Short answer
A full spectrum cart is a vape cartridge filled with extract from the whole hemp plant. The extract keeps cannabinoids, terpenes, and trace THC rather than stripping them out. Hemp-based carts sold in the US must stay at or under 0.3% delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis. A 1 mL cart at that cap holds about 3 mg of delta-9 THC.
Best Full Spectrum Weed Carts: Top Products for 2024
Full spectrum, broad spectrum, isolate
- Full spectrum: whole-plant extract. Cannabinoids plus terpenes plus THC, at or under the federal hemp cap.
- Broad spectrum: full spectrum with THC removed. Most broad spectrum carts test at not detected for THC.
- Isolate: one cannabinoid at 99% purity or higher. No terpenes, no THC.
THC limits by law
The 2018 Farm Bill defines hemp as cannabis with no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis. States set their own rules on top of that. Some states ban hemp THC products. Delta-8 THC is a separate case: it falls outside the Farm Bill definition, and several states restrict it. Check state law before ordering.
Read the COA
Every legal cart should ship with a batch COA from a third-party lab. Check these items:
- Lab name and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation
- Batch number that matches the cart
- Cannabinoid potency panel
- Terpene panel
- Residual solvents
- Heavy metals
- Pesticides, microbials, mycotoxins
Inhaled products need the solvent and metal panels. Distillate made with hydrocarbon solvents that were not purged can leave residue. A COA with no batch number or no lab name tells you nothing about the cart in your hand.
what is full spectrum cannabis
Distillate plus terpenes is not full spectrum
Many carts sold as full spectrum hold CBD distillate with added botanical or cannabis terpenes. Distillate pulls out CBD and a few other cannabinoids, then discards the rest. Check the potency panel. A whole-plant extract shows a spread of cannabinoids: CBD, CBG, CBC, CBN, THC, THCA, plus terpenes at 1% to 5% by weight. A cart listing CBD at 90% and little else is distillate.
Hardware and use
Standard 510-thread carts hold 0.5 mL or 1 mL. Ceramic coils handle thick, terpene-rich oil better than cotton wicks. Voltage from 2.5V to 3.2V keeps terpenes from scorching. Above 4V the taste turns harsh. Store carts upright, capped, at room temperature, away from sunlight. Heat and light degrade terpenes.
Before you buy
- Find the COA on the product page or through the batch lookup.
- Match the batch number on the COA to the cart box.
- Check the cannabinoid spread, not just the CBD number.
- Check solvent and heavy metal results. They should read pass or not detected.
- Confirm the delta-9 THC figure sits at or under 0.3% if your state follows the federal hemp cap.
What is not known
Long-term health data on inhaled hemp extract is thin. Most clinical work covers oral CBD, not vape carts. Label claims differ by seller, so the COA is the one part you can verify.