The Glossary of Green:

420: A generalized slang term for marijuana consumption. Coined in the 1970s by a group of students at San Rafael (CA) High School who would regularly meet after school at 4:20 to partake in marijuana consumption. It has also evolved to include April 20 (4/20) as International Cannabis Pride Day.

710: Slang for hash oil. Flipping the number upside down reveals its origins.

Acapulco Gold: A popular strain of cannabis originally grown in the mountains outside this western Mexico resort city.

April 20: International Cannabis Pride Day. See also: 420

 

Blue Dream: A hybrid variety developed in 2003 that is sativa-dominant. With Afghan, Mexican and Thai ancestry, it is a cross between blueberry and haze varieties.

Blunt: A cigar where the tobacco is hollowed out and replaced with a mixture of marijuana.

Bong: A device used for smoking marijuana that generally includes a water-based filtration system.

Bowl: Literally, the part of a pipe or bong that holds the cannabis. More widely accepted as slang for any form of pipe used to smoke marijuana.

Bud: The part of the cannabis plant that is consumed for its psychoactive properties.

Budder: The slang for the concentrated paste that can be extracted from cannabis.

Budtender: The employee of a cannabis dispensary.

Cannabidiol: The non-psychoactive chemical compound found in cannabis. Also known as CBD.

Cannabinoid Receptors: A part of the body's endocannabinoid system, your cannabinoid receptors are activated by the ingestion of cannabinoids. These receptors have been found to be important influencers of appetite, pain sensations, mood and memory.

Cannabinoids: The chemical compounds found in cannabis that interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system. There are more than 100 different cannabinoids, with some of the most well known being Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), Cannabindiol (CBD) and Cannabinol (CBN).

Cannabinol: One of the lesser cannabinoids that has been found to have minimal psychoactive effect. It is created when THC ages, meaning it is found primarily in older cannabis plants. It is used mostly as a sleep aid, and has some pain reduction and inflammation fighting qualities.

Cannabis: A genus of flowering plants that includes both hemp and marijuana.

Cannabutter: Butter that has been infused with marijuana. Can be used in cooking.

Cannabis essential oils: Therapeutic product with little to no psychoactive properties.

Cannabis Refugee: A person who moves from one state to another in search of laws that endorse the consumption of the products they either need for medical or just prefer for recreational purposes.

Cannabis Strains: There are a wide variety of cannabis strains. Some of the most prominent are Acapulco Gold, GMO, Blue Dream, Charlotte’s Web, Kush, Sour Diesel and White Widow.

Cannivore: Someone who prefers edibles to smoked cannabis.

CBD: The abbreviated version of cannabidiol, its one of the nearly 100 cannabinoids found in cannabis, and is second only to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) when it comes to volume. CBD is known for its medicinal values, including pain relief, inflammation reduction and reduction of anxiety. THC, on the other hand, is known for its psychoactive effects, causing the high feeling people generally associate with cannabis consumption.

CBD Oil: An extract of cannabis that was originally used for medicinal purposes due to its lack of psychoactive properties. Currently it is included in any number of widely available products that are mostly used for medicinal purposes to treat pain.

Charlotte’s Web: A strain of cannabis that contains high CBD and low THC, making it a potent medicinal variety. It gained prominence as a result of its ability to treat Charlotte Figi’s epileptic seizures. It was so successful that Charlotte became the poster child for the benefits of medical marijuana.

Cheech and Chong: The original theatrical stoners, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong created some of the greatest stoner movies of the late 70s and early 80s. Up In Smoke is their most famous movie.

Chronic: Slang for high quality cannabis.

Concentrates: A variety of products including Budder, honey oil, live resin, shatter, taffy and wax which are commercially extracted from cannabis. As the name implies, concentrates provide a stronger dosage of cannabis in a smaller package. They are especially valuable for people whose increased tolerance has caused traditional cannabis products to lose impact over time.

Cultivar: A strain that has been developed by selective breeding with other strains is called a cultivar. Selective breeding is undertaken to create desirable characteristics like smell, flavor and chemical profile.

Dab: Slang for hash oil, a resin extracted from cannabis.

Dank: Slang for weed of the highest quality. Typically sticky, very potent and strong smelling.

 

Delta-8 THC: Delta 8 THC has a weaker bond to the body’s CB1 receptors than the Delta-9 variety, making it less psychoactive.

Delta-9 THC: Delta-9 has a stronger bond to the body’s CB1 receptors, making it more psychoactive than its Delta-8 counterpart

Distillate: An oil distilled from the cannabis plant, that is generally thick and amber in color. As it purifies cannabis down to its most basic compounds, generally either THC or CBD, it removes the impurities and focuses on the benefit profile of a single cannabinoid.

Ditch Weed: A term for low quality cannabis. While it generally refers to naturally occurring cannabis that grows in the wild, it also is used to describe commercial product that is poorly cultivated.

Doobie: A classic term for a marijuana cigarette.

Edible: Any food or drink that contains cannabis.

Eighth: Short for ⅛ of an ounce, or 3.5 grams, its a standard order size for marajuana flower.

Endocannabinoid System: The system of receptors in the brain and nervous system that interact with cannabinoids as they are introduced to the body.

Extract: The act of using cannabis resin to make edible products or concentrates.

Flavonoids: A lesser-studied class of compounds that provide therapeutic value through interaction with the body’s endocannabinoid system.

Flower: The part of the cannabis plant that contains the beneficial properties.

Ganja: Hindu word for cannabis.

Hash: Shortened name for hashish, which is a compressed cannabis resin.

Head Shop: A store that features paraphernalia for cannabis consumption, such as pipes, bongs, and one hitters.

Hemp: A variety of the cannabis plant that generally is lower in THC and higher in CBD than marijuana. Due to its decreased psychoactive properties, hemp based cannabis products have been largely legalized since 2018.

Homegrown: Cannabis that is cultivated at home for personal use.

Hookah: A traditional water pipe from the Indian subcontinent. Can contain a single or multiple pipes for shared consumption.

Hot Box: Slang for smoking cannabis is a confined space to multiply the impact.

How Dank That Weed: A saying used when a person does a classic stoner move, like having food in both hands or buying a box of cookie brownie mix from the store. 

Hydroponic: Cannabis that is grown in a nutrient rich water solution rather than soil. The case for hydroponic cannabis is that it grows faster, can absorb nutrients more readily and potentially provides increased yields.

Industrial Hemp: The use of hemp to create non-psychoactive products. In 1937, the federal government passed the Marijuana Tax Act to slow the growth of hemp as a replacement for paper and fabric. The bill was pushed by several well-known industrialists who feared hemp could upset their existing business interests.

Indica: With Ruderalis and Sartiva, one of the three main species of cannabis. A short, stocky cannabis species with deep green leaves that has a short flowering cycle and grows well in climates where short growing seasons occur.

Joint (or simply J): Slang for a marijuana cigarette

Kief: The shake of crystallized trichomes that come off cured cannabis flower.

Kind: Another slang term for high quality cannabis.

Kush: An indica varietal that comes from strains with origins in the Kush region of Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. The various members of the kush family are characterized by their heavily sedative yet euphoric effects.

Lid: A measure of cannabis quantity that is rather imprecise. Generally between an ounce and an ounce and a half, it got its name from the amount that filled a shoe box lid.

Live Resin: Resin that is extracted through freezing rather than dehydrating.

Ma: Chinese name for marijuana.

Magic brownie: Slang name for a brownie infused with cannabis.

Mary Jane: More slang for marijuana

Medical Cannabis: A variety of cannabis products that have been approved only for medical use with a prescription from a doctor.

Mota: Spanish slang for cannabis.

Munchies: The increased appetite that comes with the consumption of some cannabis products.

Narc: Slang or an undercover narcotics agent or police informant.

Nixon: Slang for low quality cannabis products that are sold as high quality. Also the president who launched the war on drugs.

NORML: National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. A non-profit organization that has been fighting for cannabis rights since the start of the war on drugs. Was founded with help from a grant from the Playboy Foundation.

Nug: Slang for a high quality cannabis bud.

One hitter: A pipe for smoking cannabis.

Pakalolo: Hawaiian slang for cannabis.

Paraphernalia: Anything needed to properly participate in cannabis culture, including items used to grow, consume and/or conceal the use of cannabis.

Popcorn: Slang for the smaller buds that grow lower on the plant, and sell at a discounted price compared to the top branch stuff. Popcorn is best for individual joints and cooking edibles.

Pot: Slang for cannabis.

Potiguaya: Spanish term for cannabis. Possible inspiration for the previous term.

Preroll: Term for a joint you buy already rolled up.

Reefer: Slang for cannabis, possibly derived from the rolling of a canvas sail on a sailboat, which is called reefing.

Reefer Madness: A classic propaganda film that was created in 1936 to warn kids about the murderous psychosis brought about by marijuana use. It has gained cult status, as is proven out by the fact that 20th Century Fox colorized and re-released the movie in 2004 and a musical version was broadcast on television a year later.

Roach: The remains of a joint or blunt after its been consumed.

Roach clip: A device used to hold a roach while it is still being consumed.

Rolling paper: The paper used to roll a joint.

Ruderalis: With Indica and Sativa, one of the three most popular species of the cannabis genus with plants that are identified by their short, sparsely branched stalks and narrow leaves. The ruderalis strain is autoflowering, meaning it flowers based on age rather than ambient light cycles. As such, the plants can reach maturity in as little as ten weeks.

Sativa: With Indica and Ruderalis, a subspecies of cannabis that has a longer flowering cycle, and grows better in warm climates. Known for being taller and lighter green than its indica counterpart.

 

Shake: The three basic types of cannabis flower are full-size buds, smaller popcorn buds and then the remaining stuff, which is just called shake.

Shatter: A brittle extracted cannabis concentrate that breaks like glass.

Sinsemilla: Slang for high quality dried cannabis. Derived from the Spanish for without seed.

Skunk: A cannabis hybrid known for its pungent odor when smoked.

Spliff: Slang for a marijuana cigarette

Terpenes: The organic compounds in the cannabis trichomes that give it its fragrance.

THC: The abbreviated version of Tetrahydrocannabinol, is the most prominent among the nearly 100 cannabinoids found in cannabis. THC is known to provide the psychoactive effects that people generally associate with the high that comes with cannabis consumption. The second most prominent cannabinoid, CBD, provides less psychoactive and more medicinal benefits.

Tincture: An extract created by adding cannabis concentrate to alcohol or oils.

Toke: Slang for taking a puff of cannabis.

Topicals: These are creams and lotions that are infused with cannabis and applied to the skin directly. They generally help with sore muscles, inflammation and local pain management.

Trichomes: The structure that gives the cannabis leaf a powdery look. The trichomes contain most of the psychoactive THC.

Trimmigrant: A migrant worker who works in the cannabis fields, often as a bud trimmer.

Vape: A method of consuming cannabis by vaporizing either flower or extract.

Wake and Bake: The habit of making cannabis an early part of one’s morning routine.

Wax: A form of extracted cannabis

Weed: Slang for cannabis.

White Widow: A hybrid of Brazilian sativa and Indian indica varieties of cannabis that has buds covered in white colored resin crystals