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āĻ•ā§āϝāĻžāύāĻžāĻŦāĻŋāϏ āĻ¸ā§āĻ˛ā§āϝāĻžāĻ‚ āĻ…āĻ­āĻŋāϧāĻžāύ: 100+ āĻĒāĻĻ āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋāϟāĻŋ āϧ⧂āĻŽāĻĒāĻžāϝāĻŧā§€āϰ āϜāĻžāύāĻž āωāϚāĻŋāϤ
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āĻ•ā§āϝāĻžāύāĻžāĻŦāĻŋāϏ āĻ¸ā§āĻ˛ā§āϝāĻžāĻ‚ āĻ…āĻ­āĻŋāϧāĻžāύ: 100+ āĻĒāĻĻ āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋāϟāĻŋ āϧ⧂āĻŽāĻĒāĻžāϝāĻŧā§€āϰ āϜāĻžāύāĻž āωāϚāĻŋāϤ

8 min readUpdated: ā§§ā§Ļ āĻĄāĻŋāϏ⧇, ⧍ā§Ļ⧍ā§Ģ
James Wilson

James Wilson

Cannabis Culture Writer

āĻ•ā§āϝāĻžāύāĻžāĻŦāĻŋāϏ āĻ¸ā§āĻ˛ā§āϝāĻžāĻ‚ āĻ…āĻ­āĻŋāϧāĻžāύ: 100+ āĻĒāĻĻ āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋāϟāĻŋ āϧ⧂āĻŽāĻĒāĻžāϝāĻŧā§€āϰ āϜāĻžāύāĻž āωāϚāĻŋāϤ

āĻ•āϝāĻŧ⧇āĻ• āĻĻāĻļāĻ• āϧāϰ⧇ āĻ­ā§‚āĻ—āĻ°ā§āĻ­āĻ¸ā§āĻĨ āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰ āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ āĻŽā§‚āϞāϧāĻžāϰāĻžāϰ āĻ—ā§āϰāĻšāĻŖāϝ⧋āĻ—ā§āϝāϤāĻžāϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝ āĻ—āĻžāρāϜāĻž āϏāĻ‚āĻ¸ā§āĻ•ā§ƒāϤāĻŋ āϤāĻžāϰ āύāĻŋāϜāĻ¸ā§āĻŦ āϏāĻŽā§ƒāĻĻā§āϧ āĻļāĻŦā§āĻĻāĻ­āĻžāĻŖā§āĻĄāĻžāϰ āϤ⧈āϰāĻŋ āĻ•āϰ⧇āϛ⧇āĨ¤ āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻ—āĻžāρāϜāĻžāϤ⧇ āύāϤ⧁āύ āĻ•āĻŋāύāĻž āĻŦāĻž āϞ⧋āϕ⧇āϰāĻž āϕ⧀ āĻŦāĻŋāώāϝāĻŧ⧇ āĻ•āĻĨāĻž āĻŦāϞāϛ⧇ āϤāĻž āĻŦ⧁āĻāϤ⧇ āϚāĻžāύ, āĻāχ āĻŦā§āϝāĻžāĻĒāĻ• āĻ¸ā§āĻ˛ā§āϝāĻžāĻ‚ āĻ…āĻ­āĻŋāϧāĻžāύāϟāĻŋ āφāĻĒāύāĻžāϰ āϜāĻžāύāĻž āĻĻāϰāĻ•āĻžāϰ āĻāĻŽāύ āĻļāĻ°ā§āϤāϗ⧁āϞāĻŋāϕ⧇ āĻ•āĻ­āĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰ⧇⧎

āĻĻā§āϰ⧁āϤ āωāĻ¤ā§āϤāϰ

āĻ—āĻžāρāϜāĻžāϰ āĻ…āĻĒāĻŦāĻžāĻĻ āĻ…āĻ¨ā§āϤāĻ°ā§āϭ⧁āĻ•ā§āϤ āĻ•āϰ⧇ āĻļāϤ āĻļāϤ āĻĒāĻĻ āϝāĻž āωāĻĻā§āĻ­āĻŋāĻĻāϕ⧇āχ āĻĸ⧇āϕ⧇ āϰāĻžāϖ⧇ (āφāĻ—āĻžāĻ›āĻž, āϕ⧁āρāĻĄāĻŧāĻŋ, āĻĢ⧁āϞ, āϭ⧇āώāϜ), āĻ–āĻžāĻ“āϝāĻŧāĻžāϰ āĻĒāĻĻā§āϧāϤāĻŋ (āĻŦā§āϞ⧇āϜ, āĻĒā§āϰāϧāĻžāύ, āĻŸā§‹āĻ•), āĻĒā§āϰāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ (āĻŦ⧇āĻ•āĻĄ, āϜ⧁āĻŸā§‡āĻĄ, āĻĢ⧇āχāĻĄ), āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ āϏāĻ‚āĻ¸ā§āĻ•ā§ƒāϤāĻŋ (420, āϏ⧇āĻļ, āĻĄā§āϝāĻžāĻ™ā§āĻ•)āĨ¤ āĻŦ⧇āĻļāĻŋāϰāĻ­āĻžāĻ— āĻĒāĻĻ⧇āϰ āωāĻĻā§āĻ­āĻŦ āĻšāϝāĻŧ āĻĒāĻžāĻ˛ā§āϟāĻž-āϏāĻ‚āĻ¸ā§āĻ•ā§ƒāϤāĻŋ āφāĻ¨ā§āĻĻā§‹āϞāύ⧇ āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ āĻ…āĻžā§āϚāϞ, āĻĒā§āϰāϜāĻ¨ā§āĻŽ āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒā§āϰāĻĻāĻžāϝāĻŧ āĻ…āύ⧁āϏāĻžāϰ⧇ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻŦāĻ°ā§āϤāĻŋāϤ āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤


āĻ—āĻžāρāϜāĻžāϰ āύāĻžāĻŽ (āωāĻĻā§āĻ­āĻŋāĻĻ āύāĻŋāĻœā§‡āχ)

āϏāĻžāϧāĻžāϰāĻŖ āĻļāĻ°ā§āϤāĻžāĻŦāϞ⧀

Weed - The most universal term for cannabis in modern usage

Marijuana - Originally a Mexican Spanish term, now the legal/formal name in many jurisdictions

Cannabis - The scientific genus name, increasingly used as neutral terminology

Pot - Classic American slang from the 1930s-40s, derived from "potiguaya" (cannabis wine)

Bud - Refers to the flower/smokeable part of the plant

Flower - Industry term for smokeable cannabis (as opposed to concentrates)

Herb - Reggae/Rastafarian-influenced term, emphasizes natural origins

Ganja - From Hindi/Sanskrit, popularized through Jamaican culture

Mary Jane - Playful personification, wordplay on "marijuana"

Grass - 1960s-70s term, still used by older generations

Dope - Can mean cannabis or other drugs depending on region/context

Chronic - High-quality cannabis, popularized by Dr. Dre's 1992 album

āφāĻ āĻžāϞ⧋ icky - Very resinous, high-quality cannabis (Snoop Dogg reference)

āφāĻžā§āϚāϞāĻŋāĻ•/āϏāĻžāĻ‚āĻ¸ā§āĻ•ā§ƒāϤāĻŋāĻ• āĻļāĻ°ā§āϤāĻžāĻŦāϞ⧀

Pakalolo - Hawaiian slang for cannabis

Mota - Mexican Spanish slang

Dagga - South African term

Bhang - Traditional Indian cannabis preparation

Sensimilla - Seedless female cannabis (from Spanish "sin semilla")


āĻŽāĻžāύ⧇āϰ āĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻŖāύāĻžāĻ•āĻžāϰ⧀

āωāĻšā§āϚ āĻŽāĻžāύ⧇āϰ

Dank - Excellent, high-quality cannabis with strong smell

Fire - Top-tier quality, exceptional potency

Gas - Very strong-smelling, potent cannabis

Loud - Cannabis with overwhelming aroma (you can smell it through the bag)

Top-shelf - Dispensary term for premium products

Headies - High-grade cannabis (vs. mids or regs)

Zaza - Modern slang for exotic, high-end strains

Exotics - Rare, premium strains

Pressure - High-quality, potent cannabis

Heat - Very good cannabis

āύāĻŋāĻŽā§āύāĻŽāĻžāύ⧇āϰ

Mids - Medium quality, average cannabis

āϰ⧇āĻ—āĻŋ/āϰ⧇āĻ—āϏ - Low-quality, regular cannabis

Schwag - Very low quality, often seedy/stemmy

Brick weed - Compressed, imported low-quality cannabis

Ditch weed - Wild, uncultivated, low-potency cannabis

Bammer - Low-grade cannabis (Bay Area term)


āĻ­ā§‹āĻ— āĻ•āĻ°ā§āĻŽ

Smoking

Blaze - To smoke cannabis ("Let's blaze")

Burn - To smoke ("Want to burn one?")

Toke - To inhale cannabis smoke

āĻĒā§āϰāϧāĻžāύ/āĻĒā§āϰāϧāĻžāύ - To smoke, or to hog the joint

Spark - To light up ("Spark that joint")

Light up - To begin smoking

Torch - To light, especially a bowl or bong

āĻ¸ā§āĻŽā§‹āĻ• āφāωāϟ/āφāĻĒ - To share cannabis with someone

Puff - A single inhalation

Hit - A single inhalation, also the act of smoking

Rip - A strong inhalation, especially from a bong

āϏ⧇āĻļāύ/āϏ⧇āĻļ - A smoking gathering or period

āϏāĻžāχāĻĢāĻžāϰ/āϏāĻžāχāĻĢāĻžāϰ - A smoking circle (hip-hop origin)

Vaping

Vape - To use a vaporizer

Dab - To vaporize concentrates

Cart - Vape cartridge

Pen - Vape pen device

Rip - Also applies to dab hits


Being High

āύ⧇āĻļāĻžāϰ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¤ā§āϰāĻž

High - Basic state of cannabis intoxication

Stoned - Heavily intoxicated, usually with body effects

Baked - Very high, often implying couch-lock

Zooted - Extremely high

Faded - High, sometimes implying tired/relaxed

Lit - High, also means exciting/fun

Blazed - Very high (from blazing)

Toasted - Moderately to very high

Cooked - Heavily intoxicated

Fried - Very high, sometimes implying confusion

Geeked - Highly intoxicated, energetic

Elevated - High (dispensary-friendly term)

Medicated - High (medical cannabis term)

Lifted - Pleasantly high

Buzzed - Mildly high

Gone - Extremely high, out of it

āύ⧇āϤāĻŋāĻŦāĻžāϚāĻ• āĻ…āĻ­āĻŋāĻœā§āĻžāϤāĻž

āϏāĻŦ⧁āϜ āφāωāϟ - Overconsumption, feeling sick/anxious

Whitey - Same as greened out, UK term

Paranoid - Anxiety from too much cannabis

āϏ⧋āĻĢāĻž-āĻ˜ā§‡āϰāĻž - So high you can't move

Zoned - Spaced out, disconnected


āϏāϰāĻžā§āϜāĻžāĻŽ āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ āφāύ⧁āώāĻžāĻ™ā§āĻ—āĻŋāĻ•

Rolling

Joint - Cannabis rolled in paper

Spliff - Joint mixed with tobacco (UK) or just a joint (US)

Blunt - Cannabis rolled in tobacco leaf or wrap

Doobie - Older term for joint

J - Short for joint

Fatty - Large joint

Pinner - Thin joint

L - Joint (or blunt, regional)

Roach - The remaining end of a smoked joint

Clip - Roach clip/holder

Crutch - Filter tip for joints

Papers - Rolling papers

Pipes and Devices

Piece - Any smoking device (pipe, bong, etc.)

Bowl - Pipe for smoking, or the bowl part of a bong

Spoon - Spoon-shaped pipe

Bong - Water pipe for smoking

Bubbler - Small water pipe

Rig - Dab rig for concentrates

Nail - Heating element for dab rig

Banger - Type of nail for dabbing

Chillum - Straight tube pipe

One-hitter - Small pipe for single hits

Dugout - Carrying case with one-hitter

Steamroller - Cylindrical pipe with open ends

Grinders and Storage

Grinder - Device for breaking up cannabis

Kief catcher - Grinder compartment that collects kief

Stash - Personal cannabis supply

Stash jar - Storage container


Parts of the Plant

Nug - Individual flower cluster

Cola - Main flower cluster at top of plant

Kief - Trichome dust, very potent

Trichomes - Crystal-like structures containing cannabinoids

Shake - Loose cannabis bits from the bottom of the bag

Trim - Leaves trimmed from buds

Sugar leaves - Small leaves within the bud

Stem - Plant stem (unsmokeable)

Seed - Cannabis seed (undesirable in smokeable cannabis)


Concentrates and Extracts

Dabs - General term for concentrates meant for vaporizing

Wax - Soft, waxy concentrate

Shatter - Hard, glass-like concentrate

Budder/Badder - Creamy, butter-like concentrate

Live resin - Concentrate from fresh-frozen plants

Rosin - Solventless concentrate made with heat and pressure

Hash/Hashish - Pressed trichome concentrate, traditional

Oil - Cannabis oil, various types

Distillate - Highly refined cannabis oil

Diamonds - THCA crystals, very potent

Sauce - Terpene-rich concentrate with crystals

RSO - Rick Simpson Oil, full-extract cannabis oil

BHO - Butane Hash Oil


Strain and Effect Types

Indica - Strain type associated with relaxing, body effects ("in-da-couch")

Sativa - Strain type associated with energizing, head effects

Hybrid - Mix of indica and sativa genetics

Landrace - Original, indigenous cannabis strains

Phenotype/Pheno - Specific expression of a strain's genetics

Terps/Terpenes - Aromatic compounds affecting flavor and effects

CBD - Cannabidiol, non-intoxicating cannabinoid

THC - Tetrahydrocannabinol, primary psychoactive cannabinoid

Full-spectrum - Contains all plant compounds

Broad-spectrum - Contains multiple cannabinoids, no THC

Entourage effect - Synergistic effect of multiple cannabinoids


Social and Cultural Terms

420 - Universal cannabis culture reference (see our full history guide)

Sesh - Smoking session with others

Circle - Group smoking arrangement

Rotation - Order of passing in a smoking circle

Puff-puff-pass - Two hits then pass to next person

Bogart - Hogging the joint, not passing

Greens - First hit from a fresh bowl

Corner - Lighting only part of the bowl to share greens

Cash/Cashed - Bowl is finished, nothing left to smoke

Snaps - Small, single-hit bowl packs

Scooby snacks - Plant matter inhaled through pipe

Smoke out - To share your cannabis with others

Match - To contribute equal cannabis

Five on it - Contributing $5 to group purchase

Plug - Cannabis supplier/dealer

Headshop - Store selling smoking accessories

Dispensary - Legal cannabis retail store

Budtender - Dispensary employee


Growing Terms

Grow - Cannabis cultivation operation

Indoor/Outdoor - Cultivation environment

Greenhouse - Hybrid indoor/outdoor growing

Hydro - Hydroponically grown cannabis

Organic - Grown without synthetic nutrients/pesticides

Clone - Plant cutting for propagation

Mother plant - Plant kept for taking clones

Veg/Vegetative - Growth stage before flowering

Flower - Growth stage when buds develop

Harvest - Collecting mature cannabis

Cure - Post-harvest drying and aging process

Trimming - Removing leaves from harvested buds


Legal state - State with recreational cannabis

Medical - Relating to medical cannabis programs

Rec - Recreational cannabis

Adult-use - Industry term for recreational

Black market - Illegal cannabis sales

Grey market - Semi-legal or unregulated sales

Eighth - 3.5 grams (1/8 ounce)

Quarter - 7 grams (1/4 ounce)

Half - 14 grams (1/2 ounce)

Zip - One ounce (28 grams)

QP - Quarter pound (4 ounces)

Dime bag - $10 worth of cannabis

Dub - $20 worth of cannabis

Nick - $5 worth of cannabis (rare now)


Generation and Regional Variations

Generational Shifts

Older terms (1960s-80s): Grass, pot, reefer, dope, Mary Jane, tea

1990s-2000s: Chronic, sticky icky, herb, trees

Modern terms: Gas, loud, zaza, pressure, exotic

Regional Differences

West Coast: Gas, dank, fire, exotic

East Coast: Loud, pressure, za

UK: Spliff (pure cannabis), zoot, draw

Jamaica: Ganja, herb, sensimilla

Australia: Choof, mull, yarndi


Summary

Cannabis slang is constantly evolving as the culture grows and changes. What started as coded language to avoid detection has become a rich vocabulary that connects cannabis users worldwide.

Key takeaways:

  • Most slang has regional and generational variations
  • Quality terms (dank, loud, gas) indicate premium cannabis
  • Effect terms describe different levels of intoxication
  • Equipment terms help you understand gear and methods
  • Cultural terms facilitate social smoking experiences

Understanding this vocabulary helps you communicate in cannabis culture, whether you're at a dispensary, in a smoking circle, or just reading about cannabis online.


This guide is for educational purposes. Cannabis laws vary by jurisdiction.

Frequently Asked Questions

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