A beginner's guide to the language of legal cannabis How to talk about marijuana like a grown-up Herbalist staff Airplane, alfalfa, alligator cigarettes, Amsterdam's finest, ashes, asparagus, Aunt Mary — and that's just the "A"s. Linguists estimate there are over 1,200 slang terms for cannabis and its consumption in contemporary use, some more dignified than others. Now that marijuana is legal in Massachusetts (plus nine states and the District of Columbia), dealers and consumers can back off on the euphemisms and embrace a simpler, more straight-forward cannabis vocabulary. Read on for an overview of the most common terms in the legal marijuana business.
Access point: An authorized pickup location for medical marijuana. BHO (butane hash oil): A thick, sticky oil with high THC levels, created by mixing plant-form marijuana with a solvent, usually butane. Blunt: Marijuana wrapped in a hollowed-out cigar or cigarillo paper, for a longer burn time than a typical joint. Bong: A large pipe with a water reservoir used to cool and clean marijuana smoke while inhaling. Bowl: The receptacle at the end of a pipe into which marijuana is packed. Bubbler: A handheld pipe with a water component for cooling smoke, as in a bong. Bud: The flower component of the marijuana plant, which is harvested for recreational and medicinal purposes as it contains the highest concentration of active cannabinoids. Budder: A solid cannabis concentrate with a softer
texture than wax. Budtender: A counter attendant at a cannabis shop or dispensary who can advise and make product suggestions, much like a bartender. Cannabinoids: The chemical compounds in cannabis responsible for its many medicinal and recreational properties. The two most prevalent cannabinoids in cannabis are THC and CBD, although at least 85 cannabinoids are known to exist. Cannabis: A genus of flowering plants that includes Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica, the species harvested to produce recreational and medical marijuana. CBD (cannabidiol): The second most highly concentrated cannabinoid in marijuana, thought to be responsible for many of its medicinal properties. CO2 oil: A cannabis concentrate produced using Supercritical CO2, a liquid form of carbon dioxide.
The menu at Temescal Wellness in Pittsfield has a list of cannabis products and brief descriptions for the customer. Photo: Ben Garver.
18 • The Herbalist
Spring 2019
