How to read a New York cannabis label (and find your lab result)
Every legal New York cannabis product carries the same required information. Here is what each piece means, where it is on a Loud Star bag, and how the QR code gets you to the certificate of analysis.
The front: brand, strain, net weight, potency
New York rules (9 NYCRR Part 128) put the essentials on the principal display panel: the brand, the product, the net quantity and, for inhalable products, total THC and total CBD as a percentage of weight. On a Loud Star bag the brand and strain are the front sticker; the weight line reads 3.5g · 1/8 OZ, 14g · 1/2 OZ or 28g · 1 OZ. The potency figures are printed per lot once the lab result is in, because they change batch to batch.
The back: who made it and what is in it
The back panel names the licensee and license number (QUIA AMO LLC, OCM-MICR-24-000061, Glen Spey NY), lists ingredients in order of weight (for flower: 100% cannabis flower), gives storage directions, and shows the lot number. If a solvent was used to make a product it has to be listed; Loud Star flower and rosin have none.
The warnings and the symbol
The state requires a fixed set of warnings on every package: this product contains cannabis and THC; keep out of reach of children and pets; for use only by persons 21 years of age and older; do not use if pregnant or nursing; smoking or vaping is hazardous to health; cannabis can impair concentration and coordination, do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence; and the Poison Center number, 1-800-222-1222. Next to them is the New York universal cannabis symbol, which cannot be altered or recolored.
The QR code: your lab result
Every package must carry a scannable code that leads to a downloadable certificate of analysis (COA). On a Loud Star bag it is labeled SCAN: THE RABBIT HOLE and goes to loudstarny.com/rabbit-hole. Match the lot number printed on your label to the COA for that lot: it shows total THC and CBD, the terpene profile if tested, and the pass results for pesticides, heavy metals, microbials, mycotoxins and moisture.
Lot number: the one thing to remember
The lot number ties your bag to a specific batch of flower, its harvest, its lab result and the dispensary records. If you ever have a question about a product, the lot number is what Loud Star and the dispensary will ask for. On a Loud Star label it is on the back panel.
Why this matters
Unlicensed shops sell product with none of this: no lot number, no COA, no licensee, often no real warnings. The label is how you know the flower was grown by a licensed farm, tested by a licensed lab and sold by a licensed store. If any of those pieces are missing, it is not legal New York cannabis.
Questions
Where is the lot number on a Loud Star bag?
On the back compliance panel, with the licensee and the QR code.
What if my lot is not on the rabbit hole page yet?
Results are posted as each lot is released. If yours is not listed, it is still in testing or just released; check back or ask the dispensary that sold it.
Is the THC percentage the same on every bag of a strain?
No. Potency is reported per lot by the lab, so two batches of the same strain can read differently. The number on your label is the number for your lot.
See the products: the flower lineup · live rosin. Scanned a bag? The rabbit hole.
For use only by persons 21 years of age and older. Keep out of reach of children and pets. If someone accidentally consumes cannabis, contact the Poison Center. Consume responsibly.
Cannabis can impair concentration and coordination. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of cannabis.