Understanding Cannabis Basics

Cannabis, a.k.a. marijuana, weed, pot, dope.... the list of stoner cannabis lingo is constantly evolving. There are slang terms that stem from the cannabis plant itself, how it makes you feel, how it's grown, the equipment used, how you consume it and even from its medical uses.

What is Cannabis?

No matter what you want to call the fluffy green flower you smoke, its true scientific name is the cannabis sativa plant. The prevalence of so many different street names is possibly due to the diverse origins, cultural influences, and regional variations in the use of cannabis, as well as the historical context of cannabis prohibition.

The term marijuana is more commonly used throughout the industry and is the spanish term for the dried flower from the plant.

Weed Slang: A Beginner’s Guide

Just like pop, soda, coke, and cola, it comes down to where you're at in the US of A. You hear more people say "pop" in the North compared to "soda" in the South. A lot like you will hear people say "bud" out West and "tree" on the East coast. Then you have terms like ganja which is the common term for cannabis in the Caribbean and Jamaican regions.

Although our geographical location has a major influence as to why we have so many names for cannabis, it's the fact that we wanted to talk about it in a more incognito way that fueled the new lingo. Quite a few major cannabis influencers and celebrities have coined some popular weed slang over the years as well.

• 420: There are a few rumors still floating around about the origins of the number. April 20th is the official "420" holiday that gained popularity by a group of California high schoolers back in the 1970's.

• Chronic: Thanks to Dr.Dre in 1992 naming his album "The Chronic" in reference to high-quality cannabis.

• Dank/Fire/Loud/Gas: Main descriptive words to reference quality cannabis.

• Grass: Used more by the older crowd, started back in the 1960's to describe cannabis in a more casual and laid-back way.

• Kush: The common slang term for cannabis in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan.

• Mary Jane or MJ: A little play on words with the term "marijuana".

• Pot: Believed to originate from the Spanish word "potiguaya," which refers to a mixture of cannabis leaves and stems.

Reefer: Originally used by jazz musicians in the early 1930's and picked up popularity with the hit movie "Reefer Madness" in 1936.

The Cannabis Plant

Cannabis Plant Anatomy

• Flower/Bud/Nug: The reproductive part of a female cannabis plant which contains the highest concentration of cannabinoids.

• Cola: The main, central cluster of buds on a cannabis plant. Resembles a "cola", or large, elongated cluster of flowers.

• Calyx: The part of the flower where the reproductive organs, including the pistils and trichomes, are located.

• Cannabinoids: Cannabis plants contain several beneficial cannabinoids. The most popular being CBD, CBN, CBG, and the OG... THC.

• CBD (Cannabidiol): A healing and non-intoxicating cannabinoid.

• Indica: One of the main categories of cannabis strain that has relaxing and calming effects.

• Kief: The dust that is commonly sifted or found on the bottom of your grinder.

• Pistils: The hair-like structures that emerge from the buds. They can be various colors, such as white, orange, or red, and play a role in the pollination process.

• Sativa: Another main category of cannabis strain that has energizing and uplifting effects.

• Terpenes: Responsible for the smell and flavor of cannabis. Found by the hundreds, terpenes are what give you your psychoactive "high" effects.

• THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol): The main cannabinoid responsible for getting you stoned.

• Trichomes: These tiny suckers are what house the terpenes and cannabinoids on the plant. They are also the main target for extracting concentrates.

• Sugar Leaves: The small, sugar-coated leaves that surround the buds that are covered in trichomes.

Growing Cannabis: A Brief Overview

• Autoflowering: A type of cannabis strain that automatically begins flowering based on age rather than changes in light cycle.

• Cloning: The process of propagating cannabis plants by taking cuttings from a mother plant and encouraging them to develop roots and grow as genetically identical clones.

• Flowering Stage: The stage in which cannabis plants develop and produce flowers (buds) as they transition into the reproductive phase.

• Guerrilla Growing: Cultivating cannabis plants in an outdoor, natural environment, often hidden or camouflaged.

• Hydroponics: Growing cannabis plants in water instead of soil. This method is favored by growers who want the ability to adjust the nutrients taken in by the plant.

• Photoperiod: The light cycle to which cannabis plants are exposed, with specific durations of light and darkness to control their growth stages.

• Scrog (Screen of Green): A method that involves using a screen or netting to train cannabis plants horizontally, maximizing light exposure and promoting an even canopy.

• Vegetative Stage: The initial growth phase of cannabis plants, characterized by the development of leaves and branches, but no flowering.

Slang for Cannabis Quality

Way back in the day before dispensaries were even a glimmer of hope it was quite common to get a bag of sh*tty weed. All brown, dry, musty-smelling weed, and full of stems, which also meant you would have to smoke 10x as much to even feel a buzz. Poor excuses for marijuana typically had the following names.

Cabbage, Boof, Catnip, Ditch weed, Mids, Nixon, Reggie, Schwag, Carpet/Floor weed, and Ouid.

The top-quality, cream of the crop weed is often referred to slang terms like these next few.

Chronic, Dank, Zaza, Fire, Sticky Icky, Jazz Cabbage, Purps, and Kush.

Consuming Cannabis

Smoking Weed: Methods and Effects

Your casual marijuana cigarette has a plethora of alias names typically to describe the look and quality of the rolled up weed. Joint is possibly the most commonly used slang term. From here, we got the terms J, Jay, Jaybird, Jibber, and Doobie. Throughout the industry and in most dispensaries, we tend to call them Prerolls.

A joint has characteristics that give it additional slang terms. Here are a few of the most common.

• Doink: A big joint typically weighing over 2 grams

• Dogwalker: A smaller joint that can be easily smoked during the time it takes to walk your dog. Check out a selection of Infused Baby Jeeters at JARS!

• Pearl: When a joint is rolled to perfection.

• Pregnant: Common for those new to rolling their own joints. Most of the weed is packed in the center of the joint and not evenly distributed.

• Pinner: A very skinny joint.

• Roach: The last few hits of a joint, typically too small to hold between your fingers.

Again, those are just the most common terms used to describe smoking cannabis the OG way, with rolling papers. Here are some slang terms for the other methods of smoking weed.

• Blunt: A cigar that is emptied of its tobacco and filled with ground weed.

• Bong: A glass pipe that is filled with water to cool and filter the smoke you inhale.

• Bowl/Pipe: A handheld piece that is made of glass, metal, or wood and used to smoke dry herb.

• Chillum/One-Hitter: A straight, tube-shaped pipe with a small bowl at one end.

• Spliff: Combining tobacco with marijuana in a joint or blunt.

Due to the fact that marijuana consumption was against the law for almost a century, we couldn't all just walk around talking about smoking weed. Sneaky stoners along with their creativity have brought us some slang ways to say "let's get high"!

• Blaze: The act of smoking weed. Getting blazed or blitzed is also used.

• Burn one: Pretty self explanatory for smoking a joint

• Hotbox: Smoking marijuana in a tight, enclosed area with little airflow. Sometimes used as a way to get stoned from the second-hand smoke.

• Puff, Puff, Pass: The cardinal rule when smoking a joint with friends.

• Shotgun: An act of inhaling cannabis smoke directly from someone else's mouth.

• Toke: To smoke

• Wake and Bake: Some may even throw the "Ricky Bobby" on there to describe getting high first thing in the morning.

Consuming Cannabis: Beyond Smoking

When it comes to the other methods of consuming cannabis it's usually a correlation to what the product looks like or how it is made. Concentrates are the perfect example of this.

• Budder/Badder: Cannabis concentrate that is typically "whipped" during the extraction process. Has a creamy, buttery, consistency and used for dabs.

• Dabs: Cannabis concentrates that are consumed using a dab rig.

• Errl: Just a heavy accent on the word "oil"

• Shatter: Super potent type of contcentrate that is very brittle and looks like glass.

• Wax: A type of concentrate that has a very waxy consistency and used for dabbing.

Cannabis Lifestyle and Etiquette Slang

If someone is considered aStoner, Cannaseur, Wookie, or grows cannabis for a living, they are huge fans of the marijuana plant. So, not only does the entire cannabis community have a dictionary of slang terms, there is a decent-sized list of rules and etiquette. Let's freshen you up on some of them.

• Budiquette: The respect and courtesy expected within the cannabis community, including the things on this list.

• Bogarting: The act of being a bowl or joint hog.

• Canoeing: When a joint or blunt is burning unevenly.

• Cashed: Once the last hit of the bowl is taken.

• Corner the Bowl: A polite way to not torch the entire contents of the bowl in one hit.

• Fish Lips: Has many other names but is the act of taking a slobbery hit. Leaving the next person to take a hit with your saliva all over it. Gross.

• Greens: The very first hit of a freshly packed bowl. An honor to receive.

• Low and Slow: This rule is primary when consuming cannabis edibles. 

• Parking: Forgetting to pass the weed to the next person in rotation.

Breakdown of Weed Measurements

It’s not very likely that you will need to learn a whole batch of new terminology just to purchase some marijuana. All the budtenders at JARS know the lingo but don’t expectyou to conversate using these terms. But, before dispensaries were a thing, we got our cannabis from a plug, someone who sells weed (illegally), and needed to use these terms in order to stay discreet. Here are the common ones that are still used today. 

• Dime Bag: The standard, single-purchase of marijuana. Typically costs $10 for about a half gram of weed.

• Dub Sack or G: The amount you get for just $20. Often over a gram for mid-level cannabis, or a little under a gram for high-quality stuff. 

• Eighth: An eighth of an ounce of weed which equals 3.5 grams.

• Quarter: A quarter of an ounce of weed. Equals 7 grams. 

• Half: If you guessed that this means a half of an ounce of weed… you’re correct! The same as 14 grams. 

• Zip or Oz: One full ounce of marijuana or 28 grams. 

Medical Marijuana and Weed Slang

Medical Marijuana: A Brief Overview

Slang words used in the context of using cannabis for fun or for medical reasons can sometimes be different, reflecting the varying attitudes and intentions behind the use. When people use cannabis for fun, they often use slang that highlights the experience or feelings of using it, like "getting high" or "blazed."

On the other hand, when cannabis is used for medical reasons, the language used might be more formal or direct, focusing on the medical benefits or specific types of cannabis. However, there is a lot of overlap, and as the distinction between using cannabis for fun and for medical reasons becomes less clear, especially in places where cannabis is legal, the differences in slang also become less noticeable.