Weed Slang – Words & Phrases to Know

The world of weed is a vast and dense place, and if you’re new to cannabis, finding the right strain or even simply trying to understand weed slang can be a daunting task. 

Funny-sounding weed slang may whiz by or fly over your head, leaving you in the dust without a clue of what a particular term actually meant. Although the lingo of the cannabis community can be pretty funky, most of the terms and phrases are relatively easy to understand and have some rhyme and reason behind them.

So, to help you become more familiar with common slang terms in the world of weed, we’re going to be taking a deep dive into some of the most used and popular weed slang to date. 

Let’s get started!

Weed Slang Terms For Cannabis Flower

Gram

A gram is a basic weed measurement term used for weighing cannabis. Most cannabis sold at dispensaries or online is measured in the form of grams or ounces.

Eighth

Similar to grams, eighths are also used to measure the amount of cannabis. An eighth is equal to ⅛ ounces, which is equal to approximately 3.5 grams.

Quad

A ‘quad’ is a quarter of an ounce or 2 eighths. More specifically, a quad is equal to roughly 7 grams.

Chronic

Although ‘chronic’ shares the name of a strain of bud, when used to describe weed on the West Coast, tokers sometimes use the term in the context of describing some incredibly potent marijuana. 

Alternatively, on the East Coast, chronic may refer to marijuana laced with cocaine.

Sticky Icky

‘Sticky icky’ is a slang term that refers to the stickiness of the trichomes on some high-quality weed strains. 

Generally speaking, the more trichomes a batch of cannabis has, the more potent it is and the higher the quality.

Bud

A ‘bud’ is the smoke-able part of the cannabis plant. Buds are the cannabis plant’s flowering parts typically covered with trichomes containing large amounts of cannabinoids.

Nug

A ‘nug’ of weed simply refers to premium cannabis. 

Nugs are the flowering buds located at the top of the cannabis plant, which is considered home to the most cannabinoid-rich nugs of weed.

Devil’s Lettuce

‘Devil’s Lettuce’ is a blanket term used to refer to marijuana in a general sense. It’s usually used humorously in a light-hearted fashion.

Ganja

‘Ganja’ is another term for marijuana with roots in Indian culture and the Hindu religion. 

Ganja is one of the oldest English slang terms for marijuana and is by far the most common slang term for it in Jamaica.

Green

‘Green’ is yet another term for high-quality marijuana. 

Many people usually refer to high-quality weed as green due to the rich and lustrous hues found in premium batches.

Dank

Formally used to describe wet, musty, and generally unpleasant places, in the world of weed, ‘dank’ is actually used to describe high harvests of cannabis. 

Lower-quality weed is dry to the touch and will irritate the throat when smoked. On the other hand, dank weed has a touch of stickiness and moisture to it, making for some smooth smoking.

Ditch Weed

In contrast to dank weed, ‘ditch weed’ is used to describe lower quality batches of cannabis known to grow in the wild with little to no THC. 

Ditch weed is also commonly used to describe bad weed in general.

Weed Slang Terms For Cannabis Concentrates

Dab

A ‘dab’ can refer to any type of cannabis concentrate that is being prepared for dabbing or a hit of the concentrate itself.

710

‘710’ refers to July 10th and all things oil and cannabis concentrate like shatter, wax, and even budder. 

Funny enough, 710 turned upside down actually looks like the word oil.

Terps

‘Terps’ is the short version of terpenes, the compounds in cannabis responsible for its taste and smell.

Solvents

Solvents refer to the chemicals used to extract the trichomes from the cannabis plant. 

Some of the most common solvents include butane, propane, and carbon dioxide.

Distillates

Distillates refer to highly pure forms of cannabis concentrates that have undergone distillation and have achieved near-complete purity of THCA.

Shatter

‘Shatter’ is a solid type of cannabis concentrate known for its brittle texture and tendency to shatter when handled roughly. 

Shatter is often golden in colour, transparent, and is usually made in large sheets, which are later broken up into smaller pieces.

Live Resin

Live resin is another type of cannabis concentrate extracted from fresh cannabis plants that have not yet been cured. 

Live resin is well known for having both a rich terpene profile and solid cannabinoid composition, giving it similar qualities to a live cannabis plant.

Hash

‘Hash’ is essentially the short version of ‘hashish,’ one of the oldest types of cannabis concentrates.  

Hash is often made by rubbing the buds of cannabis plants together with the palms of the hands until the resin is transferred to the hands and packed together.

Butane Hash Oil

Also called BHO for short, this type of cannabis concentrate is a golden liquid that is higher in terpenes than most other concentrates.

Globs

‘Globs’ refer to large dabs. 

By definition, any type of dab that is more than 0.25g is considered a glob.

What Slang Terms For Cannabis Culture

Joint

A joint is a hand-rolled weed cigarette made from hemp paper, rice paper, or anything in between. 

A typical joint includes a filter at the tip to prevent any weed from entering the lungs. A joint is the most common type of marijuana cigarette currently available.

Blunt

A ‘blunt’ is basically a marijuana cigar. 

A blunt is often made with large amounts of cannabis wrapped in tobacco leaves.

Spliff

The term ‘spliff’ is derived from “split the difference” and is a hybrid version of a joint containing a little bit of Mary Jane and a little bit of tobacco. 

Smoking spliffs often leads to a pleasant high and a head rush from the tobacco.

Toke

To take a hit or to consume some weed.

Twax Joint

A ‘Twax Joint’ is a high-powered joint made with fresh bud and a bit of butane hash oil to give it some extra strength.

Stoned

Being stoned refers to the state of being really high, usually to the point where movement or physical activity is out of the question.

The Munchies

The munchies is a common weed slang term that refers to the intense hunger that comes as a package deal with the high that cannabis produces.

Puff Puff Pass

As the name suggests, when smoking in groups, ‘puff puff pass’ refers to users taking two tokes and then passing the joint to the next person.

Sesh

A ‘sesh’ is a shorter term for a smoke session, usually used in a group context.

In other words, if someone asks you to sesh, they’re asking you to smoke.

420

Of course, we saved the best for last. 

420 refers to April 20th, the international weed-smoking day where cannabis enthusiasts unite to exhale a massive cloud of smoke at precisely 4:20 PM on the 20th of April.

Sometimes, the word ‘friendly,’ is tacked on the end of it to imply that a space or venue permits smoking weed. 

Weed Slang – The More the Merrier

The world of weed is filled with fun and interesting slang with a ton of varied uses and applications. 

With a basic understanding of some of the most commonly used slang terms, you should be on your way to successfully interacting with cannabis pros in no time!

That said, coming into contact with words or phrases that you don’t recognize is part of the overall cannabis culture experience. Some slang terms are generational, so even the most seasoned tokers might not know exactly what younger smokers are talking about! 

Weed slang is yet another element that brings the community together over a shared love of cannabis and can be used to add personalization to the overall experience. 

So, in that sense, the more slang terms, the merrier. 

Happy toking!