Northern Lights strain: short answer
Northern Lights is an indica cannabis strain. Breeders built it from Afghani landrace genetics, worked it in the Pacific Northwest, and stabilized it in the Netherlands in the 1980s. Tested flower runs about 16 to 21 percent THC. CBD sits below 1 percent. Northern Lights is a THC strain, not a CBD strain. CBD products that carry the name are hemp-derived, a CBD cross, or a terpene blend made to copy the aroma.
is northern lights indica or sativa
Strain profile
- Type: indica-dominant, close to pure indica
- THC: about 16 to 21 percent in flower tests
- CBD: under 1 percent
- Flowering time: 7 to 9 weeks indoors
- Height: 24 to 48 inches indoors, short and bushy
- Yield: high for the plant size
- Terpenes: myrcene, caryophyllene, limonene, pinene
- Aroma: earth, pine, sweet spice
- Lineage: Afghani indica, with Thai reported in some versions
Where it came from
The strain is tied to Seattle and to Nevil Schoenmakers, who ran The Seed Bank in Amsterdam. His catalog listed numbered lines, NL #1 through NL #11. Growers used NL #5 in crosses that took awards at the High Times Cannabis Cup in the late 1980s. Northern Lights shows up as a parent in many modern hybrids. Exact parent plants are not documented in a peer-reviewed source, so origin claims rest on breeder records.
Northern Lights and CBD products
Hemp flower and CBD vape oil sold under this name are not the same plant as dispensary Northern Lights. Federal law sets hemp at 0.3 percent delta-9 THC or less on a dry weight basis. A CBD label with a strain name on it describes a terpene profile, not a genetic line. Myrcene and caryophyllene drive most of that profile.
What to check before buying
- Batch or lot number on the lab report, matched to the package
- Total THC value, not just delta-9
- CBD per serving and per container
- Test date inside the last 12 months
- Terpene list if the label claims a strain
Legality
The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. Cannabis with more THC stays a Schedule I drug under federal law. State rules differ, and some states ban hemp-derived THC products. Check state law before you buy.
Is Northern Lights an Indica or Sativa?
Common questions
Does Northern Lights make you sleepy?
User reports describe sedation and body heaviness. Clinical trials on this strain do not exist, so the effect profile is not measured.
Is Northern Lights a CBD strain?
No. Dispensary Northern Lights tests under 1 percent CBD. CBD versions are separate products.
Can I buy Northern Lights seeds?
Rules on cannabis seed sales differ by state. Hemp seed is legal under federal law.