Cannabis glossary

Plain-language definitions of the cannabis terms you'll see on labels, menus, and across our guides.

Anandamide: One of the body’s own endocannabinoids, sometimes called the "bliss molecule," that THC partly mimics.
Autoflower: A cannabis plant that flowers automatically with age rather than by light schedule, thanks to ruderalis genetics.
BHO: Butane hash oil, a concentrate extracted with butane. Legal versions are purged and lab-tested; illicit ones may not be.
Bioavailability: How much of a substance actually reaches your system, it varies a lot by consumption method.
Budtender: A staff member at a licensed cannabis store who helps customers choose products.
Calyx: The small teardrop-shaped pods that make up a cannabis bud, coated in resin-producing trichomes.
Cannabinoid: A class of active compounds in cannabis. THC and CBD are the best known of more than a hundred.
Cannabis ruderalis: A hardy, low-THC cannabis subspecies whose genetics give autoflowering strains their age-based flowering.
Cannabutter: Butter infused with decarboxylated cannabis, used as a base for homemade edibles.
CBC: Cannabichromene, a non-intoxicating minor cannabinoid being studied for anti-inflammatory effects.
CBD: Cannabidiol, a non-intoxicating cannabis compound often chosen for a calmer, clear-headed experience.
CBDA: The raw acid form of CBD found in the living plant, converted to CBD by heat or time.
CBG: Cannabigerol, a non-intoxicating "parent" cannabinoid that others form from; increasingly studied.
CBN: Cannabinol, a mildly intoxicating cannabinoid formed as THC ages, often associated with sedation.
COA: Certificate of Analysis, the lab report showing a product’s potency and contaminant screening.
Cola: The dense cluster of buds that forms along the main stem of a flowering cannabis plant.
Concentrate: Cannabis with plant material removed, leaving high cannabinoid levels, e.g. shatter, rosin, distillate.
Couch-lock: A heavy, sedating body high that leaves you happily stuck on the sofa, associated with some indica-leaning strains.
Cross-fade: Combining cannabis and alcohol, which amplifies impairment and is less predictable than either alone.
Cure: The slow post-harvest process of storing dried flower to develop aroma and smoothness.
Dab: A small dose of concentrate vaporized at high heat, potent, and not a beginner’s method.
Decarboxylation: Heating cannabis to activate THC, why raw flower must be heated to have an effect.
Dispensary: A cannabis retail store. In Canada, only provincially licensed dispensaries are legal.
Distillate: A highly refined, very high-THC extract stripped of terpenes; common in vape carts and edibles.
Edible: A cannabis-infused food or drink. Slow to take effect (up to 2 hours) and longer-lasting.
Endocannabinoid system: The body’s own signalling network that cannabis interacts with, regulating mood, appetite, sleep and more.
Entourage effect: The theory that cannabinoids and terpenes work together, shaping effects more than THC alone.
Equivalency: The Cannabis Act formula for how product types count toward the 30 g public possession limit.
Feminized seeds: Seeds bred to grow into flower-producing female plants almost every time, what home growers usually want.
Flower: The dried buds of the cannabis plant, the most traditional form for smoking or vaporizing.
Full-spectrum: A product containing the plant’s full range of cannabinoids and terpenes, not just one isolated compound.
Greening out: The unpleasant feeling of having taken too much cannabis, dizziness, nausea, anxiety. It passes.
Hash: Hashish, a traditional concentrate made by collecting and pressing the plant’s resin (trichomes).
Hemp: Cannabis bred to be very low in THC. In Canada, CBD from any source is still regulated as cannabis.
Hybrid: A cross between indica and sativa genetics. Most cannabis sold today is a hybrid.
Indica: A traditional plant-type label associated with relaxing effects, though modern strains are mostly hybrids.
Isolate: A single, purified cannabinoid (e.g. CBD isolate) with everything else removed.
Kief: The loose, powdery trichomes sifted from flower, potent, and the starting point for dry-sift hash.
Legacy market: The unregulated ("grey" or illegal) market, untested product sold outside provincial systems.
Live resin: A concentrate made from flash-frozen fresh cannabis, prized for preserving terpene flavour.
Microdose: A very small dose taken for a subtle effect without feeling impaired.
Moon rocks: Buds dipped in cannabis oil and rolled in kief, extremely potent, and not a beginner’s product.
Munchies: Increased appetite from THC, caused by its effect on the brain’s hunger and reward signals.
Nanoemulsion: A process that shrinks cannabis oil into tiny droplets so drinks and some edibles take effect faster.
Onset: How long a product takes to take effect, minutes for inhaled, up to two hours for edibles.
Phenotype: The observable traits of a specific plant, two seeds of one strain can express differently.
Photoperiod: A cannabis plant that only starts flowering when daily light drops, the traditional, non-autoflowering type.
Pistil: The fine hair-like strands on a bud (often orange when mature), part of the plant’s reproductive anatomy.
Pre-roll: A ready-made cannabis joint sold by licensed retailers.
Rosin: A solventless concentrate pressed from flower or hash using heat and pressure.
RSO: Rick Simpson Oil, a thick, potent full-extract cannabis oil, usually taken orally and dosed in tiny amounts.
Sativa: A traditional plant-type label associated with energizing effects. Like indica, a loose guide at best.
Shatter: A glass-like, brittle cannabis concentrate, typically solvent-extracted and quite potent.
Sinsemilla: Seedless flower from unpollinated female plants, the potent, resin-rich bud sold today.
Solventless: Concentrates made with only heat, pressure, water or sieving, no chemical solvents. Rosin is the classic example.
Standardized cannabis symbol: The red THC warning symbol that must appear on every legal Canadian product containing THC.
Strain: A particular variety of cannabis with its own genetics, cannabinoid, and terpene profile.
Sublingual: Taken under the tongue (e.g. tinctures), where some absorbs directly for a faster, steadier onset.
Terpene: Aromatic compounds that give cannabis its smell (citrus, pine, fuel) and help shape the experience.
THC: Tetrahydrocannabinol, the main intoxicating compound in cannabis, responsible for the "high."
THCA: The raw, non-intoxicating acid form of THC in fresh cannabis. Heat converts it to active THC, see decarboxylation.
Tincture: A liquid cannabis extract, usually taken under the tongue with a dropper for measured dosing.
Titration: Adjusting your dose in small steps to find the lowest amount that works, the safe way to dial in edibles.
Tolerance: Reduced response to cannabis with regular use, meaning more is needed for the same effect.
Topical: A cannabis cream, balm or lotion applied to the skin, typically non-intoxicating.
Trichome: The tiny, frosty, mushroom-shaped glands on cannabis that produce its cannabinoids and terpenes.
Vaporizer: A device that heats cannabis or oil to release vapour without combustion (smoke).