Cannabis has developed one of the richest vernacular vocabularies of any subculture. Some terms are centuries old (hashish, ganja, bhang). Others were coined in dispensary backrooms within the last few years (terp slurp, boof, zaza). And some perfectly normal words (flower, concentrate, session) have cannabis-specific meanings that confuse newcomers.

This glossary covers the terms you will actually encounter — at dispensaries, in product reviews, in strain descriptions, and in cannabis culture. It is organized by category rather than alphabetically, so you can learn the terminology for each domain together.

Measurement and Quantity

Eighth (⅛): 3.5 grams of cannabis flower. The most common retail unit. Sometimes called a “slice” or “half quarter.”

Quarter (¼): 7 grams. Two eighths.

Half (½): 14 grams. Half an ounce.

Zip / Oz: One ounce, 28 grams. The term “zip” comes from a ziplock bag, which traditionally held an ounce. The maximum legal personal possession amount in most states.

QP: Quarter pound, 112 grams. Not a retail unit — this is wholesale terminology.

Dime bag: Historically, $10 worth of cannabis. The amount varied by market and era but was typically 0.5–1 gram. Largely obsolete in legal markets.

Dub: $20 worth of cannabis. Like the dime bag, a relic of pre-legalization pricing.

Nick: $5 worth. The smallest pre-legalization purchase unit.

Lid: An archaic measurement from the 1960s–70s, roughly one ounce, though the actual amount was famously inconsistent.

Flower and Plant Terms

Flower / Bud / Nug: The dried, trimmed female cannabis inflorescence — the part you smoke. “Nug” specifically refers to a dense, well-formed individual bud.

Cola: The main flower cluster at the top of a cannabis plant branch. The largest, densest colas are at the apex of the plant.

Popcorn nugs: Small, airy buds from lower branches that did not receive enough light to develop full density. Typically sold at a discount.

Shake: Small fragments that break off larger buds during handling. Quality varies enormously — can be almost as good as the parent flower or mostly leaf material.

Trim / Sugar leaf: The small, trichome-covered leaves trimmed from buds during manicuring. Contains cannabinoids but less than flower. Used for extracts, edibles, and pre-rolls.

Larf / Larfy: Loose, airy, poorly developed buds. The opposite of dense, well-grown flower. Larfy buds come from light-deprived lower branches or poorly grown plants.

Dank: High-quality cannabis with strong aroma, dense trichome coverage, and potent effects. Originally counterculture slang, now mainstream dispensary marketing language.

Mids: Mid-grade cannabis. Decent but not exceptional quality. The middle ground between schwag and top-shelf.

Schwag / Reggie / Brick weed: Low-quality, typically imported cannabis. Often compressed into bricks for transport, resulting in brown color, seed content, and harsh smoke. Largely disappeared from legal markets.

Zaza / Za: Very high-quality, exotic cannabis. Slang popularized in the 2020s, often referring to rare or designer strains.

Gas: Potent cannabis with a strong fuel-like (terpene-heavy) aroma. Can also mean simply “very good.”

Loud: Cannabis with an extremely strong odor. Implies high quality — you can smell it through the packaging.

Exotic / Exotics: Rare, designer, or especially high-quality strains. In some markets, “exotic” implies out-of-state origin (which is technically illegal interstate commerce).

Headstash: The grower’s personal reserve — the best buds kept for personal use rather than sold.

Consumption Methods

Joint: Ground cannabis rolled in thin paper. The most iconic consumption method.

Blunt: Cannabis rolled in a tobacco leaf wrapper (often a cigar wrap). Larger than a joint, the tobacco wrap adds nicotine.

Spliff: A joint containing a mixture of cannabis and tobacco. Common in Europe, less so in the US.

Bong / Water pipe: A glass, silicone, or acrylic device that filters smoke through water before inhalation. Cools the smoke and removes some particulates.

Bowl / Pipe: A small hand-held device for smoking cannabis. “Pack a bowl” means to load the pipe with ground flower.

One-hitter / Chillum / Bat: A small, straight pipe designed for a single hit. Often disguised as a cigarette and stored in a “dugout” (a small case with a compartment for ground flower).

Dab / Dabbing: Inhaling vaporized cannabis concentrate from a heated surface (usually a quartz “banger” attached to a glass rig). Produces intense effects due to high concentrate potency.

Rig / Dab rig: The glass device used for dabbing. Similar to a bong but designed for concentrate vaporization rather than flower combustion.

Banger: The quartz (or titanium, ceramic) nail attached to a dab rig where concentrate is vaporized. Heated with a torch or electronic heating element (e-nail).

Carb cap: A lid placed over a banger after loading concentrate. Restricts airflow to lower the vaporization temperature, producing more flavorful hits.

Terp slurp: A specialized banger design with multiple holes that create turbulence, improving vaporization efficiency and flavor for low-temperature dabs.

Session: A social cannabis consumption event. “Let’s have a session” means smoking together.

Puff puff pass: The traditional etiquette for sharing a joint — take two hits, then pass to the next person.

Greens / Green hit: The first hit from a freshly packed bowl. Considered the best hit because the surface flower is unburned.

Cashed / Beat / Kicked: A bowl that is fully consumed — only ash remains.

Cherry: The glowing ember in a lit bowl. “It’s cherried” means it is still lit and can be hit without relighting.

Boof: Slang with two meanings: (1) low-quality cannabis (“that’s boof”), or (2) rectal administration (pharmacologically effective but culturally a joke).

Hotbox: Smoking in a sealed space (car, closet, small room) so the smoke fills the enclosure. Wasteful and uncomfortable but culturally persistent.

Concentrate Terms

Wax: A cannabis concentrate with an opaque, waxy texture. Moderate terpene content, easy to handle.

Shatter: A translucent, glass-like concentrate that “shatters” when broken. High purity, low terpene retention.

Budder / Badder / Batter: Concentrates with a creamy, whipped texture. Created by agitating wax during purging. Good terpene retention.

Live resin: Concentrate made from fresh-frozen cannabis (not dried). Preserves the plant’s original terpene profile, producing superior flavor.

Live rosin: Solventless concentrate made by pressing bubble hash from fresh-frozen cannabis. The premium of solventless concentrates — no chemical solvents used at any point.

Diamonds: Crystalline THCA structures that form during concentrate processing. Nearly pure THCA (99%+), typically served in a “terp sauce” of liquid terpenes.

Sauce / Terp sauce: A terpene-rich liquid concentrate, often containing THCA diamonds. Extremely flavorful.

Distillate: Highly refined cannabis oil, typically 85–99% pure THC or CBD. Flavorless and odorless in pure form. The base for most vape cartridges and edibles.

RSO (Rick Simpson Oil): A full-spectrum, high-potency cannabis oil created using ethanol extraction. Originally promoted as a cancer treatment (unverified), now used broadly for high-dose oral consumption.

BHO: Butane hash oil. Concentrate made using butane as a solvent. Must be properly purged to remove residual solvent.

710: “OIL” spelled upside down and reversed. July 10 (7/10) has become the cannabis concentrate holiday, analogous to 4/20 for flower.

Effects and Experience

Head high / Cerebral: Psychoactive effects felt primarily in the mind — euphoria, altered perception, creativity, racing thoughts.

Body high / Body load: Effects felt primarily in the body — relaxation, heaviness, tingling, couch lock.

Couch lock: Extreme physical sedation where you literally cannot motivate yourself to get off the couch. Associated with high-dose indica-dominant strains.

Munchies: THC-induced appetite stimulation. Caused by CB1 receptor activation in the hypothalamus and enhanced olfactory sensitivity.

Cottonmouth / Pasties: Dry mouth caused by THC inhibiting saliva production via submandibular gland CB1 receptors.

Greening out: Overconsumption of cannabis resulting in nausea, dizziness, anxiety, pallor, and sometimes vomiting. Usually resolves within 1–2 hours with rest and hydration.

Paranoia: Anxiety and suspicion induced by excessive THC. More common in high-dose situations and in individuals prone to anxiety.

Tolerance break / T-break: A period of abstaining from cannabis to allow CB1 receptors to return to baseline sensitivity. Typically 2–4 weeks for full receptor recovery.

Crossfaded: Simultaneously intoxicated from both cannabis and alcohol. Generally considered unpleasant and risky — the combination amplifies nausea and disorientation.

Growing Terms

Clone: A genetically identical copy of a cannabis plant, created by cutting a branch and rooting it. Ensures identical genetics to the mother plant.

Phenotype / Pheno: The physical expression of a plant’s genetics. Seeds from the same strain can produce different phenotypes with varying characteristics.

Feminized seeds: Seeds bred to produce only female plants (which produce the cannabinoid-rich flowers). Standard in commercial cultivation.

Autoflower: Cannabis genetics that flower automatically based on age rather than light cycle changes. Easier for beginners but typically lower-yielding.

Photoperiod: Cannabis plants that require a change in light cycle (12 hours light / 12 hours dark) to initiate flowering. Most commercial cannabis is photoperiod.

Flush: Running pure water through a plant’s growing medium before harvest to remove residual nutrients. Believed to improve flavor and smoothness, though scientifically debated.

Cure: The post-harvest process of slowly drying and aging cannabis in sealed containers. Proper curing develops flavor, smoothness, and potency over 2–8 weeks.

Trichomes: The mushroom-shaped resin glands on cannabis flowers that produce cannabinoids and terpenes. Visible as “frost” or “crystals” on quality flower.

Plant-touching: A business that directly handles cannabis (cultivation, manufacturing, retail). Subject to full cannabis licensing and regulation.

Ancillary: A business that serves the cannabis industry without directly handling the plant (technology, marketing, consulting). Not subject to cannabis licensing.

MSO: Multi-state operator. A cannabis company with licenses in multiple states.

Seed-to-sale tracking: The regulatory system that tracks every cannabis plant from cultivation through retail sale. Required in all legal states.

COA (Certificate of Analysis): Lab test results for a specific cannabis product batch, showing cannabinoid potency, terpene profile, and contaminant testing results.

280E: Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code, which prohibits cannabis businesses from deducting normal business expenses for federal taxes. The single largest financial burden on legal cannabis operators.

Social equity: Programs designed to give licensing priority and support to individuals from communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition, particularly communities of color.

4/20: April 20th. The cannabis holiday. Origin debated — most credible theory traces it to a group of high school students in San Rafael, California who met at 4:20 PM to smoke.

This glossary is not exhaustive — cannabis slang evolves constantly, with regional variations and generational differences adding new terms every year. But if you can navigate these 200+ terms, you can walk into any dispensary or cannabis conversation and understand what everyone is talking about.