Learn · Glossary
Every word at the counter, in plain English.
Cannabis has fifty years of slang and ten years of lab vocabulary stacked on top of each other. Here's the whole dictionary — skim it once and nothing a budtender says will ever sound like code again.
- Badder / Budder
- A soft, frosting-textured cannabis concentrate. Potent, flavorful, and dabbed rather than smoked.
- Blunt
- A cigar-style roll using tobacco-leaf or hemp wrap — slower burning and bolder than a paper joint.
- Bud
- The smokable flower of the cannabis plant. What's in every jar on the flower shelf.
- CBD (Cannabidiol)
- A major non-intoxicating cannabinoid. Products list a CBD:THC ratio — the higher the first number, the gentler the experience.
- CBN (Cannabinol)
- A minor cannabinoid that forms as THC ages; often featured in nighttime-oriented products.
- Concentrate
- Any extracted, potent form of cannabis — wax, shatter, badder, rosin, live resin. The strongest lane in the store.
- Couch-lock
- Slang for the deeply settled, immobile-by-choice feeling strong indicas are famous for.
- Cure
- The slow drying process after harvest. A good cure preserves terpenes; a bad one makes flower harsh — smell tells you which.
- Dab
- A single dose of concentrate vaporized on a hot surface. High potency; experienced users' territory.
- Distillate
- Highly refined THC oil with terpenes removed (and often re-added). Common in vapes and edibles; consistent and strong.
- Dispensary
- A state-licensed cannabis retail store. California requires lab testing, seed-to-sale tracking, and 21+ entry (18+ medical).
- Edible
- Cannabis you eat or drink. Slow to start (45 min–2 hrs), long to finish (4–8 hrs) — the format where 'start low' matters most.
- Eighth
- 3.5 grams of flower — an eighth of an ounce, and the standard jar size at every dispensary.
- Entourage effect
- The theory that cannabinoids and terpenes work better together than isolated — why full-spectrum products have fans.
- Flower
- Unprocessed cannabis bud, sold by weight (gram, eighth, quarter, half, ounce). The classic format.
- Full-spectrum
- An extract keeping the plant's whole range of cannabinoids and terpenes rather than isolating THC.
- Hybrid
- A cross of sativa and indica genetics — which is nearly every modern strain. Labeled by its lean: sativa-leaning, indica-leaning or balanced.
- Indica
- The strain lane traditionally described as relaxing and body-forward. Evening territory.
- Kief
- The loose trichome powder that collects at the bottom of a grinder. Sprinkle sparingly — it's concentrated.
- Live resin
- Concentrate extracted from flash-frozen fresh plants, preserving loud, fresh terpenes. Prized for flavor.
- Live rosin
- Solventless concentrate pressed from ice-water hash of fresh-frozen plants. Top of the connoisseur pyramid.
- Mids
- Middle-shelf flower: honest quality at honest prices. Most regulars' daily driver.
- Nug
- A single bud of flower. A jar of dense, frosty nugs is the goal.
- Ounce (Zip)
- 28 grams of flower — the legal daily purchase limit for adults in California.
- Pre-roll
- A ready-rolled joint. Singles, packs, and infused versions (with concentrate added for extra strength).
- Rosin
- Concentrate made with heat and pressure only — no solvents. Clean, flavorful, and priced accordingly.
- Sativa
- The strain lane traditionally described as uplifting and head-forward. Daytime territory.
- Shatter
- A glassy, brittle concentrate. Stable and potent.
- Solventless
- Extracted without chemical solvents (rosin, hash). The 'natural wine' of concentrates.
- Strain
- A named cannabis variety with its own genetics, terpene profile and character — Blue Dream, Gelato, OG Kush.
- Terpenes
- The aromatic oils that give each strain its smell and much of its character. See our full terpene guide.
- THC
- Tetrahydrocannabinol — the plant's main intoxicating cannabinoid. The % on the label sets intensity; terpenes shape the ride.
- Tincture
- Liquid cannabis taken by drops under the tongue. Precise dosing, faster than edibles, no smoke.
- Topical
- Lotions and balms applied to skin. Non-intoxicating — they don't produce a high.
- Trichomes
- The frosty crystals coating good flower — where cannabinoids and terpenes live. Frost is a quality signal.
- Vape cart
- A cartridge of cannabis oil for a battery pen. Convenient, discreet, fast-acting.
Want the guided version instead of the dictionary? Start with Cannabis 101, then the strain type guide and the terpene guide.
Vocabulary's done — recess is at the store.
Bring your new words to Topanga Canyon Blvd and put them to work. First visit is 20% off.