Weed enthusiasts and dispensaries alike use so much jargon that it almost seems like they’re speaking in another language. Apart from the many names of weed, there are also terms that refer to things like dosage measurements, methods of consumption, and other aspects of the 420 lifestyle. Although most places in the United States have legitimized cannabis use and moved past the need to use black-market code names, it still pays to know the key terms that you may find useful for your next dope delivery.
If you’re often confused about these terms and want to become fluent in weed-speak, we’re here to give you a hand. Here are some words and phrases used in everyday cannabi-slang that you should know about:
Slang Terms Related to Name
By now, you’re probably aware of weed’s many names thanks to popular culture. From reefers to ganja, a lot of the nicknames for weed survived over the years and are still being used today. Here are some of the most popular ones:
Dope
Dope originated in the late 19th century as a term for “opium.” By the mid-1900s, dope became a catch-all term for other drugs, including marijuana. Some experts believe that “dope” also referred to the “dopey” disposition brought by cannabis indica’s sedative properties.
Ganja
Ganja is a Sanskrit or ancient Hindi word that refers to the hemp plant. The term entered the Rastafarian culture in the 19th century when the English transported around 40,000 Indian people to work in Jamaican sugar cane plantations. The Indian people’s extensive knowledge of hemp spread through the area until “ganja” became a widely used term for weed.
Grass
The term “grass” derives from marijuana’s texture and green color. Some people also believe that grass refers to the way cannabis plants look like grass as they grow.
Mary Jane
A well-known pun for marijuana, the term “Mary Jane” is often considered to be the English translation of the Spanish names Maria and Juana. There’s no record of who coined the word “marijuana,” although some experts believe that the term came from “ma ren hua,” the Chinese name for hemp seed flower.
Pot
Pot is the shortened form of “potiguaya,” the Spanish word for marijuana leaves. The term “pot” originated in 1930s America, and it’s also believed to be the shortened form of “potacion de guaya” or “drink of grief,” which is a wine infused with marijuana buds.
Reefer
Reefer is the Anglicized form of the Spanish word “grifo,” which is the Mexican slang term for someone high on cannabis.
Slang Terms Related to Measurement
While mathematical terms are also used by budtenders at trusted dispensaries, there are also slang terms used by the weed community for common standards of measurement. These include the following:
20 Bag
This refers to a bag with 20 dollars’ worth of marijuana. Usually, a 20 bag would contain around 2 grams of cannabis. Other similar terms include “g” or “dub sack.” A half-gram or 10 dollars’ worth of weed is known as a “dime bag.”
Eighth
Eighth is the term for one-eighth of an ounce, which is around 3.5 grams.
Quarter
This is the term for a quarter ounce or 7 grams of weed.
Zip
Zip refers to 1 ounce of cannabis flowers, which is around 28.5 grams. It is said that “zip” derives from Ziploc baggies used to contain an ounce of weed. The word “zone” can also be used to signify an ounce of cannabis flowers, although no one is sure how the term originated.
Slang Terms Related to Administration Method
Just as cannabis can be taken in different ways, there are also various terms used to define the different methods of administration (MOA). These include:
Blazing
The term “blazing” is associated with a joint’s fiery tip and how people use fire to smoke weed.
Dabbing
Dabbing is the act of heating THC concentrate and inhaling the smoke, typically with a dab rig. It’s also believed that the “dabbing” dance move originates from this MOA, as the move looks similar to the act of coughing while inhaling THC vapor.
Shotgunning
This refers to the act of inhaling weed vapor or smoke and exhaling it into another person’s mouth.
Miscellaneous Slang Terms
Aside from those that have to do with weed’s name, methods of administration, and common measurements, there are other popular slang terms worth knowing if you want to describe weed quality, effects, and other related activities. Some of these are:
Chiefing
This is the act of hogging the bong or any other weed source during a group session. The term “chiefing” is meant to express the idea of a Native American chief inhaling deeply from a pipe.
Dank
Dank is used as a descriptor for cannabis with high potency or has generally positive effects.
Ditch Weed
This is the term for wild-growing cannabis plants or feral marijuana. They contain little to no traces of THC and come from the industrial hemp plants originally meant to grow fiber. Local authorities and weed experts consider them unfit for consumption.
Green Out
You are considered “greened out” when you feel anxious, nauseous, and generally distressed after having too much THC. Usually, greening out can also cause symptoms such as dizziness, excessive sweating, paranoia, and vomiting.
Mids
The term “mids” is short for “mid-grade,” which refers to weed that is neither high-quality nor bad. Some mids have a pleasant terpene profile but lack potency or long-lasting effects. Despite being middling in quality, mids are considered to be great entry points for new smokers or those who haven’t smoked weed in a while.
Sticky Icky
This is used to describe high-quality cannabis buds. The term originates from the stickiness of trichome-dense cannabis, a characteristic that indicates weed of good quality. It became a popular colloquial term during the late 1990s, mostly due to the influence of prominent hip-hop artists from that era.
Learning the ABCs of Dope Weed comes in many different names, shapes, sizes, and forms. While it may seem like you need an entire dictionary to understand weed language, it’s easy to get the hang of it once you immerse yourself in weed culture’s ins and outs. There are many other words that are worth adding to your cannabi-lexicon, but the ones mentioned above should be a great place to start.
One Response
Wow, this article is like a crash course in weed language! It’s amazing to see how many different terms and phrases there are for talking about marijuana. Learning all these slang words not only helps me understand what people are saying but also makes me feel more connected to weed culture. It’s fascinating to dive into the history and origins of these terms, like how “ganja” came from ancient Hindi and Sanskrit or how “dope” used to refer to opium. Thanks to articles like this, I feel like I’m becoming fluent in weed-speak!