MJC420
Visual guide · 2-minute read

How to spot a fake cart before you buy it

Fake vape carts and unlicensed weed look almost identical to the real thing. Three pictures show you the difference.

BRAND · Product name ! THC 85.2% · CBD 0.3%Net wt 1 gBatch # A1234-0925 GOVERNMENT WARNING: This productcontains cannabis… keep out of reachof children and animals… Scan → lab results (COA)Lic. C11-0000000-LIC (maker) ① Universal symboltriangle + leaf + “!” ② Potency + batchexact numbers, a lot # ③ Gov't warningrequired wording ④ Lab resultsbatch must match
1. Read the label. Licensed products carry California's universal symbol, a government warning, exact potency and a batch number. Many brands print a QR code that opens the lab report. The batch number on that report should match the box.
LICENSED SHOP STATE OF CAlicense QR Scan it → the state's license record
2. Check the shop, not just the product. Licensed shops post a state-issued QR code in the front window; delivery drivers carry one too. Scan it, or search the shop here.
✓ Licensed✗ Likely fake Universal “!” symbolBatch # on box = lab reportGovernment warningBought at a licensed shopID scanned, tax on receiptNormal price for the brandSealed, child-resistant pack No symbol / no warningNo batch #, or QR goes nowhereDozens of "flavors" of one brandSold at a smoke shop or onlineCash only, no ID checkPrice far below normalSpelling mistakes on the box
3. Know the red flags. Empty "brand" boxes are sold online by the thousands. Packaging proves nothing; where you bought it does.

Real photos: what to look for

A real California-licensed one-gram vape cartridge package, showing the CA universal cannabis symbol in the lower right
A real, licensed California cart. Look at the lower right: the triangle with the leaf, the “!” and “CA.” That is the state's universal symbol, and it belongs on every licensed cannabis package sold in California. Photo: UnifiedFunctionality, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The official California cannabis universal symbol: a triangle containing a cannabis leaf and an exclamation mark, with CA below
The official symbol, up close. No symbol on the box, or a symbol that looks “off”: don't buy it. Image: California Department of Cannabis Control, public domain.
CDC chart of THC vape brand names most reported by lung-injury patients in Illinois and Wisconsin in 2019, led by Dank Vapes
The names on fake carts. In 2019 the CDC charted the THC vape brands that patients with lung injuries said they used. “Dank Vapes” led by far; the CDC described it as part of a class of largely counterfeit brands whose packaging is sold online. Real brands get copied too, which is why where you buy matters more than the name on the box. Chart: U.S. CDC, MMWR 2019, public domain.

Shop owners: seen a counterfeit of a product you carry? Send us a photo through this form and we'll add it to this guide with credit.

Why it matters

Licensed cannabis is lab-tested for pesticides, mold and heavy metals before it can be sold. Nobody tests unlicensed product. In 2019, U.S. health officials linked a nationwide outbreak of serious lung injuries to vitamin E acetate, an additive found mainly in THC vapes bought from informal sources.

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Diagrams are simplified illustrations, not real products. Label rules: California Department of Cannabis Control. This page is information, not legal or medical advice.