Guide to Weed Slang

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about cannabis culture is the slang that people use. Terms can be quite difficult to grasp if you’re a newcomer, but they can be surprisingly helpful to know because they’re much easier to use than technical terms and it’s generally a part of the culture to use the slang.

So whether you’re new to the scene or want a quick refresher course, here are some of the most common weed slang terms and their definitions.

General terms

Here are some general terms that are always great to know.

Dispensary

Dispensaries are legal establishments where one can buy cannabis. This heavily depends on the location and they will typically offer cannabis for medical or recreational reasons. Again, this is heavily dependent on the location of the dispensary and some places may only offer medical cannabis.

Budtender

A budtender is essentially the member of staff behind the counter at a dispensary that helps you choose the type of cannabis you’re looking for. The term is a portmanteau of “bud” and “bartender” since they take your request and help you find the right strain of weed for your needs.

Blazed

A term used to describe a pleasant and comfortable high.

Baked

A term used to describe someone that is experiencing a strong high. They may have red eyes, they may find it difficult to move from where they’re sitting, and they may speak about existential topics.

Cottonmouth

Used to describe the feeling of a dry mouth that you get when smoking cannabis.

420

Number term used to describe a place that is friendly towards cannabis. May also indicate the time 16:20 or cannabis holidays, such as April 20th.

710

Similar to 420. Used when referring to July 10th, but can also be a numeric indicator associated with smoking concentrates.

Hit

A hit is a single inhale of marijuana from a smoking device such as a bong or joint.

Weed terms

First, let’s take a look at some of the most common terms used for different kinds of weed.

Marijuana

Marijuana usually refers to cannabis that has a THC content of 0.3% or more. It’s known for its signature high which people love.

Hemp

Hemp refers to cannabis that contains less than 0.3% THC content. This is in comparison to marijuana that usually contains more than 0.3% THC content.

Cannabis

Cannabis just refers to the plant and its scientific family name. The word cannabis is often used when referring to the plant family in general, or when it’s being referred to in a technical or formal situation.

Cannabinoid terms

Cannabinoids are the compounds found in cannabis. Here are the most common ones that are talked about in the weed community.

CBD

Cannabidiol, or CBD for short, is the cannabinoid that is responsible for pain management and relaxation in cannabis. It doesn’t contain psychoactive effects.

THC

Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for short, is the cannabinoid responsible for the psychoactive effects of cannabis. In most cases, people are referring to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol whenever the abbreviation is used.

Delta-8 THC

Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol THC is a cannabinoid that has grown more popular in recent months. It’s much less potent than regular THC, offering a smoother and milder high. People will often refer to this as just Delta-8

Strains

Indica

Indica is a strain of cannabis that supposedly offers relaxation effects. Indica plants are shorter in stature and have broader leaves. They have shorter flowering cycles, are typically darker, and are more suitable for growing in colder climates.

Sativa

Sativa is another popular strain of cannabis that offers more uplifting and energetic effects. In comparison to indica plants, sativa grows a little taller and the leaves are narrower. They have longer flowering cycles and are more suited to warm climates.

Hybrid

A hybrid strain typically mixes both sativa and indica effects.

Terms used during weed consumption

Here are some of the most common terms that people use when consuming weed or weed products.

Joint

A rolled cannabis cigarette.

Blunt

A larger cannabis cigarette that holds more product and burns slowly.

Edible

A food or drink item that has been infused with cannabis. Can include brownies, chocolate, coffee, milkshakes, and so on. With the availability of oils, almost any food and drink item can be considered an edible.

Concentrates

Extracts of the cannabis plant. Inactive concentrates typically need to be heated, whereas active concentrates can be infused into edibles, topicals, and tinctures without the need for heat.

Dab

The act of taking a concentrate and vaporizing it with a dab rig.

Bong

One of the most common smoking devices for cannabis. Their purpose is to filter and cool the smoke that comes from weed. As you inhale through the mouthpiece, the water in the bong bubbles and smoke rises through the water, into the chamber, and finally into your mouth and lungs.

Bowl

The component of a smoking device that holds cannabis.

Carb

A hole on a smoking device such as a bong or pipe. The carb is covered with a finger while taking a hit and released just before you finish inhaling to clear the smoke from the device.

Terms used to describe cannabis

There are usually a couple of terms that are used to describe cannabis. Here are the most common ones that are used today.

Bud

Bud often refers to dried cannabis flowers that are ready to be used. It can also be referred to as a nugget, nug, flower, ganja, mary jane, pot, or just weed. These terms are often localized to different regions, so some places may prefer a specific term for dried cannabis flowers.

Dank

Dank is a word used to describe cannabis that is superior in potency, smell, or taste. In normal English, dank is used to describe something that is unpleasantly moist, but for cannabis, it’s actually a positive quality.

Weed

The most common term for cannabis is weed. The exact reason why weed is the most prevalent term is unclear, but it may have something to do with distancing cannabis from its older terms such as dope and pot.

Terms used to describe measurements

When purchasing cannabis, it’s important to know the terms used for different measurements.

Gram

A gram just means a single gram of cannabis. Often the smallest amount of cannabis that you can purchase.

Zip

An ounce of cannabis, typically referring to Ziploc baggies of cannabis.

Eight and Half-Eighth

Refers to 1/8th of an ounce of weed, or half of it in the case of half-eighth.