Weed —a.ka. marijuana, cannabis, dope, pot, grass, bud, ganja, Mary Jane, and a vast number of other slang terms—is the dried flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant. It contains compounds like tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, as well as other active compounds like cannabidiol, or CBD. Some people smoke weed in hand-rolled cigarettes called joints; in vapes, or in blunts (cannabis rolled in cigar wraps).

If you like loose weed as opposed to joints, you’ve probably heard us refer to it as flower instead of weed because that’s the new fancy term for bud these days. And if you think about it, it’s accurate because the part of the plant you smoke is indeed the flower.

There is a huge difference between hemp and cannabis even though they share a scientific name: hemp cannot get you high, but cannabis is famous for it. Hemp is a tall leafy plant, and the products made from it are CBD oils. On the other hand, cannabis is a small bushy plant where products are made from the leaf and flower.

A Joint is something you roll at home. A Pre-Roll is something you buy already rolled from a dispensary. A Blunt is something rolled with a tobacco wrapper. Of course, tobacco is illegal to sell in a dispensary, so the blunts we sell use a hemp wrapper (they’re awesome).

As to the bud itself, we call it the “cola” officially, but if the buds are small, we call it “popcorn” because the little buds resemble popcorn. And instead of “shake” (which refers to all the trimmed leaves), we call it “trim” because it’s more accurate.

Expect to be carded. Both adults and medical marijuana patients will be required to present their stated-issued identification. Do your research. Check out Leafly Finder and read the dispensariers menu. Leafly also allows you to use advance filters to find the best or strain you are looking for. This preparation will help you from becoming overwhelmed by the many cannabis products on the shelf. You may have to wait. Many states require dispensariers to serve only one patron at a time. Let the Budtenders be your guide. You may know what you want, however, the budtenders can provide recommendations on strains they like or strains that better serve your needs.

If the flower is leafy instead of dense, we call it “larfy,” which is what it’d sound like if you said leafy with a mouthful of peanut butter. If the flower is grown indoors, we call it indo, which is also a term used to describe good cannabis, just like dank or kind. Kush refers to a relaxing Indica as does skunk. Skunk received it's name as it smells like skunk. Haze is a moniker that’s usually associated with potent Sativa strains. Diesel and Chem are designations associated with strains that smell like fuel or chemicals. Mota, Ganja, or Cheeba are simply regional names for cannabis. Terps, which are the compounds that give weed its flavor, smell, and secondary effect.