Catalogue entry · lab-tested · every claim cited
Durban Poison is a pure sativa from the South African port city of Durban; Ed Rosenthal brought its seeds to the US in the 1970s, and growers selected the line sold today from them.1,2,3 It tests at a median total THC of 19.45% across 528 state lab tests of Durban Poison flower, with the middle half of results between 17.33% and 21.99%, and terpinolene leads its terpene profile.4 CBD is negligible: none of the 434 tests that reported CBD reached 1%.4
Durban Poison is a pure sativa selected from a South African landrace, not a cross. Where the line came from, the disputes, and its place behind GSC.
Plate IIDurban Poison flower tests at 19.45% median THC (17.33%–21.99%) across 528 state lab results, with terpinolene as the top terpene and almost no CBD.
Plate IIILeafly’s top effects for Durban Poison are focused, energetic and uplifted; reported downsides include feeling anxious, dry mouth and dry eyes. Eight sources.
Plate IVDurban Poison seed versions flower in about 8–9 weeks and finish outdoors from late September to mid-October. Breeder specs, yields, heights and difficulty.
Plate VDurban Poison flower was listed by 174 stores near Los Angeles on Weedmaps on Oct 4, 2026. Store counts and eighth prices for 27 US markets.
Plate VIHow a South African sativa reached the US in the 1970s, passed from Ed Rosenthal to Mel Frank and Sam the Skunkman, and turned up behind GSC, with sources.
Sativa. Leafly and High Times call it a pure sativa, and AllBud, ILGM and the breeder description SeedFinder carries for Dutch Passion’s seeds list 100% sativa; Leafly rates it mostly energizing. Dutch Passion’s US shop page is the exception: it calls its seeds sativa-dominant and shows an unknown indica in the genetics line.1,2,5,7,9,11
A pure sativa from the South African port city of Durban. Ed Rosenthal brought its seeds to the US in the 1970s, and Mel Frank selected them into the line that spread through American gardens, according to Weedmaps. By most accounts it is also a grandparent of GSC and Cherry Pie, through the breeder Jigga’s F1 Durb.1,2,3,12,13
Lower than most strains in our data. The median total THC across 528 state lab tests was 19.45%, and 5.5% of tests reached 25% or more. Of the 43 strains in our dataset with at least 100 tests, 33 have a higher median. Among states with at least 50 tests, the median ran from 17.47% in Michigan to 21.23% in Maryland.4 AllBud says it can reach 24%; in our data, 90% of tested batches came in below 23.72%.2,4
Pine and earth, often with a licorice or anise note. Leafly users list pine, earthy and sage; on Weedmaps, 36% of flavor reports say earthy, 34% woody and 30% spicy or herbal. Dutch Passion describes aniseed, liquorice, lemon and cloves, and High Times singles out a distinctive anise or licorice note.1,3,5,9
It comes from one. Leafly and High Times call it a landrace, the term for original regional strains that usually carry the name of their place, but what is sold today is an inbred, selected line: AllBud calls it the inbred descendant of a South African sativa, and Dutch Passion says the seeds were inbred over many years in the 1970s.2,9,14,15
Terpinolene first. By median: terpinolene 0.93%, β-myrcene 0.20%, β-caryophyllene 0.15% (percent by weight), from 235 lab tests that report individual terpenes.4 Leafly and High Times list terpinolene, myrcene and ocimene.1,5
Full lab data: by year, by state, terpenes and the downloadable dataset →
Durban Poison has a long record. High Times put it #20 on its 2014 list of the 25 greatest strains, the only one from Africa; Leafly’s list of the 100 best strains files it under feeling energetic; and BDS Analytics data put it second only to Blue Dream among Colorado’s most popular strains in 2015.15,16,17 Weedmaps lists second-place finishes in the Medical Sativa category at the Denver High Times Cannabis Cup in 2013 and 2014.3
Its place in national sales has slipped. Leafly ranked it #6 in dispensary orders in 2024 and #19 in 2025, and it appears neither in Headset’s 2020 strain sales report nor in The Marijuana Herald’s September 2026 list of each state’s top seller.18,19,20 Stores still carry it: on Oct 4, 2026, 174 stores within 50 miles of Los Angeles and 79 around New York listed Durban Poison flower on Weedmaps.21
It also lives on in other strains. Leafly lists it as a parent of Platinum Cookies and Key Lime Pie, and by most accounts it is the Durban in the F1 Durb that the breeder Jigga used to make GSC and Cherry Pie.1,12,13
| Market | Stores | Menu items | Median eighth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 174 | 313 | $32.50 (n=172) |
| New York, NY | 79 | 143 | $45.13 (n=77) |
| Detroit, MI | 32 | 32 | $12.00 (n=21) |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 29 | 36 | $18.00 (n=21) |
| Chicago, IL | 25 | 49 | $55.50 (n=27) |
| Newark, NJ | 20 | 24 | $42.00 (n=16) |
Stores within 50 miles listing Durban Poison flower on Weedmaps, Oct 4, 2026.21
In Germany, where it is a prescription medicine, weed.de lists 1 pharmacy product made from Durban Poison; in-stock flower starts at €4.40 a gram.30
Durban Poison
Landrace, selection or Cookies grandparent? The full genetics page →
The Durban Poison universe
If Durban Poison is your strain, you take the hundred and twelve steps two at a time at noon and polish the great lens until the room fills with rainbows. Meet the Lightkeeper.
