Weed, bud, devil’s grass, ganja — whatever you want to call it — it’s a rose by any other name. We’re here with 50 slang names for weed, from smoking to buying, talking about quality, rolling one up, or just bringing it up in conversation while flying high. According to The New York Times, there are over 1,200 different slang terms worldwide for this lovely little cannabis plant and its effects. So sit back, light one up, and find out all about your favorite giggle smoke slang with a bit of history and a whole lot of knowledge.
A List of 50 Slang Names for Weed
If you’re simply looking for a list of slang names for weed, we’ve got you.
- 420
- Alligator cigarette
- Asparagus
- Aunt Mary
- Blaze
- Blunt
- Broccoli
- Bud
- Burnie
- Cabbage
- Catnip
- Cheeba
- Chira
- Chinese
- Christmas tree
- Chronic
- Dank
- Devil’s lettuce
- Doobie
- Dope
- Endo
- Fatty
- Flower
- Ganja
- Good giggles
- Grass
- Green goddess
- Happy cigarette
- Hashish
- Hay
- Herb
- Jazz cabbage (A Flavor Fix fave)
- Joint
- Kief
- Kush
- Laughing grass
- Left-handed cigarette
- Magic dragon
- Mary Jane
- Pot
- Reefer
- Sin spinach
- Skunk
- Smoke
- Spliff
- Stash
- Sticky icky
- Trees
- Whacky tobacky
- Weed
Feel free to save this list for a day where you need a creative spark (but we reserve the right to laugh every time we hear “sin spinach.”)
Common Terms for All Types of Weed
When it comes to talking about good old Mary Jane, there are several slang terms that everyone will understand. Pot, weed, bud, ganja, grass, green, flower, trees, and herb are used interchangeably, but some have a fascinating history. Most are self-explanatory botany terms or blatant descriptions, but words like pot and ganja might not come from where you think.
Ganja is widely known as the Jamaican word for cannabis but is actually Hindi in origin and based on Sanskrit. Pretty cool, right? As for pot, used in the US since the 1930s, the slang comes from the Spanish term “potación de guaya,” a drink made from cannabis.
Reefer is another slang name for weed that’s common but old. It was the term for a pickpocket in 1935 but could have originated from the Mexican Spanish term “grifo,” specifically used to denote a drug addict using marijuana. It was also used in the title of the 1936 propaganda film “Reefer Madness,” which heavily added to the legacy and keeps it in rotation even today.
Of course, the last one, dope, can be used for any drug but has fallen out of favor since it refers more to narcotics than cannabis in today’s culture. You might still hear it in reference to weed, but it’s not common.
It’s All About the Quality
A lot of slang is specifically about the quality of the weed on offer. Terms like schwag, dirt, ditchweed (ahh, high school memories), and ragweed denote sub-quality smoke, while shake is the portions of any flower that have fallen off the bud or whatever is left over in the baggie. This weed is typically excessively dry and doesn’t make for the smoothest experience. In other words, don’t get too excited when these weed slang terms come up. They still have THC, but it either doesn’t taste good, doesn’t smoke good, or is just trash in general.
If you’re smoking kief, those are the concentrated crystals that dust the buds, also known as trichomes, while hash is a concentrated cannabis oil derived by many different methods. Dirt weed doesn’t tend to have much kief, so it’s an excellent method for judging your stash.
You’re in for a treat when you hear kush, chronic, primo, gas, fire, dank, skunk, or loud. While both kush and chronic are top-shelf, there are a few differences, so the terms aren’t quite interchangeable.
Kush is the holy grail for many smokers, referring to a Hindu strain of indica that is the mother of many popular strains on the market today. While kush is technically a type of chronic, the term “chronic” can refer to any super potent weed, even if it’s been bestowed its very own strain.
Chronic is a step or three above your loud, gas, or fire, but you’ll hear these terms more often as chronic falls to the wayside in cannabis linguistics. As for loud, skunk, and dank, pay attention to these if you’re trying to be discreet. If you have this type of weed, the scent will be hefty and noticeable to anyone nearby. Skunk is named so because it smells like an actual skunk.
Another term, mid, falls in between the good and bad. Mid is the blunt weed you’ll need a decent amount of to feel the effects and won’t have that desired aftertaste or fantastic scent. It’s a perfectly acceptable smoke, but it’s not anything special. Don’t turn it down, but maybe don’t brag to your friends about it.
How Much Weed Do You Want?
As with everything cannabis related, even the amount you’re looking for has its own name. Now that weed is legal in many places, it’s generally sold in grams and ounces or as single-serve treats and smokes, especially at dispensaries. Before things were lawful, however, people used code words to ask for specific amounts.
A dime, for instance, was $10 worth, while a nickel was $5. The amount in the bag varied based on whether the weed was primo or schwag, but the bags were designed to hold half a gram or less.
Dubs were $20, named after the rims on a car, and generally held about a gram. Following this logic, you’d think a quarter would mean $25, but it stood for ¼ of an ounce, and the price varied widely.
Similarly, if you asked for an eighth, that meant ⅛ of an ounce. There were also keys, equaling a whole kilogram, and elbows or Ls, which were a pound, or “lb.”
Anything kept for personal use was a stash. Some of this terminology is still in use today, even at dispensaries, but it all began decades ago.
Slang Names for Weed Consumption
Anyone got a wrap or paper?
Some weed slang was explicitly developed for the method of consumption. For instance, a joint, which is cannabis wrapped in paper, can be called a j, jay, doobie, pinner, or fatty, depending on how much is inside.
Blunts generally mean you’re smoking out of a wrap or cigar that’s been split.
A Thai stick is an older term for cannabis in a tightly twisted paper cone, pre-rolled, well-packed, primo, and ready to go. If you hear the term spliff, the weed has been mixed with tobacco.
You also have bowls, which refer to the apparatus itself or the method in general, and edibles, which are cannabis-laced treats. In general, you tend to toke on a joint or bowl, but you can light up, burn, or blaze anything that involves smoke or oil.
The Ultimate Code
We have one last slang term for you before we go. 420 has several theories behind its notoriety, but we prefer Time’s explanation since it’s the most epic. According to Time Magazine, several students in California would use the term “420” in the early ’70s as a code to meet up for a smoking session since 4:20 pm was when school let out and everyone was free to hang. The code, 420, has gotten so much traction that it’s now the national holiday for cannabis consumers or the daily time for that afternoon delight.
A Rose by Any Other Name … Is Still Just a Weed
None of these slang terms will be new for many of you, but it’s always nice to learn a bit of the history surrounding one of our favorite herbs. If you learned a few new terms, we’re glad to be of service! Now, find some primo at a local dispensary and light it up at 4:20, or make one of the amazing edible recipes we’ve put together for you to enjoy.
