Cannabis Terms
Cannabis Slang
710
A significant number among cannabis enthusiasts who favor dabs. Upside-down and backwards, 710 spells oil.
420
Arguably the most significant number in the cannabis community, 420 was a codeword for smoking cannabis that was started by a group of cannabis enthusiasts called “The Waldos” at San Rafael high school. It was later popularized by the Grateful Dead. You can find out the full story here.
Baked
This term is associated with being very high. It typically means you feel sluggish and consumed by an alternate state of mind.
Bhang
Originating in India, Bhang is a cannabis-infused drink that is most often prepared with raw cannabis. When the cannabis is heated during preparation, it will induce psychoactive effects.
Blaze
to consume cannabis. This word is most often heard in the phrase, “Let’s blaze”.
Blunt Wraps
Blunt wraps are rolling papers made of tobacco designed for cannabis consumers who like blunts. You can find the best blunt wraps here.
Buds
Buds are a slang term for cannabis flower. This is the part of a cannabis plant that is smokable.
Budder
Budder is a slang term for cannabis extract or concentrate, and is more potent than cannabis flower. Budder is a form of hash oil with high percentages of THC.
Budtender
A budtender is a specialist customer service representative at a dispensary who is responsible for recommending and selling cannabis to a consumer, tailoring recommendations to the customer’s specific needs.
Cannabidiol (CBD)
Most commonly referred to as CBD, cannabidiol is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis. Cannabidiol has been shown to have a number of therapeutic effects ranging from anti-inflammation, to pain relief. It has specifically shown to be effective in the treatment of epilepsy. Everything you need to know about cannabidiol can be found here.
Cannabinoid
Cannabinoids are chemical compounds that react with the cannabinoid receptors found in the human body and alter neurotransmission in the brain. Currently there are 111 known cannabinoids and they produce a variety of effects.
Cannivore
A slang term for cannabis consumers that prefer to ingest cannabis by eating or drinking it, rather than smoking or vaping. This is is most commonly done for health reasons.
Cashed
A slang term for a bowl being finished. This is when the cannabis has been reduced to ash.
Cherried
A slang term for a bowl of cannabis in ember form. A cherried bowl does not need a flame to be held to it to remain lit.
Cotton Mouth
Cotton Mouth is a slang term for the dehydration that can occur when smoking cannabis if water is not ingested.
Couch-Locked
This term is used in reference to the sleepy or sluggish feeling experienced after consuming a potent indica-strain.
Cross-Joint
Popularized by the film Pineapple Express, a cross-joint is a large joint, with a smaller joint fuzed to it at a 90 degree angle, creating a cross shape. A cross-joint is smoked with all three ends burning at once.
Crystals
Crystals is a slang term for trichomes, which contain large amounts of cannabinoids such as THC. Crystals are the kief that fall off the plant matter when grinding cannabis.
Dab
A dab is a cannabis extract that has concentrated levels of THC. Dabs can vary in type from butane hash oil to wax to shatter. Cannabis concentrate enthusiasts regard dabbing as a clean way to enjoy the plant. You can find out more about cannabis concentrates here.
Dank
A slang term referring to high-quality cannabis that has a strong smell.
Diesel
A type of cannabis strain known for a distinct odour reminiscent of diesel fuel.
Dime Bag
A slang term for ten dollars worth or a gram of cannabis.
Dispensary
A dispensary is a retail store in which legal cannabis can be purchased. At dispensaries, customer service representatives known as “budtenders” recommend and sell various cannabis products. You can find out more about dispensaries here.
Ditch Weed
A slang term for extremely poor quality cannabis, or a substance which is sold by a dealer as cannabis, but is actually another type of herb.
Doobie
A slang word for a joint, often used by baby-boomers.
Eighth
A slang word for 3.5 grams of cannabis.
Endo
Describes buds on a cannabis plant that are dripping in trichomes. An Endo often formed during the curing process, which can cause trichomes to fall into a concentrated location at the tip of buds.
Fatty
Slang for an extremely robust joint.
Flower
This is a word commonly used for cannabis.
G
Slang for a gram of cannabis.
Ganja
A word for cannabis that is rooted in Rastafarian culture.
Glass
Slang for a pipe or bong, which are commonly made out of glass.
Green
A popular slang term for cannabis.
Green Out
A term used to describe an instance where a person consumes too much cannabis. A person who is greening-out may exhibit symptoms of anxiety, and may ultimately fall asleep. In rare instances, someone who greens out may also vomit.
Half
Slang for fourteen grams of cannabis.
Herb
A popular slang term for cannabis. Also the name of the world’s largest cannabis platform founded by Matt Gray. You can find out more about the history of Herb here.
Hot Box
A term that describes smoking cannabis inside a room until the air is consumed with smoke. Hot boxing is often done in confined spaces.
Hybrid
A Hybrid is a strain that is has been bred to have a parent strains that are from both cannabis subspecies. A Hybrid is both a Sativa and an Indica, although the attributes of one may be more dominant than the other. Hybrids are created so that strains carry the best aspects of each subspecies.
Indica
Indica is a cannabis subspecies that originates from central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. It’s leaves look short and wide and typically when consumed, Indica strains deliver calming, pain-relieving and sleepy effects. While some research may suggest that the dichotomy between Indica and the second subspecies of cannabis known as Sativa may be less rigid than initially thought, the classification system still remains in popular culture.
Kush
Kush is a type of Indica cannabis that originated in the Hindu-Kush Mountains on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Kush often deliver particularly sedative effects. Strains like OG Kush and Bubba Kush are especially popular Kush strains.
L
A slang term for an especially large joint that uses two rolling papers glued together in an L-shape.
Medical Marijuana
Cannabis grown for medical cannabis patients who are officially registered. Medical marijuana is tightly regulated to so that only consistently high-quality medicine is delivered to patients. In some regions, patients are permitted to grow their own medicine at home.
Mota
A word for cannabis commonly found in spanish-speaking countries.
Nug
A single bud of marijuana.
Ounce
28 grams of cannabis.
Pack a Bowl
A slang term used to describe loading the bowl of a pipe or bong with ground cannabis.
Pinner
A slang term for a thin joint. They are commonly rolled by cannabis enthusiasts who wish to smoke alone, but may have a low THC tolerance.
Re-Up
A term commonly used by cannabis enthusiasts when they need to restock their weed supply.
Roach
A term commonly used to describe the stub of a finished joint.
Sativa
Sativa is a cannabis subspecies that originates from East Asia. It’s leaves are typically long and thin. When consumed, Sativas typically deliver energizing, euphoric and creative effects. While some research may suggest that the dichotomy between Sativa and the second subspecies of cannabis known as Indica may be less rigid than initially thought, the classification system still remains in popular culture.
Schwag
This term describes poor quality cannabis. Sometimes Schwag is also used to describe an herb that someone is trying pretend is cannabis to make a profit, but is really not.
Sticky-Icky
A slang term for high-quality cannabis that has an adhesive texture due to the high levels of cannabinoids.
Stoned
A term to describe the euphoric intoxication a person feels following the ingestion of cannabis.
THC
Tetrahydrocannabinol is commonly shortened to the acronym THC. THC is the primary psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis.
Toke
A term that describes the physical act of inhaling cannabis.
Tree
A slang term for cannabis found most commonly on the West Coast of the United States.
Cannabis Growing
Bract
A reproductive part on a female plant, a bract is a specialized leaf with a high-concentration of resin glands. A Bract produced extremely high levels of cannabinoids.
Calyx
Encapsulated by a bract, a calyx is a translucent layer at the base of a cannabis flower. A calyx protects the plants reproductive organs and provides stability.
Clone
A clone is a duplicate of a cannabis plant. It is created by cutting a branch from a host cannabis plant and dipping the end of the branch in rooting powder or gel. This process can be replicated multiple times from multiple host plants. More information on cloning cannabis can be found here.
Cola
A Cola is the name for a cluster of cannabis flower. Colas can occur on budding sites on the branches, but the largest cola is found at the top of the plant. Colas are often the post potent part of the cannabis plant when smoked.
Cure
Curing cannabis is the process by which the plant is prepared for smoking. Curing improves the scent and smoothness of buds when they are burned and inhaled. This process is done by putting cannabis flower in an airtight container and keeping it in a place with a consistent temperature, away from sunlight. More information on curing cannabis can be found here.
Hydroponic
Sometimes referred to as “Hydro”, hydroponics is a growing technique that grows cannabis without the use of soil. Hydroponic systems use less space than traditional growing methods, and deliver nutrients to plant roots through water. You can find more about hydroponic growing here.
Mother
A mother is a large cannabis plant that is the origin of a genetic line of cannabis. Mother plants can be used to create clones by trimming off their branches and dipping those branches in rooting gel.
Phenotype
In biology, a phenotype is a term that describes the observable traits of an organism. In growing, phenotypes are categories of strains based on the dominant and recessive traits inherited from a parent plant.
Pistil
A pistil is the reproductive component of a cannabis flower composed of colorful strands known as stigmas.
Stigma
Stigmas are colorful strands in pistils that collect pollen from male plants. Stigmas play a vital role in reproduction and change from white to brownish-orange over a plants life cycle.
Sensimilla
Sensimilla is a seedless, female cannabis plant that has purposely been isolated to prevent fertilization.
Trichomes
Crystal resin on cannabis flower that have high concentrations of cannabinoids and terpenes. Trichomes are secreted through the stems, leaves and calyxes of cannabis plants.
Cannabis Consumption
Blunt
A blunt is a method of cannabis consumption that entails smoking cannabis that is wrapped in a tobacco leaf. This is most commonly done by removing the tobacco from a cigar. You can learn how to roll a blunt here.
Concentrates
Concentrates are an umbrella term for potent extracts derived from cannabis flowers such as hash, shatter, wax or oil. More information on concentrates can be found here.
Dabbing
Dabbing is a relatively new form of cannabis consumption that involves super-heating a cannabis concentrate in a glass smoking device called a dab rig. Dabs are cannabis extracts that have extremely high levels of THC. More information on dabbing can be found here.
Decarboxylate
Sometimes referred to as “decarb”, decarboxylation is the process by which cannabinoids like THCA and CBDA are changed into THC and CBD, by exposing cannabis flower to a consistently high temperature. Decarboxylation can be done in an oven and is an important process when making edibles. More information on how to decarboxylate cannabis can be found here.
Edibles
Refers to cannabis products that are eaten rather than smoked. Traditionally, baked goods infused with cannabis, such as “weed brownies” have been extremely popular edibles, although as the legal market widens, so too are the selection of commercially available edibles.
Extract
A term for cannabis concentrates that are derived from cannabis flower. Extracts are extremely potent, and are designed to have elevated levels of THC.
Hash
Also known as hashish, hash is a term that describes a substances created by compressing the resin collected from cannabis plants. Hash originated in Northern Africa and the Middle East and has been consumed for centuries. More information on Hash can be found here.
Iso
A slang term for Isopropyl Hash Oil, Iso is a hash oil that is created using isopropyl as a solvent.
Joint
A joint is a cannabis cigarette, made by rolling ground cannabis in rolling papers.
Kief
A term describing the green crystals that accumulate when cannabis is shook or ground. Kief is composed of trichomes and has high levels of THC. Kief can be smoked, vaporized or compressed into hash.
Live Resin
Live Resin is a type of cannabis concentrate that is derived from plants that are flash-frozen as soon as they are harvested. This allows the living plant resin to be harvested, allowing for maximum cannabinoid and terpene potency.
Oil
Using a solvent like C02 or alcohol, oil is extracted from hash. Oil has potent THC levels, and is extremely potent and can be consumed using a variety of methods from smoking, to dabbing to vaping. Oils can also be used in the creation of edibles.
Pre-Roll
A pre-roll is a professionally rolled joint that is sold in a dispensary. Pre-rolls can come in singles or in packages, and vary by strain and brand.
Pressed Hash
This type of hash is created when heat and pressure are applied to water hash or dry sift hash to create a dense puck. It is often created using a press.
Shatter
A cannabis concentrate made using extraction methods that us butane or C02. Shatter is generally considered to be among the highest quality of cannabis concentrates.
Spliff
A spliff is a joint that has been rolled with tobacco. Spliffs are particularly popular in Europe.
Sploof
A sploof is a contraption made with dryer sheets inside the cylinder of a cardboard toilet paper roller used to mask the smell of cannabis. Cannabis enthusiasts blow smoke they have inhaled through the sploof to lessen the pungent smell of weed.
Vaporizer
A vaporizer is an alternative tool to consume cannabis that heats the plant matter just enough for cannabinoids to be released, but not enough to reach combustion point. Vaporizers are a healthier way to consume cannabis, achieving psychoactive effects without releasing carcinogens.
Wax
A type of butane hash oil cannabis concentrate that has a texture similar to ear wax.
Cannabis Tools
Bong
Bongs are water pipes that have removable bowls that allow cannabis consumers to inhale a large amount of smoke. The smoke passes through water allowing the hit to be smooth despite large quantities of smoke. They are frequently used by advanced cannabis consumers because bongs deliver powerful psychoactive effects.
Bowl
Part of both pipes and bongs, bowls are the part of a smoking instrument in which cannabis is held and burned.
Bubbler
A hybrid of a bong and a pipe, bubblers have compartments that hold water to allow for water-filtration.
Carb Cap
A carb cap is a tool commonly used by those who enjoy dabs. It is used to contain heat and vapor inside the nail, preserving flavor.
Chillum
Also known as a one-hitter, a chillum is a type of pipe that can hold a small amount of cannabis and is extremely portable.
Diffuser
A diffuser cools smoke prior to inhalation and is a common component of bongs, and bubblers. Diffusers provide increased surface area for bubble formation and allow air to escape.
Downstem
A downstem is the component in a bong or bubbler that connects the bowl to water. Smoke travels from the bowl, through the downstem to become filtered by the water. Water filtration causes the inhalation of smoke to feel smoother.
Dutchie
A slang term for a joint, spliff or blunt. This term was immortalized in popular culture by the song “Pass The Dutchie”by the group Musical Youth.
Earwax
A slang term referring to the fluffy consistency achieved by whipping hash oil with a whisk. This must be done while the hash oil is heated.
Grinder
A grinder is a tool used to break down cannabis buds into a shredded form that is optimal for smoking. Usually cylindrical, grinders usually have protruding metal teeth and are composed of two parts. When both pieces are twisted in opposite directions, cannabis is ground into small pieces. Grinders may also have a third component called a crystal catcher, used to collect and store the kief that falls from the buds as they are ground.
Nail
A nail is a tool used with a dab rig. A nail is a large glass or metal piece that slightly resembles the kind of nails used in construction. After a nail is heated with a torch, cannabis concentrates are placed on top, upon which the concentrates are vaporized and inhaled.
Papers
Rolling papers are used to roll joints, or spliffs with. Rolling papers can come in a variety of materials, such as rice, wood, hemp or flax.
Percolator
A percolator, sometimes simply referred to as a “perc” is an additional chamber through which smoke is filtered through to achieve the smoothest hit possible.
Roach Clip
A metal tool used by cannabis enthusiasts to hold the end of a joint to prevent burns on their fingers.
Screen
A screen is a metal filter used in the bowl of a pipe to prevent cannabis from pulling through into a person’s mouth while inhaling.
Steamroller
A steamroller is a type of pipe that is cylindrical in shape.