Grass, reefer, ganja, blunt, bong, joint — marijuana, and its accompanying paraphernalia and ways to smoke it, carry many names. The Office of National Drug Policy has compiled a brief list of lingo and other colloquial terms, but the vocabulary relating to cannabis extends far beyond it. As with most things that rise out of a subculture, street names and weed-speak are their own lexicon.
It's unclear if the decriminalization of the drug will slow the vocabulary evolution, but for now here's some slang, jargon and terms to familiarize you.
Marijuana
The number of words referring to marijuana exceeds more than 100, but in addition to the ones above, popular references include: cheeba, chronic, nugs, skunk, hash, ashes and Mary Jane.
Green out
Similar to a blackout from alcohol, a green out occurs when one loses their sense of place and time after overconsuming marijuana. People also have been known to become paranoid or fall asleep. A green out is more likely to occur from edibles, dabs or more potent weed; going to a hospital or medical professional is advised, but there's not much that can be done other than waiting it out.
Shatter
Shatter or shatter hash is an extremely potent, glasslike THC concentrate. Extracted from cannabis plants using butane gas, it is extremely dangerous to produce and often results in small- and medium-scale explosions. The practice is illegal, and problematic enough that the Drug Enforcement Agency initiated "Operation Shattered" on July 22, indicting eight people in Washington state alone.
Bubbler
Bubblers are smoking glass pieces similar to bongs. However, a bubbler is smaller and doesn't have a removable bowl. Some say they get a more intense high; others believe it is a lesser high.
Vaporizer
Vaporizer pens or pipes are inhalant devices that vaporize the active ingredients in the plant materials in herbs and blends. Vaporizers are also used to smoke tobacco, most commonly as e-cigarettes.
Shotgunning
Turning the lit end of a blunt or joint into your mouth, inhaling, then blowing out a stream. The smoke is then inhaled by a second person.
Dabbing
Dab or dabbing refers to dropping concentrates onto a hot surface, like a skillet, and inhaling the resulting vapor or smoke.
Cannabinoids
Cannabinoids are the compounds that are naturally found in the cannabis sativa plant. Sixty-six of the more than 480 compounds found in the plant are cannabinoids. The most well known, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. ♦
