Durban Poison NYC snapshot: on 12 of 32 licensed dispensary menus on Oct 17, 2026, $25 to $60 per eighth, 22% to 33% THC on labels

Durban Poison Strain: Origin, THC and Where to Buy It in NYC

Durban Poison is a pure sativa, a landrace from the South African port city of Durban that reached the United States in the 1970s and became one of the building blocks of modern cannabis. It is known for a sweet, piney smell and an energetic, focused effect. On Oct 17, 2026 it was on 12 of the 32 licensed NYC dispensary flower menus we read, at $25 to $60 per eighth with 22% to 33% THC on the labels.

Durban Poison at a glance

Type Sativa, per Leafly, Weedmaps and NYC menus
Lineage South African landrace from the Durban area; no modern cross
Brought to the US 1970s; Weedmaps credits Ed Rosenthal with the seeds and Mel Frank with the selection
THC About 19% on Leafly; 15% to 25% on Weedmaps; 22% to 33% on NYC menu labels
Terpenes Terpinolene, then myrcene and ocimene, per Leafly
Aroma and flavor Sweet, pine, earth and sage, with anise or licorice notes
Effects people report Focused, energetic, uplifted
Awards Second place, medical sativa, Denver High Times Cannabis Cup in 2013 and 2014, per Weedmaps
Family Durban genetics (listed as F1 Durban) are a parent of GSC, per Leafly
On NYC menus 12 of 32 on Oct 17, 2026
NYC menu price $25 to $60 per eighth (citywide median: $40)

NYC figures come from our read of 32 licensed dispensary flower menus on Oct 17, 2026; two of them (FlynnStoned Chelsea and Unlimited Cannabis) could only be partly read. See how we built the dataset. Page published Oct 17, 2026.

Where Durban Poison comes from

Durban Poison is not a breeder’s cross. Leafly describes it as a pure sativa that “originates from the South African port city of Durban,” and lists its parent simply as African landrace genetics.

The usual account of how it reached America runs through two well-known growers. According to Weedmaps, the cannabis author Ed Rosenthal brought South African seeds to the US in the 1970s, and Mel Frank selected from them for more resin and a faster finish. Frank’s “A-line” became the Durban Poison Americans know, while a “B-line” went to Sam the Skunkman and Dutch breeders and fed into the genetics behind Skunk #1. Weedmaps adds a fair warning: “decades of retelling have blurred some of the handoffs.”

Its influence runs through today’s menus. Leafly lists “F1 Durban” as one of the two parents of GSC, the strain formerly called Girl Scout Cookies, so many Cookies-family hybrids on today’s menus carry some Durban in their family tree.

Aroma, flavor and terpenes

Leafly lists terpinolene as the dominant terpene, followed by myrcene and ocimene. That is an unusual profile and a big part of why Durban smells fresh and sharp rather than gassy or dessert-sweet. Leafly’s flavor tags are pine, earthy and sage, and its description calls the smell sweet. Weedmaps reviewers mostly report earthy, woody and herbal flavors, and some describe anise or black licorice.

If you liked the pine edge of Jack Herer, Durban shares its terpinolene-led profile.

THC and effects

Leafly lists Durban Poison at about 19% THC and Weedmaps gives 15% to 25%. NYC labels on Oct 17, 2026 ran from 22% to 33%, so the bag on a city shelf may be stronger than the strain’s reference figures.

Leafly reviewers, who give it 4.4 out of 5 across about 3,800 ratings, most often tag it focused, energetic and uplifted. That is why it has a reputation as a daytime strain. The most reported downsides are anxiety, dry mouth and dry eyes. Those are consumer reports, not predictions. Start small. Our THC calculator turns a label percentage into milligrams per serving.

Forms and brands of Durban Poison in New York

Our Oct 17 count covers flower menus only. These are other Durban Poison products we found listed for New York in October 2026:

Form Brand (New York) Where we saw it
Flower Claybourne Co., DaDa Exotics, Dealer, Munchkins, Preferred Gardens, Untitled 12 NYC dispensary menus (see below)
Flower, smalls Untitled, 27.5% THC on the listing NugHub NY, Staten Island
Pre-roll 2-pack, 1.5g SuperNaturals Flower Power Dispensers, Maspeth, per amNY
Infused pre-roll 2-pack, 2 x 0.75g Revert ZenZest delivery, Queens
Vape cartridge, 1g Jaunty, a New York brand Several NY shops, including Exit 31 Exotic in Utica

Hudson Cannabis, a Hudson Valley grower, also lists a Durban Poison ounce, but it was marked unavailable when we checked. We did not find a Durban Poison edible from a New York licensed brand.

Where to buy Durban Poison in NYC

On Oct 17, 2026 we read the public flower menus of 32 state-licensed dispensaries across the five boroughs. Durban Poison was on 12 of them. Each shop below has its address, phone number, a Google Maps link, its online menu, our listing for it and the Durban Poison products we saw on its menu that day. Menus change daily, so check the menu or call before you go.

Bar chart of NYC dispensaries stocking Durban Poison by borough: Manhattan 3 of 13, Brooklyn 4 of 11, Queens 4 of 6, the Bronx 0 of 1, Staten Island 1 of 1
Durban Poison by borough: licensed NYC dispensaries carrying it, out of the menus we read in each borough on Oct 17, 2026.

Durban Poison in Manhattan (3 shops)

Durban Poison in Brooklyn (4 shops)

  • All Good Cannabis Dispensary (Flatbush and Midwood). 3405 Avenue H, Brooklyn, NY 11210. Phone: (929) 420-0021. Google Maps · Online menu · Our listing. On the menu Oct 17: DaDa Exotics, 3.5g, $60.
  • Erudito Cannabis Boutique (Carroll Gardens and Red Hook). 120 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11231. Phone: (212) 923-0088 (from its Leafly listing). Google Maps · Online menu · Our listing. On the menu Oct 17: Munchkins, 3.5g, $25, 33.3% THC.
  • Flower Daddy (Williamsburg). 539 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211. Phone: no public phone number found; use the online menu. Google Maps · Online menu · Our listing. On the menu Oct 17: Preferred Gardens, 3.5g, $45, 28.7% THC; Claybourne Co., 3.5g, $50, 25.6% THC.
  • Jungle Kingdom Flower Co. (Bushwick). 1055 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237. Phone: (929) 552-2700. Google Maps · Online menu · Our listing. On the menu Oct 17: Untitled, 3.5g, $30, 32.7% THC.

Durban Poison in Queens (4 shops)

  • Bayside Cannabis (Bayside and Little Neck). 224-15 Union Turnpike, Oakland Gardens, NY 11364. Phone: (347) 548-0304. Google Maps · Online menu · Our listing. On the menu Oct 17: Claybourne Co., 3.5g, $50, 26.2% THC; Untitled, 3.5g, $23, 29.9% THC (small buds).
  • CannaBees (Woodside and Maspeth). 64-01 Grand Ave, Maspeth, NY 11378. Phone: (718) 255-1392. Google Maps · Online menu · Our listing. On the menu Oct 17: Claybourne Co., 14g, $150.44, 22.3% THC; Claybourne Co., 3.5g, $46.90, 26.2% THC.
  • Flower Power Dispensers (Woodside and Maspeth). 7110 Grand Ave, Maspeth, NY 11378. Phone: no public phone number found; use the online menu. Google Maps · Online menu · Our listing. On the menu Oct 17: Dealer, 7g, $66.37.
  • The Cannabis Place (Middle Village, Glendale and Ridgewood). 74-03 Metropolitan Ave, Middle Village, NY 11379. Phone: (800) 296-7138 (toll-free line). Google Maps · Online menu · Our listing. On the menu Oct 17: Claybourne Co., 3.5g, $47.50, 26.2% THC.

Durban Poison in Staten Island (1 shop)

The growers on those menus were Claybourne Co., DaDa Exotics, Dealer, Munchkins, Preferred Gardens and Untitled. Eighths ran from $25 to $60, against a citywide median of $40. The live entry is under Durban Poison in our NYC weed strains database, and our NYC dispensary directory lists every licensed shop by borough.

Bar chart comparing how many of 32 licensed NYC dispensary menus carried each strain on Oct 17, 2026: Ice Cream Cake 13, Cap Junky 13, Northern Lights 12, Durban Poison 12, White Widow 10
How this batch of five strains compares on NYC menus, Oct 17, 2026.

Is Durban Poison legal in New York?

Durban Poison is legal to buy in New York only from a licensed adult-use dispensary or licensed delivery service. The rules below come from the state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and other government sources; our New York cannabis guide covers them in more depth.

  • Age: you must be 21 or older to buy, possess or consume cannabis in New York (OCM, adult-use information).
  • How much you can carry: up to 3 ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of concentrated cannabis, which covers vapes, oils and edibles (same OCM page).
  • Licensed shops only: a business needs an adult-use license to sell cannabis. Licensed stores post the state’s Dispensary Verification Tool, a QR code, near their main entrance. You can check any store on the OCM dispensary verification page or with our license checker. A smoke shop or bodega selling “Durban Poison” without a license is not a legal seller, whatever the bag says.
  • Hemp products: under a federal law signed in November 2025, hemp products with more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container become unlawful in November 2026 (OCM, 2025 federal hemp law FAQ).
  • Where you can use it: in a private home or in most places where tobacco smoking is allowed, but not in a motor vehicle and not where smoking is banned. In New York City the Smoke Free Air Act covers smoking and vaping cannabis in most workplaces, parks, beaches, pedestrian plazas, and the indoor and outdoor areas of bars and restaurants (NYC Health, Smoke Free Air Act). Hotels and employers can set their own bans.
  • Driving: it is illegal to drive impaired by cannabis.
  • Taxes: retail cannabis carries a 9% state excise tax and a 4% local excise tax, 13% in total, and no sales tax (NY Department of Taxation and Finance). For sales on and after June 1, 2024, the old THC potency tax on distributors was replaced by a flat 9% distributor tax.
  • Growing it at home: adults 21 and over may grow 3 mature and 3 immature plants, with a cap of 6 and 6 per household (OCM).
  • Travel: it is illegal to take cannabis across state lines, and you cannot use it on federal land. TSA does not search for marijuana, but it refers anything it finds to law enforcement (TSA).
  • Federal law: on April 23, 2026 the Justice Department moved FDA-approved marijuana products and products regulated under a state medical marijuana license into Schedule III (U.S. Department of Justice). A broader rescheduling was still pending when we last checked, so adult-use cannabis remains illegal under federal law.

Durban Poison in the news

For the backstory, Benzinga published “The Fascinating History of Durban Poison and the Origins of Cannabis” by Charles McElroy, first written for Goldleaf. It follows Ed Rosenthal’s trip to Durban in the late 1970s, where he found a landrace that flowered in about 60 days, and traces how those seeds passed through Mel Frank to Sam the Skunkman and into the Dutch seed scene.

Durban Poison FAQ

What strain is Durban Poison?

Durban Poison is a pure sativa landrace from the area around the port city of Durban in South Africa. It reached the United States in the 1970s and is not a modern cross.

Is Durban Poison a sativa?

Yes. Leafly, Weedmaps and NYC dispensary menus all list it as a sativa.

How strong is Durban Poison?

Leafly lists about 19% THC and Weedmaps gives 15% to 25%. Labels on NYC dispensary menus ranged from 22% to 33% on Oct 17, 2026.

Where can I buy Durban Poison in NYC?

On Oct 17, 2026 it was on 12 of the 32 licensed NYC menus we read: 3 in Manhattan, 4 in Brooklyn, 4 in Queens and 1 on Staten Island. Prices were $25 to $60 per eighth.

What does Durban Poison taste like?

Leafly describes pine, earth and sage with a sweet smell, and some reviewers note anise or black licorice. The dominant terpene is terpinolene.

Is Durban Poison related to Girl Scout Cookies?

Yes. Leafly lists F1 Durban, a Durban Poison line, as one of the two parents of GSC, the strain formerly called Girl Scout Cookies.

More strain guides

Sources

For adults 21 and over. Nothing on this page is medical advice. Effects people report vary from person to person. Phone numbers and addresses were checked against each shop’s own site or listing in October 2026.