Cannabis potency is just a measure of how much active cannabinoid a product contains. Flower is measured as a percentage of its dry weight, so 22% THC means 22% of that flower's weight is THC. Edibles, tinctures, and most other infused products are measured in milligrams, because you swallow or dose a set amount. A gummy might read 10 mg THC per piece. Those two scales answer different questions, and learning to read both is the single most useful skill on a dispensary menu.
Here is the part people miss. A percentage and a milligram count are not interchangeable, and a bigger number on the label does not automatically mean a better product. Potency tells you how strong something can be, not how good the experience will be. The rest of the cannabinoid and terpene profile, your own tolerance, and your dose all matter at least as much as the headline figure.
Percentages for flower, milligrams for everything you eat
Flower and pre-rolls list THC as a percentage of dry weight. Most adult-use flower in New York lands somewhere in the high teens to high twenties. Concentrates like live resin or rosin run much higher because the plant material has been stripped away, often 60% to 80% or more. That is why a small dab is a very different starting point than a bowl of flower.
Edibles and tinctures use milligrams instead. In New York, adult-use edibles are capped at 10 mg of THC per serving and 100 mg per package, so a package is built around clear, repeatable doses. A milligram figure is an absolute amount, which makes edibles easier to dose precisely. A percentage is a ratio, which makes flower harder to translate into a single number you can plan around.
What does THC percentage actually mean on flower?
It is the share of the flower's dry weight that is THC. Flower at 20% THC means one fifth of that weight is THC. It signals relative strength, but it does not predict your experience on its own, since terpenes, other cannabinoids, dose, and your tolerance all shape how a given batch feels.
How the number gets onto the label
Every legal product in New York is tested by an independent licensed lab before it reaches our shelves. The standard method is high-performance liquid chromatography, usually shortened to HPLC. It separates and counts each cannabinoid without heating the sample, which matters because raw cannabis mostly contains THCA, the acidic form, not active THC. Heat converts THCA into THC when you smoke, vape, or cook it, a reaction called decarboxylation.
That is why labels report Total THC. Labs use a standard formula, Total THC = (THCA × 0.877) + delta-9 THC. The 0.877 factor accounts for the small amount of mass THCA loses as carbon dioxide when it converts. So a flower showing 25% THCA does not deliver 25% active THC. The Total THC line is the realistic number to read.
Why is there both THCA and Total THC on the label?
Raw cannabis stores THC as THCA, an acid that is not intoxicating until heated. Labs measure THCA directly, then calculate Total THC using the formula (THCA × 0.877) + delta-9 THC. The 0.877 reflects mass lost during decarboxylation. Total THC estimates what you actually get once heat activates the flower.
Why a higher number is not always the right call
Chasing the highest percentage on the menu is a common rookie move, and it often backfires. THC has what researchers describe as a biphasic pattern, where low to moderate amounts and very high amounts can feel quite different, and more is not reliably more pleasant. Regular use of very high-potency products also tends to build tolerance faster, so you end up needing more to reach the same place.
Potency also ignores the rest of the plant. Terpenes, the aromatic compounds that give each cultivar its smell, along with minor cannabinoids, shape the character of the experience. Two batches with identical Total THC can feel noticeably different. Many people report that a balanced, aromatic cultivar in the high teens suits them better than the strongest thing on the shelf. The number is a starting point, not a ranking.
Potency tells you how strong a product can be, not how good the experience will be.
One more practical note. New York lab results carry a tolerance, so a product can test within roughly 85% to 115% of its labeled THC and still pass. Treat the printed number as a close estimate, not an exact measurement, and judge products by how a category and dose feel for you over time rather than by the single biggest figure.
When you are ready to choose, our budtenders at 45 Main Street can walk you through Total THC, terpene profiles, and a sensible dose for what you are after. Browse the live menu at /order, or ask in store. We carry roughly 40 craft cultivars from independent upstate growers, and the right pick is rarely just the strongest one.