: anxiety, fear or panic are more likely after a large amount, with a strong product, or with little experience.

Starting low and pacing yourself

Public health guidance for new consumers is consistent: start with a small amount of a lower-strength product and give it time. Canada’s chief medical officers of health suggest beginning with a puff or two of something at 10% THC or lower, or a first edible of 2.5 mg of THC or less. Inhaled cannabis can take up to 30 minutes to reach its full effect, and edibles up to 4 hours, so wait before taking more. Our THC dosage guide goes further.

Options for little or no high

If you want little or no intoxication, some people choose CBD-dominant products, since CBD is not intoxicating the way THC is, or simply smaller servings of THC. The label lists both numbers.

CBD (cannabidiol) is the other cannabinoid most people know. It is not intoxicating the way THC is, so by itself it will not make you high. It is not free of effects, though: CBD can cause drowsiness, decreased appetite, vomiting and diarrhea, and it acts on liver enzymes that process many common medications. If you take any medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist before you try CBD.

Full-spectrum, broad-spectrum and isolate

CBD products often carry one of three terms:

• Full-spectrum: made with the plant’s other cannabinoids and terpenes, which can include some THC.
• Broad-spectrum: the plant’s other compounds, with the THC taken out.
• Isolate: CBD on its own.

The terms describe how a product was made; the THC and CBD figures on the label tell you what is in it.

Why licensed CBD comes with state testing

Tests of CBD products have turned up some whose CBD content did not match the label, and some sold as CBD that contained THC. Products sold in licensed Michigan stores are lab tested, and each label states the THC and CBD figures, the testing lab and the test date. Our guide to cannabinoids puts THC, CBD and the lesser-known compounds side by side.

Terpenes are the aromatic compounds behind the smell and taste of cannabis. They are made in the same resin glands as the cannabinoids, more than 200 have been reported in the plant, and many of them also give familiar foods and plants their scent.

Common terpenes and their aromas

• Myrcene: earthy; also found in hops.
• Limonene: citrus, as in lemon peel.
• Beta-caryophyllene: peppery.
• Linalool: floral, like lavender.
• Pinene: fresh pine.

In a study that analyzed close to 90,000 flower samples across six states, myrcene, beta-caryophyllene and limonene showed up at the highest levels on average. The same study found that indica, sativa and hybrid labels do not reliably tell you a product’s chemistry.

What research does and does not show

You will hear that certain terpenes relax or energize. The evidence is early. In lab tests, six common terpenes did not act on the CB1 or CB2 receptors or change how THC acted there. Small human studies point in different directions. In one study, 12 adults who vaporized the highest limonene dose tested along with THC rated themselves less anxious than with THC alone. In another study of 19 adults, inhaled alpha-pinene did not lessen THC’s effect on memory. Read a terpene list for its aroma and flavor notes, not as a promise of an effect.

Michigan’s label rules require THC and CBD content but not terpenes, so terpene details are extra information when a brand lists them. Terpenes also fade as cannabis dries and sits in storage, one more reason to store it well. Our article on cannabis terpenes covers each one.

Flower means the dried and cured buds of the plant, the most traditional way to buy cannabis. You will find it as whole buds, as smaller pieces and pre-ground. Many people grind it just before use, since whole buds keep their resin glands intact and store better.

People smoke flower in a joint or a pipe, use a water pipe, or heat it in a dry-herb vaporizer, which is designed to warm the plant without burning it. You will feel inhaled cannabis within seconds to minutes. Smoking any product, including cannabis, can damage the lungs and the cardiovascular system.

What the label tells you

A Michigan flower label gives the THC and CBD figures, plus a statement that the true values may differ by up to 10%; the strain and harvest date where they apply; the net weight; and the testing lab with the test date. Our flower guide and our guide to reading a cannabis label explain each line.

Your store’s menu shows the flower it carries today.

A pre-roll is flower that comes already rolled and ready to light, so there is no grinding or rolling to do. Pre-rolls are sold as singles and in multipacks, in a range of sizes.

Infused pre-rolls are a different product. The flower is paired with concentrate or coated in kief, so they can be much stronger than a plain pre-roll. A study of Ontario’s legal market found infused pre-rolls labeled at up to 66% THC. Check the THC figure on the label before you light one, and pace yourself.

Your store’s menu lists its pre-rolls.

A vape pen is an electronic device with a power source, usually a battery, and a heating element that warms cannabis oil or flower into vapor without burning it.

Cartridges, disposables and dab pens

• Cartridges hold oil such as distillate, live resin or rosin and screw onto a battery. Most use the common 510 thread, so carts and batteries usually fit together across brands.
• Disposables are all-in-one: battery and oil in a single device, used until it runs dry.
• Dab pens are loaded with solid concentrate instead of a prefilled cart.

A cart is sold by the weight of the oil inside, commonly 0.5 or 1 gram, and the label prints it as net weight. Trust that figure, not the fill line you see through the glass.

Your store’s menu lists its carts, disposables and batteries.

Using and caring for a vape

Take one short draw and wait. Inhaled cannabis is felt within minutes, but it can take up to 30 minutes to reach its full effect. Lab tests have found more harmful byproducts at higher heat settings, so a lower setting is the gentler choice. Keep carts away from heat and direct sun, and keep the threaded connection clean so the cart sits firmly on the battery.

Vaping safely

In 2019 and 2020, a national outbreak of lung injuries was strongly linked to vitamin E acetate, an additive in some THC vapes. THC vaping products, particularly from informal sources, were linked to most cases. The CDC and FDA advised people not to use THC vaping products, particularly from informal sources, and not to add anything to a vape. The long-term effects of inhaling cannabis vapor are still being studied. If you vape and have trouble breathing or chest pain, stop and contact a health care provider. If you do vape, buy carts only from a licensed store, where the label names the testing lab.

A concentrate pulls the cannabinoids and terpenes out of the plant into a product far stronger than flower. Lab analyses have found averages of roughly 60 to 70% THC, and some packages list more than 90%.

Types you will see

• Solvent-made: shatter, wax, crumble, budder, badder, sauce, diamonds and live resin. Licensed processors extract them with solvents such as butane, propane, ethanol or carbon dioxide, and the solvent is purged out.
• Solventless: kief (resin glands sifted through fine screens), hash (glands knocked loose with ice water) and rosin (pressed out with heat).

Most of the names describe texture, from glassy shatter to soft budder.

Your store’s menu lists its concentrates.

Devices

Concentrates are vaporized in a dab rig or a dab pen, or added to flower. Dabbing delivers a large dose of THC rapidly, so concentrates suit experienced consumers. If you try one, start with the smallest portion you can and wait for the full effect before having more. Keep concentrates in their original child-resistant package, away from children and pets.

Michigan counts concentrate on its own: adults may carry no more than 15 grams of it within the 2.5-ounce limit.

Edibles are foods and drinks made with cannabis: gummies, chocolates, baked goods and beverages. They work more slowly than smoking or vaping, because swallowed cannabis has to pass through the digestive system before it takes effect.

Onset and duration

You may not notice an edible for half an hour to 2 hours, its full effect can take up to 4 hours to arrive, and the effects may stay with you for as long as 12 hours. If the first serving seems to do nothing, wait before taking more.

Serving sizes on the label

Michigan limits adult-use edibles to 10 mg of THC a serving and 200 mg a package; medical edibles may hold up to 50 mg a serving. Drinks are capped at 10 mg a serving and 100 mg a container, so one container may hold several servings. Canada’s chief medical officers of health suggest keeping a first edible to 2.5 mg of THC or less.

Why indica and sativa matter less here

With an edible, the THC per serving is the number to read. Indica and sativa labels do not reliably describe a product’s chemistry, so let the label’s THC and CBD figures guide you. In Michigan, edibles come in opaque, child-resistant packaging: keep them in it, away from children and pets.

Your store’s menu lists its edibles.

A tincture is a liquid cannabis extract sold in a bottle with a dropper. There are two ways to take one:

• Under the tongue: hold the drops in your mouth briefly, then swallow. Some may be absorbed in the mouth, though research on this is limited, and whatever is not absorbed is swallowed.
• Swallowed, or mixed into food or a drink: it then works like an edible, starting in 30 to 90 minutes, peaking after 2 to 3 hours and lasting about 4 to 12 hours, depending on the amount.

Check the THC and CBD figures on the label, and use the marks on the dropper to measure each serving. For adult use, Michigan allows up to 10 mg of THC a serving and 200 mg a bottle; medical tinctures may hold up to 100 mg a serving. Tinctures appear on some of our store menus, and selection varies. Our tincture guide has more.

Topicals are lotions, balms and similar products made with cannabis and applied to the skin. People use them on a specific area, the way they would any balm, and they have their own category on our store menus.

Transdermal patches work differently: they are built to move cannabinoids through the skin and into the bloodstream, so treat a patch’s label the way you would an edible’s. Michigan caps patches at 100 mg of THC per dose.

We include these two for general education.

RSO (Rick Simpson Oil) is named after Rick Simpson, the medical cannabis activist who first made it. It is a highly potent extract with much more THC than CBD oil, and some RSO may contain more than 90% THC, so it is easy to take too much. Swallowed, it works like an edible, with a slow start. You may hear big claims made about RSO; strong human evidence for them is lacking. Talk with your doctor before using it.

Capsules pack a set amount of cannabis oil into a pill you swallow. They behave like an edible: half an hour to 2 hours before you notice them, and up to 4 hours to their full effect. Adult-use capsules top out at 10 mg of THC each in Michigan; medical capsules may hold up to 100 mg.

Accessories have their own category on our store menus. The basics:

• Rolling papers for joints, in different sizes.
• Pipes: small hand pipes for a bowl of flower.
• Water pipes, which pass the smoke through water before you inhale.
• Grinders, which break flower into even pieces. Grind just before use: intact buds store better than ground flower.
• Lighters and other everyday gear.

Under Michigan law, adults 21 and older may buy, own and use cannabis accessories. Our guide to cannabis accessories and how to pack a bowl cover the details.

Recreational shopping is available to individuals 21 years or older. Bring a valid government-issued ID or passport and check in with our security and front desk upon arrival.

When it's your turn, a budtender will call you from the waiting area. They’re available to assist with product selection and answer any questions, whether you're new or familiar with our offerings. After you choose your items, the budtender will alert our order preparation team. Once your order is ready, a staff member will call your name, process your payment, and review the order to confirm accuracy before completing the transaction.

Our team is happy to guide first-time visitors and help you find products that match your preferences and comfort level. Questions about a health condition or a medication belong with your clinician. Find your store.