Understanding both slang and the technical terms in the world of cannabis is important if you are going to be part of the industry. Here are some of the marijuana terms you need to know in 2021.
Marijuana Terms
#’s & A
420 – April 20 is the pot holiday. It is the occasion to smoke and celebrate marijuana.
510 – This is the standard for cartridges and batteries used to vape.
710 – This spells oil if you look at it upside down and backward. July 10th is a day used to celebrate cannabis oil.
B
BHO – Butane Hash Oil – The plant is dissolved with butane creating a potent substance. It can make various items like resin or shatter.
Black Market – The underground economy where the sale of goods and services are considered illegal.
Bowl – The part of a pipe or bong where you put your weed for smoking.
Bud – The dried and consumable part of the marijuana plant.
Budtender – The people who staff dispensaries. Knowledgeable about all cannabis products in the retail outlet.
C
Cannabinoids – These are the natural chemical compounds in marijuana that get people high. This is how THC levels are measured. The higher the THC, the higher the user gets.
Cannabis – A plant that when its buds are dried produces a psychoactive drug. Also called marijuana, pot, weed, bud, lettuce, ganja and greens just to name a few.
Cannabutter – Butter infused with cannabis. It can be used in place of regular butter.
Capsules – A gel cap that is taken orally and gives the user quick effects of THC, CBD or both. An alternative to smoking or edibles.
CBD – Cannabidiol is one of the marijuana terms you need to know if you are in the cannabis industry. CBD gives the user the medical benefits of cannabis without the high. Good for pain management, diabetes, nausea, cancer treatment side effects and more. It can be taken with THC for pain relief.
CBN – Cannabinol – Is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that helps with nausea, pain and is a sedative.
Clone – A piece taken from a mother plant. It is replanted to start new plant growth.
Concentrate – strong substances derived from weed buds. Have gone through a special process for consumers. Also known as hash or oil.
Chillum – A small pipe for microdosing. Also called a one-hitter.
D
Dabs – A concentrate that is heated, vaporized, and inhaled. High THC levels.
Decarboxylate – Baking marijuana to activate the THC. A step used when making cannabutter.
Dispensary – Retail space that sells marijuana.
E
Edible – Food and drink that has THC in it.
Eighth – Standard measurement for bud, 1/8th of an ounce or 3.5g.
Extract – Same as a concentrate.
Extraction Method – The process of removing cannabinoids, terpenes, and other compounds from the raw plant to create concentrates.
F
Flower – The natural, raw state of the marijuana plant. Weed.
G
Grey Market – Black market operations that pretend to be legal operations or legal operations buying from the black market.
Grinder – Used to grind up bud for easier rolling, bowls, or vapes.
H
Hash – A concentrate made by isolating trichomes from the cannabis plant. Dates back to the 900s.
Hemp – Part of the marijuana family with fewer cannabinoids. Hemp oil is one of the products produced from hemp
Hybrid – A mixed strain of Indica and Sativa.
I
Indica – Relaxing type of marijuana that is used for quiet times and pain relief.
Indoor – Plants are grown inside. Uses controlled lighting, airflow and temperature.
J
Joint – A marijuana cigarette, doobie. It can be pre-rolled.
K
Kief – Keef is the plural and are the trichomes of the bud. They look like little crystals. They can be shaken off and have extra THC in them.
Kush – Any strain that has Kush in the name means then originated in the Kush Mountain range of the Middle East.
L
Light Dep – Short for light deprivation. This is a way of growing where natural light is controlled to speed up a grow cycle.
Live Resin – Concentrate made through flash freezing the plants. Will often have a high terpene level.
M
Medical legalization – Governments legalizing the use of marijuana for health purposes.
N
Nugs – The chunk of flower that looks like a pinecone. Used for consumption.
Nug Run – Products only made with nugs. Higher priced and better quality.
O
OG – Ocean Grown – strains from California.
Outdoor – Sun grown weed. Plants were grown in full sunlight. The natural style of growing.
P
Pod – Cartridge for cannabis oil used to vape.
Post-Harvest – Activity that happens when a growing cycle of the cannabis plant is done such as drying, curing or packaging.
Pot – Older slang for cannabis
Potency – This is how strong a strain is. The amount of THC needed to produce a particular reaction.
R
Recreational Legalization – Legalizing recreational use means there are no criminal or financial ramifications for possessing, using, or sharing weed.
Refinement – Process that takes out impurities and anything that is not wanted in the cannabis extract. The higher the quality of distillate, the more refinements it has.
Resin – The black tar that can build up in smoking devices like bongs or pipes.
Rosin – This product is created by distilling trichomes.
S
SFE – Supercritical Fluid Extraction – CO2 extraction – Temperature and pressure separate the composites for oils and extracts.
Sativa – Sativas are strains that keep you going, give you energy, and help with focus.
Shake – Pieces of leaves or trichomes from the flower. Lower THC levels. Good for making butter.
Solvent – Used to dissolve something into a liquid. Cannabis extraction may use butane, propane, or ethanol.
Spliff – Joint that has tobacco and pot.
Strain – Various plant species. Names may come from the origin of the plant or its effects.
T
Terpenes – The oils in cannabis that give flavor, smell, and effects.
THC – Tetrahydrocannabinol – The cannabinoid that helps with various medical ailments as well as the recreational high of cannabis.
THC Ranges – The THC levels that set the strength of a cannabis product. They have a breadth of 5% up to 90% depending on what the product is.
THCA – Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid – This is the raw cannabinoid that is converted to THC when heated.
Tincture – A drop can go in your drink to help your mood. No smoke or weed taste.
Topicals – Cannabis products that are used on the skin. Lotions and balms, etc.
Trichomes – Crystals from the plant with the highest amount of THC/CBD in the plant.
Trim – The extra plant material that is cut off the nugs.
V
Vape Cartridge – Holds the THC/CBD oil that is heated then inhaled while vaping.
Vape Pen – The unit to heat oil into vapor for inhaling.
Vaping – Inhaling gas from cannabis oil that is heated using a vape pen.