Strain profile · Indica
Northern Lights
A long-established name that also appears in the histories of other cultivars. Northern Lights is commonly abbreviated NL, while numbered forms deserve more precise identification.
Reported ancestry
ResultNorthern Lights
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Northern Lights history & lineage
Leafly categorizes Northern Lights as indica and reports Afghani and Thai ancestry. Its history describes propagation in the Netherlands after 1985, while treating the earlier Seattle origin as a rumor. We keep that difference between an attributed history and a disputed origin visible.
Aroma notes & reported terpenes
The catalogue highlights pine, earthy and woody descriptors. These describe a reported sensory profile and should not be read as a batch-specific terpene analysis.
Terpenes named by the catalogue: Myrcene, Caryophyllene, Limonene. These names are not measurements for a particular sample.
Reported effects, in context
These terms summarize the cited catalogue’s user-report categories. They are anecdotes, not controlled evidence or a promise of an effect. The library does not use them to recommend a strain for a medical condition.
For a particular sample, this article does not establish potency, contaminant results or suitability. Read our evidence guide to understand the difference between a catalogue description and a lab result.
Shop Northern Lights at our partners
On a hemp shelf, Northern Lights mostly means a terpene profile rather than a plant. CBD.co, one of our retail partners, listed three products carrying the name when we checked on 28 September 2026 — from Geek'd and JustCBD — across disposables and cartridges. None of them is flower: each carries a Northern Lights-style terpene blend rather than the plant itself, and none is sold as verified Northern Lights genetics.
The December problem, in one paragraph
Almost every jar of "Northern Lights-style" hemp flower on sale in the United States is sold as THCA flower, and THCA flower has a deadline on it. Section 781 of Public Law 119-37 rewrote the federal hemp definition to measure total THC rather than delta-9 alone, and total THC counts the THCA sitting in the bud. That single word removes essentially all THCA flower from the federal hemp category.
The date is contested and we hedge it deliberately. Several states bite earlier still. Our standing advice has not changed: plan for 12 November and treat 11 December as upside. We keep every moving part dated in the federal hemp deadline tracker, and the state-by-state guide is where to check your own.
Names, aliases & distinctions
Search aliases: NL
Northern Lights #5 is a more specific designation than the broad Northern Lights name. When tracing a family tree, retain the number given by the source. Replacing every numbered ancestor with a generic label can erase the distinction the original record was trying to make.
Northern Lights FAQs
Can I buy Northern Lights online?
Yes, as disposables and cartridges. CBD.co, one of our partners, listed three Northern Lights products on 28 September 2026, from Geek'd and JustCBD. None of them is flower sold as Northern Lights genetics — hemp growers largely sell their own cuts under their own names — so ask what is actually in the product and whether a batch COA backs the name.
Is Northern Lights indica, sativa or hybrid?
The cited catalogue classifies Northern Lights as indica. This is a catalogue label; it does not establish a uniform chemical profile or reliably predict an individual’s experience.
What are Northern Lights’s parent strains?
The cited catalogue reports Afghani × Thai. This is an attributed ancestry account, not genetic authentication.
What does Northern Lights smell like?
The catalogue describes pine, earthy, woody notes. These are sensory descriptions, not an ingredient list or an identity test. Different samples carrying the same name need not match the description.
What effects are reported for Northern Lights?
The cited catalogue’s user-report categories include sleepy, relaxed, hungry. These are subjective reports, not controlled clinical findings, guaranteed outcomes or evidence that the strain treats a condition.
What is the THC percentage of Northern Lights?
There is no single verified THC percentage assigned to Northern Lights in this guide. A useful potency figure must be tied to a particular tested sample or batch, with a laboratory, date and units. A catalogue average or maximum cannot establish another sample’s THC or CBD content.
Which terpenes are reported for Northern Lights?
The catalogue names Myrcene, Caryophyllene, Limonene. This is an attributed description, not a measured ranking for a sample. A quantitative terpene chart would need a traceable laboratory report rather than percentages inferred from smell or the strain name.
Does NL mean Northern Lights?
In this catalogue context, yes. Outside that context an abbreviation can be ambiguous. Northern Lights #5 includes an additional designation that should remain attached when tracing ancestry or comparing records.
Why does Northern Lights appear in Jack Herer’s family tree?
The cited Jack Herer account names a Northern Lights #5 × Shiva Skunk parent cross. It is a specific ancestry claim, not a statement that Jack Herer and Northern Lights are interchangeable.
Sources & editorial notes
- Leafly: Northern Lights strain profile. Industry catalogue used for attributed naming, classification, ancestry, aroma and reported-effect descriptions. Accessed September 26, 2026.https://www.leafly.com/strains/northern-lights
- CBD.co: "Northern Lights" search listing. Partner retailer, read for current product names, brands and prices. Read September 28, 2026.https://cbd.co/search-results?q=northern+lights
- Public Law 119-37 §781 and Public Law 119-103 §2019. The statutory basis for the total-THC standard and its delay. Tracked continuously in our federal hemp deadline tracker.
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My Cannabis Reviews: strain library methodology. Explains catalogue evidence, batch results and uncertainty.
Read the methodology
Source addresses are provided as plain text. No original tasting, laboratory analysis or genetic authentication was performed for this article. Vendor catalogues were read on the date shown and change without notice.
Affiliate disclosure: some links above are affiliate links. My Cannabis Reviews earns a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you, and it does not change our scoring or what we publish. We do not sell cannabis products. Every vendor listing and price on this page was checked on 28 September 2026; stock and pricing change constantly, so check the storefront before you buy. For adults 21+. Educational information only, not medical or legal advice.