Type 3 weed is cannabis bred to be high in CBD and very low in THC, so it does not produce a high. Hemp farms sell it as CBD flower or hemp flower. It looks, smells and smokes like other cannabis, but the compound that causes intoxication is barely there.
The name comes from a system that sorts cannabis plants by the compound they make the most of. Researchers first described the types in the 1970s, and a 2004 study in the American Journal of Botany confirmed them across 157 plant samples using genetic and chemical testing (Hillig & Mahlberg, 2004). A 2003 study in Genetics found why the types stay separate: a single gene decides whether a plant makes THC or CBD, and Type 3 plants carry only the CBD version (de Meijer et al., 2003).
Two terms to know first
Cannabis plants make dozens of compounds called cannabinoids. Two of them decide what a plant is like to use. THC is the one that causes the high. CBD comes from the same plant and does not intoxicate. A plant's type number describes how much of each it produces.
The three types
Type 1 plants make mostly THC and little CBD. This is what most people mean by weed, and it is most of what licensed dispensaries sell.
Type 2 plants make meaningful amounts of both. Some lean toward THC and some toward CBD, and the effect includes some of the high.
Type 3 plants make mostly CBD, with THC kept under the 0.3% line that separates hemp from marijuana in U.S. law. CBD flower from a hemp farm is Type 3. Its CBD content usually runs from about 10% to 20% of the flower's weight.
Some newer sources add a Type 4 for plants bred for CBG, another non-intoxicating cannabinoid. It is uncommon, and nearly all flower on the market falls into the first three.
What Type 3 is like to use
Type 3 flower does not change perception or produce the euphoria that comes with THC. Customers report something quieter: eased tension and a calmer evening, with the ritual of smoking intact. Research on CBD is still developing, and a review of seven clinical trials in the Journal of Clinical Medicine found that CBD supported a healthier stress response in every study it examined (Henson et al., 2021).
People come to Type 3 for different reasons. Those who found THC too strong, including the anxiety that can come with today's high-THC products, use it to keep the plant without the high; our guide to CBD flower during a THC tolerance break covers that switch. Former cigarette smokers use it to keep the habit of smoking without the tobacco, which our post on CBD flower as a cigarette alternative describes. And people drinking less use it for an evening ritual that leaves no hangover, the subject of CBD flower for a no-hangover evening.
Type 3 is different from THCA flower
A lot of flower sold online as hemp is not Type 3. It is high in THCA, the form THC takes in the raw plant. THCA does not intoxicate until it is heated, and smoking heats it: flower with 20% THCA counts as roughly 17% THC once it is heated. It can pass a test that counts only delta-9 THC, and it produces a full high. By its chemistry it is THC-dominant cannabis sold under the hemp name.
ARC Farms grows only Type 3 hemp. The farm made that choice when much of the market moved to THCA, and every ARC Farms strain tests under 0.3% delta-9 THC.
How to check whether flower is Type 3
A certificate of analysis, or COA, is the lab report behind a product. Three lines on it answer the question:
CBD should be the largest number on the report, usually above 10%.
THCA should be low, under 1%. A THCA figure of 15% or more means the flower will produce a high when smoked, whatever the label says.
Total THC, where the report shows it, counts THCA as the THC it becomes when heated. For Type 3 flower it stays low.
Our guide to reading a hemp COA walks through a real report line by line. Each ARC Farms product page lists that strain's CBD and THC figures.
Where to start
New to CBD flower: Strawberry Lemonade is the usual starting point, with gentle relaxation and a thread of subtle energy.
For the end of the day: Legendary OG and Bubba Kush are the two indicas, and the ones customers choose for rest.
Rather not smoke: the All Natural and Lemon Drop tinctures are made from the same flower, pressed into rosin without solvents and taken under the tongue.
Comparing everything: the flower collection shows every strain side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Does Type 3 weed get you high?
No. Type 3 cannabis is defined by high CBD and very low THC, and it does not intoxicate. Every ARC Farms strain tests under 0.3% delta-9 THC, and each product page lists its figure.
Is Type 3 the same as CBD flower or hemp flower?
Yes. "Type 3" is the scientific classification. "CBD flower" and "hemp flower" are the names used in stores.
Is Type 3 hemp flower legal?
Yes. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp containing less than 0.3% Delta-9 THC at the federal level. Most states permit the sale and possession of compliant hemp products.
Will Type 3 hemp show up on a drug test?
It can. Full-spectrum Type 3 flower contains trace THC, and no hemp product can promise a clean result. Anyone who is tested should check with their employer or testing facility before using it.