Catalogue entry · lab-tested · every claim cited
Northern Lights is an indica that Leafly lists as Afghani × Thai; by most accounts it began near Seattle and reached the Netherlands in 1985, where it was propagated at Nevil Schoenmakers' Seed Bank before Sensi Seeds bought the company in 1991.1,2 It tests at a median total THC of 20.03% across 406 state lab tests of Northern Lights flower, with the middle half of results between 17.28% and 22.05%.3 CBD is negligible: none of the 357 tests that reported CBD reached 1%.3
Northern Lights is an indica: Afghani × Thai per Leafly, pure Afghani per other accounts. Its parents, the numbered plants, #5, seed versions and offspring.
Plate IINorthern Lights flower tests at 20.03% median THC (17.28%–22.05%) across 406 state lab results, with almost no CBD. Only 15 list individual terpenes.
Plate IIILeafly users most often describe Northern Lights as sleepy, relaxed and hungry, with full-body relaxation. Reported downsides: dry mouth, dry eyes, dizziness.
Plate IVNorthern Lights seed versions flower in about 45–60 days indoors and finish outdoors from late September. Breeder specs, yields and heights, side by side.
Plate VNorthern Lights flower was listed by 98 stores near Los Angeles on Weedmaps on Oct 3, 2026. Store counts and eighth prices for 27 US markets.
Plate VIHow numbered Afghani-type plants, said to come from near Seattle, reached the Netherlands in 1985 and shaped modern breeding: the history of Northern Lights.
Indica. Leafly and Weedmaps list it as an indica and Leafly rates its effects mostly calming; Sensi Seeds sells its seeds as 90% indica and 10% sativa, and Royal Queen Seeds calls its own version 100% indica. Whether Thai sativa was ever part of it is disputed (see genetics).1,4,5,9
A classic indica that Leafly counts, with Haze and Skunk #1, among the most influential strains of all time. Leafly lists it as Afghani × Thai, and its history of the strain says that, by tradition, it began as a set of numbered plants on an island near Seattle before moving to the Netherlands in 1985. Shiva Skunk and Super Silver Haze are among the hybrids bred from it.1,2,10
The median total THC across 406 state lab tests was 20.03%, and 9.1% of tests reached 25% or more; Weedmaps lists 16–19% and AllBud 16–21%. In years with at least 20 tests, the yearly median ranged from 16.26% (2020, 22 tests) to 26.04% (2023, 38 tests).3,4,6
Earthy and piney. Leafly users most often list pine, earthy and woody; on Weedmaps, 41% of flavor reports say earthy, 32% spicy/herbal and 27% flowery. Sensi Seeds notes a hint of honey and herb in the scent.1,4,5
No breeder is known by name. Histories from SeedFinder and Royal Queen Seeds credit a grower known only as “The Indian” on an island near Seattle; Nevil Schoenmakers’ Seed Bank took it to market in the Netherlands from 1985, and Sensi Seeds bought that company in 1991.2,7,11
Not exactly. Northern Lights #5 was the standout among the numbered original plants and has its own Leafly entry; Sensi Seeds’ Northern Lights was built by back-crossing three original variants, which SeedFinder lists as NL #1, #2 and #5.2,10,12,13
Full lab data: by year, by state, terpenes and the downloadable dataset →
Northern Lights is better known for what was bred from it than for what it sells today. High Times ranks Northern Lights #5 seventh among its 25 greatest strains of all time and credits it with a role in award winners such as Super Silver Haze, and SeedFinder counts 73 direct descendants of Sensi Seeds’ line.13,14 Leafly’s page for the strain carries 3,833 ratings.1
Its Cannabis Cup record is part of the legend, but accounts differ: Leafly says Northern Lights #5 won in 1989, 1990 and 1992, while Wikipedia’s list of winners credits #5 with 1990, crosses built on it with 1989 and 1993, and a different strain with 1992.10,15
It does not top current sales charts: it is #1 in none of the 23 adult-use states in The Marijuana Herald's September 2026 roundup, and Leafly's report on 2025 dispensary orders names it only in an aside about Alaska and in the lineage of Ice, New Jersey's top seller.16,17 On Oct 3, 2026, 98 stores around Los Angeles and 97 around New York listed it on Weedmaps, against 12 or fewer in every other market we checked.18
| Market | Stores | Menu items | Median eighth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 98 | 175 | $30.00 (n=76) |
| New York, NY | 97 | 181 | $41.52 (n=66) |
| Seattle, WA | 12 | 20 | $16.00 (n=4) |
| Albuquerque, NM | 12 | 14 | $8.00 (n=4) |
| Boston, MA | 8 | 11 | $25.00 (n=4) |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 7 | 8 | $17.30 (n=3) |
Stores within 50 miles listing Northern Lights flower on Weedmaps, Oct 3, 2026.18
In Germany, where it is a prescription medicine, weed.de lists 7 pharmacy products made from Northern Lights.25
Northern Lights
Afghani × Thai or pure Afghani? The numbered plants and #5: the full genetics page →
The Northern Lights universe
If Northern Lights is your strain, you keep a lantern lit for whoever sees it from the road, and you let the sky find you. Meet the Aurora Keeper.
