Weed Terms: Marijuana Slang You Need To Know

If you don’t want to sound like a noobie, there are some weed terms you have to know. Having a grasp on marijuana slang will let you navigate the world of cannabis like a pro. Specifically, it will come in super handy whether you’re joining a smoke circle with friends, talking to your dealer, or checking in with the budtenders at your local dispensary.

To that end, here are some of the most crucial cannabis terms everyone should know. The cannabis terms on this list are organized alphabetically.

Weed Terms: A – B

Alcohol Extraction: A process that uses alcohol to pull out essential oils and chemicals from cannabis plant material.

Autoflowering: Varieties of cannabis that automatically move from the vegetative growth phase to the flowering phase. Autoflowering seeds are excellent for beginning growers, as they simplify the process and require less complicated lighting systems.

BHO: A common method for making cannabis extracts. Cannabis passes through a butane wash, which pulls out oils and chemicals. The plant matter is then removed, and the butane evaporates out, leaving behind a substance that’s full of cannabinoids.

Blunt: When you dump the tobacco out of a cigar and then repack it with weed, roll it back up, and smoke it.

Bogart: A term used to describe a person who hangs on to a joint or bowl too long instead of passing it. Importantly, it is not good etiquette to bogart during a sesh.

Bong: A glass smoking piece that uses a chamber filled with water to cool and filter cannabis smoke.

Bongwater: The dirty, nasty water that’s left in a bong after a smoke sesh. When weed smoke passes through water, a lot of toxins are pulled out and left behind in the water, turning it into bong water.

Bowl: The bowl is the place where the herb goes. Handheld pipes and bongs all have bowls.

Bubbler: A handheld pipe that uses water filtration to produce cool and clean smoke. It’s kind of like a mini-bong.

Bud: The flowers produced by a cannabis plant. The stuff you actually smoke. After they are harvested, dried, and cured, bud becomes smokable.

Budtender: A person who works at a dispensary. Budtenders are experts in all things cannabis and can help you find the perfect strain or product.

Weed Terms: C

Cannabidiol (CBD): One of the most important cannabinoids in cannabis. CBD counteracts a lot of the negative effects of THC and is responsible for many of the plant’s medical properties.

Cannabinoids: The class of chemicals produced by cannabis plants. Cannabinoids interact with your body’s endocannabinoid system to produce a range of effects and sensations.

Carb: A hole cut into the side of pipes. When the carb is covered, smoke builds up inside the pipe’s chamber, and when the carb is open the smoke rushes into your lungs.

Clone: A cannabis plant clipping that can be grown into a new plant. It is a genetic replica of the original plant.

CO2 Extraction: A process for creating cannabis extracts. Extraction machines use cold, compressed CO2 to strip cannabis of its essential oils and cannabinoids. When the CO2 is warmed back up, it evaporates out leaving behind a pure cannabis extract.

Concentrate:  A refined cannabis product that pulls out the most important ingredients from weed buds and leaves behind everything else. Concentrates are super potent. They are dabbed or vaporized.

Crystals: Refers to the trichomes that grow on cannabis plants. Trichomes look like tiny white crystals and are where a lot of weed’s most important chemicals are produced.

Weed Terms: D

Dabs: Concentrates that are consumed through the process of dabbing.

Dabbing: When you use equipment to quickly vaporize cannabis concentrates. Dabbing produces thick, heavy, super potent clouds of vapor that get you sky high.

Dank: Potent, high-quality cannabis.

Decarboxylate: When heat is applied to cannabis buds, it activates the THC so it can get you high. Decarboxylating is especially important when you’re making edibles.

Diffuser: A tube that’s added to a bong or other water pipe to increase the amount of air that passes through the water. Diffusers create additional filtration and can produce extra smooth, extra cool smoke.

Dome: A dab rig component. Domes fit over the nail and capture the vapor created when you dab.

Domeless Nail: A dabbing tool that combines the nail and the dome for more efficient dabbing.

Weed Terms: E – F

E-Nail: An electronic nail that provides the heat for dabbing. E-Nails often include panels that let you set precise temperatures so you can fine-tune your dabbing experience.

Edibles: Any form of edible cannabis. They are known for producing intense and long-lasting highs.

Eighth: A standard unit of measurement when you’re buying bud. An eighth is an eighth of an ounce and is roughly equivalent to 3.5 grams.

Endo: A variation of “indo.” Refers to weed that’s grown indoors under tight environmental controls.

Endocannabinoid System (ECS): is a group of endogenous cannabinoid receptors located in the mammalian brain and throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems, consisting of neuromodulatory lipids and their receptors.

Feminized: Cannabis seeds that only produce female plants. This is important because only female plants produce smokable buds.

Flowering Phase: The stage in a cannabis plant’s life cycle when it produces flowers. This is late in the life cycle, and it is typically triggered when the plant begins getting fewer hours of light in a day.

Weed Terms: G – H

Ganja: A popular slang term for cannabis.

Grinder: A device used to break apart cannabis buds. Grinders are more efficient than smoking a whole bud since it gives you more surface area to burn. The downside, though, is that grinding tends to disrupt the trichomes.

Hashish (Hash): A potent form of cannabis made from the resin of cannabis plants. It’s usually very potent.

Hemp: A variety of cannabis that does not produce very much THC. It’s used to create a number of textiles, and can also be used to harvest CBD for medical cannabis products.

Hybrid: A cannabis strain created by cross-breeding sativa and indica strains. The mixed genetics of a hybrid strain create a variety of unique characteristics and effects.

Hydroponics: A method for growing weed that gives growers control over every aspect of the plant’s environment. Hydroponics setups allow growers to add nutrients to water that is fed directly to plants.

Weed Terms: I – J

Indica: One of the primary types of cannabis plants. Indicas tend to produce effects that target your body and make you feel relaxed and sedated. For a quick mnemonic device: “Indica, in-da-couch.”

Isopropyl Alcohol: Alcohol commonly used in alcohol extraction techniques.

Joint: Cannabis that’s been broken apart and rolled up inside smokable rolling papers. One of the most common ways to consume weed.

Weed Terms: K – L

Kief: Pollen from cannabis buds. Since it’s very potent, most people carefully save the kief that falls off when they grind up bud. You can smoke kief directly or use it to make concentrates or hash.

Landrace: A strain of cannabis that grows naturally in a specific geographic location. They usually have very distinctive traits and are used to create new strains and hybrids.

Live Resin: A form of a concentrate that’s made from fresh plants, rather than from flowers that have been dried and cured.

Low-Temp Dab: Dabbing at low temperatures to produce a vapor that is cooler and smoother, and that generally tastes better than vapor produced at higher temperatures.

Weed Terms: M – N

Nail: A tool for dabbing. It’s a piece of metal that’s heated up and then applied to a concentrate to vaporize it instantly.

Nug: A single cannabis bud. They look like little green nuggets. People generally break apart a nug before rolling it into a joint, blunt, or spliff, or before packing it into a bowl.

Weed Terms: O – P

Oil: Can refer to a number of concentrates, most notably hash oil or cannabis oil. Many types of oil are used for medical applications.

One-Hitter: A small pipe used for quick and discreet puffing. One-hitters are often disguised to look like cigarettes.

Percolator (Perc): An extra water chamber added to a bong or other water pipe for an additional level of cooling and filtration.

Phenotype: The precise characteristics, traits, and effects of a specific cannabis plant. Sometimes a single strain can have multiple, slightly different phenotypes.

Pinner: A thin marijuana cigarette that has only a small amount of weed.

Pre-Roll: A blunt or joint that was rolled before you bought it. If you like Js, but are not good at rolling them, a pre-roll is for you.

Weed Terms: Q – R

Quartz Banger: A small dish made out of quartz that’s used on dab rigs. You can heat it up to high temperatures for vaporizing concentrates.

Resin: The sticky, cannabinoid-rich trichomes that coat a cannabis plant. Resin is also left behind in bowls after smoking. Leftover resin can be saved and used later.

Rig: The full setup of equipment used for dabbing. The key feature is a nail or skillet that lets you vaporize concentrates.

Roach: The end of a joint that you can’t smoke because it will burn your fingers. The only problem is there’s still weed in there. To squeeze every last wisp of smoke out of a roach, you’ll need a roach clip to hold it for you.

Weed Terms: S

Sativa: Along with indica, the other main type of cannabis. Sativas produce cerebral highs that can also be energizing.

Schwag: A slang term for low-grade cannabis.

Sensimilla: A female plant that doesn’t produce seeds. These plants tend to produce buds that are more pure and potent.

Shake: The little bits and pieces of weed left behind in a larger bag of cannabis. Although often forgotten, shake can still be put to good use.

Shatter: A hard type of concentrate that is one of the purest and most potent types of cannabis concentrate.

Spliff: A joint rolled with tobacco.

Solvent: Any liquid that’s used to extract cannabinoids and oils from cannabis plant materials.

Weed Terms: T

Terpene: A class of chemicals produced by plants and herbs. Terpenes are responsible for how a plant smells and tastes.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): The primary psychoactive chemical in the cannabis plant. This is what gets you high.

Tincture: A liquid form of cannabis. It is usually taken orally and is often used for medical purposes.

Topical: A form of cannabis that can be applied to your skin. Topicals are often used for medical purposes.

Trichome: Crystalized resin glands that coat cannabis stems, leaves, and buds. Trichomes are where a lot of the cannabinoids and terpenes are produced.

Trim: When cannabis flowers are harvested, the excess stems and leaves are trimmed off, leaving behind only the bud itself. The stuff that’s cut away is called trim, and it still contains THC and other important cannabinoids.

Weed Terms: U – Z

Vaporizer: A device that heats cannabis enough to vaporize it without actually burning it. Vaping tends to be a cooler and cleaner way to consume cannabis than inhaling smoke.

Vegetative Stage: The part of a cannabis plant’s life cycle during which it grows taller and wider, and when it grows new stems and leaves.

Wax: A form of cannabis concentrate that is waxy in substance. It’s more potent than regular buds.