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Durban Poison strain: what the lab panels show
Durban Poison is widely told as a sativa landrace from the port city of Durban, South Africa, rather than a cross of named parents. Among the products on the Las Vegas superstore's shelf that carry a lab panel, Durban Poison comes as three infused pre-rolls and one vape from Swift Lifts, Doinks and Claybourne Co.
What it is
A landrace, by the usual account: a plant that adapted to one place over generations rather than a cross of two known strains. The story of its trip to the United States in the 1970s usually credits the cannabis writer Ed Rosenthal, though the accounts disagree on how he came by the seeds, and later breeders are said to have stabilized versions of their own. All of that is the circulated history, not a lab fact, and so is its reputation as the archetypal sativa. What a lab measured is in the batches below.
What is on our shelf now
Among the products on the Las Vegas superstore's shelf that carry a lab panel, Durban Poison comes as three infused pre-rolls and one vape from Swift Lifts, Doinks and Claybourne Co. The infused pre-rolls test 41.2% to 43.2% THC and the vape tests 85.4% THC. Vapes are extracts and infused pre-rolls carry extract, so their THC reads far higher than plain flower's. Terpinolene leads all four of its panels (fresh and herbal, lightly fruity, in the terpene guide's words), with caryophyllene in the top three of every panel. Our per-batch grade, set by each panel rather than by the name, calls them sativa-hybrid and sativa.
| Product | Format | THC | Leading terpenes | Our grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swift Lifts Durban Poison .5g Infused & Kief Coated Short Lifts Preroll 4pk | Infused pre-roll | 43.2% | terpinolene 0.36%, caryophyllene 0.30%, limonene 0.19% | Sativa-Hybrid |
| Swift Lifts Durban Poison 1g Infused & Coated Long Lifts Preroll | Infused pre-roll | 41.6% | terpinolene 0.39%, caryophyllene 0.31%, limonene 0.20% | Sativa-Hybrid |
| Doinks x Ripper Durban Poison .5g Infused Preroll 4pk | Infused pre-roll | 41.2% | terpinolene 2.02%, caryophyllene 0.38%, limonene 0.37% | Sativa |
| Claybourne Co. Gassers Durban Poison 1g Diamonds All In One | Vape | 85.4% | terpinolene 1.65%, caryophyllene 1.42%, myrcene 0.85% | Sativa-Hybrid |
From our menu snapshot of 11-02-2026. The grade is the five-class spectrum, read from each batch's own panel; the product page always shows the current batch. Search Durban Poison on the live menu.
What that means for you
A name this old has been bred, cloned and relabelled for decades, so the same name can carry different chemistry from one grower to the next. Read the panel, then the grade: the five-class spectrum sets each batch by its own terpenes rather than by the sativa label the name carries, and the terpene guide explains each one.
Questions people ask about Durban Poison
Is Durban Poison indica or sativa?
By reputation Durban Poison is the classic sativa, a landrace from South Africa. That is its reputation, not a lab fact. Our per-batch grade, set by each panel rather than by the name, calls them sativa-hybrid and sativa.
How strong is Durban Poison?
The infused pre-rolls test 41.2% to 43.2% THC and the vape tests 85.4% THC. Vapes are extracts and infused pre-rolls carry extract, so their THC reads far higher than plain flower's. THC is a batch figure, not a property of the name, so the next batch can differ.
What does Durban Poison smell and taste like?
Terpinolene leads all four of its panels (fresh and herbal, lightly fruity, in the terpene guide's words), with caryophyllene in the top three of every panel. Terpenes are a large part of a strain's smell and flavor, which is why we read the panel rather than the name; sulfur compounds a terpene panel does not measure add the skunky note some strains carry.
What effects does Durban Poison have?
Effects vary from person to person and from batch to batch, so we do not promise any. What a panel tells you is the chemistry: which terpenes lead, and the grade it earns on the five-class spectrum, shown in this page's shelf table for each batch whose panel carries them.
Is Durban Poison a landrace?
By the usual account, yes: a sativa that grew up around the port city of Durban, South Africa, rather than one bred from named parents. Its arrival in the United States in the 1970s is usually credited to the cannabis writer Ed Rosenthal, though how he came by the seeds is told more than one way, and later breeders are said to have stabilized versions of their own, so the plants sold under the name differ.
Where can I buy Durban Poison in Las Vegas?
At Planet 13's Las Vegas superstore, where today's shelf includes three infused pre-rolls and one vape of it with a lab panel. The shelf changes batch to batch, so search the live menu before you visit.
Lab figures are from our committed menu snapshot and change batch to batch; the product page always shows the current panel. Effects vary by person; nothing here is medical advice. For use only by adults 21 and older.