Common Cannabis Terms

The cannabis industry speaks a language of it’s own. Here are some common terms you may come across.

Note: This list is not comprehensive and may be updated.

  • Blunt
    • A blunt is similar to a joint, but is wrapped with cigar paper.
    • “I got the cigar papers for a blunt tonight.”
  • Bong
  • Bowl
    • A small smoking pipe made from wood, plastic, ceramic, or glass
    • Part of a pipe used to hold the cannabis.
    • The essentintial compenent for smoking flower.
    • “Pack a bowl real quick.”
  • Bubbler
    • Hand-held water pipe similar to a bong.
    • “Let me hit that bub.”
  • Bud
    • The flower of the cannabis plant. Also called nugs
    • Trichomes contain the psychoactive compounds like cannabinoids and terpenes that can get you high or give medical benefits.
    • Buds must be dried and cured before it can be smoked or vaporized.
    • Only female cannabis plants can produce buds.
    • “Check out the fat bud on this plant.”
  • Butter
    • Butter that is infused with cannabis. Typically low quality bud, shake, leaves, heated with the oil to release THC.
    • “I made cookies with some cana-butter last night… unreal.”
  • Cannabis
    • weed, marijuana, reefer, mary jane, ganja
    • Reefer may also refer to a specific rolled joint with additional cannabis extract
    • “I read this great blog on Cannabis Creative!”
  • CBD
    • Short for cannabidiol, CBD is a non-psychoactive compound from the cannabis plant
    • Commonly used in medical applications for pain, anxiety and seizures.
    • Can be smoked in flower form or extracted for oils, edibles, topical applications and vapes.
    • My dog takes CBD treats for anxiety and it’s made a huge difference.”
  • Dab
    • a concentrated form of cannabis. Shatter or wax.
    • “Y’all wanna dab?”
  • Decarboxylation
  • Downstem
  • Edibles
    • Consumable cannabis in food. Typically made with infused oil or butter, edibles are commonly baked goods but can be made from any foods.
    • “Let’s eat some edibles and watch a movie.”
  • Fan Leaves
    • The iconic large 7 pointed leaves of the hemp plant
    • Fan leaves are a good source of fiber and vitamins, and can be washed and consumed raw or cooked. Try them blended in a smoothie or tossed in with pasta.
    • “Have you ever tried fan leaves? They taste like spinach!”
  • Flower
    • The nugs or bud of a cannabis plant
    • Petalless
    • “Nah I prefer to smoke flower.”
  • Glass blunt
    • Small glass containers with a mouthpiece, metal spiral and rubber bottom used to pack and smoke ground cannabis.
    • “This glass blunt rips!”
  • Grinder
    • Three part metal apparatus that turns flower into ground bud. The first section crushes the bud, the second section captures it and the third section captures the keef.
    • “I packed my grinder before I left.”
  • Hash
    • Cannabis concentrate inhaled or smoked
    • Made from the pressed resin glands of the cannabis flower
    • Also known as hashish
    • “Wanna smoke hash?”
  • Hemp
  • Hit a dab
    • Inhaling the cannabis concentrate through a specific heating method, such as a rig
    • “I coughed for two minutes straight after I hit a dab.
  • Indica
  • Infused
    • To heat or cook cannabis into a consumable form, such as oil or butter
    • “We have two infusions at dinner tonight, the potatoes and the butter.”
  • Joint
    • A joint is a specific way of smoking ground weed, wrapped in rolling papers and lit from one end.
    • “Let’s smoke a joint before dinner.”
  • Keef
    • An accumulation of the trichomes (resin glands) sifted from the ground cannabis flower.
    • The most potent part of the plant
      • AKA, the good stuff
    • Raw hash
    • “Nothing gives you more keef than a new grinder and some dank bud.”
  • Oil
    • Oil that is infused with cannabis. Typically low quality bud, shake, leaves, heated with the oil to release THC.
    • “I slow cooked this oil for 5 hours”
  • Papers
    • Thin wraps to hold ground cannabis for joints
    • Sometimes abbreviates to papes in my household
    • “You got the papes?”
  • Pen
    • Handheld electronic pen used to smoke dabs, waxes, and concentrates without a full-size rig.
    • “Hey, can I hit your pen?”
  • Rig
  • Sativa
  • Shake
  • Steam roller
    • A small, dry hand pipe designed to quickly clear hits with little effort.
    • “Since I live alone, I bought a little steam roller.”
  • Stoned
    • Intoxication under the effects of cannabis.
    • “The first time I got stoned, I took a four-hour nap.”
  • Swisher
    • The wrapping paper of a cigar when used to make a blunt.
    • “You got swishers?”
  • THC
    • Short for tetrahydrocannabinol
    • The primary chemical compound responsible for cannabis’ euphoric effects.
    • From Leafly: THC is a cannabinoid, which are compounds produced by the cannabis plant that bind uniquely to receptors in the body called endocannabinoid receptors. A majority of cannabis varieties are THC-dominant, meaning THC is the most abundant cannabinoid. Many factors contribute to the potency of cannabis, generally a higher THC percentage correlates with a more intense high.
    • “How much THC do these edibles have?”
  • Vaporization
    • Based on the principle of the hookah, cannabis is heated hot enough to release their active compounds, but not to the point of burning. Vapor is drawn up through a mouth piece.
    • A (relatively) safe alternative to smoking.
    • “I got a Volcano so I could smoke less, but vape more.”

Published by Jessica Reilly, Writer

Writer, cannabis aficionado, and poetry lover

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