There aren’t many guarantees in life, but there is one thing that you can count on: change.
As generations grow, things that people become familiar with in their younger years evolve and sometimes disappear altogether; technology, cars, music, and even slang.
Nowadays the rate of change is dizzying. Technology that was cutting edge a decade ago is now obsolete, TV shows you fell in love with are deemed offensive enough to be taken off the air, and slang terms that used to be cool will now get you labelled a grandad if you dare utter them in the presence of a someone under 17.
When it comes to the terminology around ganja, (I think kids are still using this one) things are much the same. While most people may have heard a lot of the common phrases in the world of cannabis lingo, and some may know their meanings, the many new ways of producing and consuming marijuana have spawned a new lexicon that can leave many feeling a bit lost.
Have no fear: keep yourself in the loop with our roundup of the most commonly used stoner terms.
Joint/Blunt
These two phrases are often used interchangeably, but there is in fact a distinct difference. A joint is a mixture of cannabis and tobacco rolled together in a cigarette paper, whereas a blunt is usually pure cannabis, traditionally rolled in cigar leaf.
They both come in different shapes and sizes. Papers are available in a variety of sizes depending on your consumption needs, with thinner, unbleached paper giving a much cleaner tasting smoke for those who really love to savour the flavour.
There’s no shortage of choice for blunts either. The original method involves emptying the tobacco from a cigar and filling it with cannabis. Nowadays smokers can buy blunt wraps that come in a host of flavours ranging from blueberry and mint to peaches and cream.
Bong
Perhaps the word that is most instantly recognisable when thinking about cannabis culture, the bong is the weapon of choice for smokers seeking to smoke weed without any tobacco at all.
A bong, also known as a water pipe, is a vertical water filtration device. The user burns cannabis in the stem and draws the smoke down through the water, cooling it, then up into the main chamber of the bong, where it is then inhaled.
A highly popular way to consume cannabis, bongs come in a huge array of shapes, colours, styles, themes and material. You can even get them in the shape of your favourite Star Wars character or unicorns. Most commonly made from plastic, glass and ceramic bongs are slightly more expensive and at a touch of class to your smoking experience. If you want to see some weird and wonderful bongs check out the collection that Smoke Cartel have on their online store.
Dab
Dabbing is a relatively new kid on the book when it comes to getting high and is the cause of much confusion. Not to be mistaken with the dance, a ‘dab’ is a concentrated dose made by extracting THC (the psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant) using a solvent such as Carbon Dioxide.
The actual concentrate itself will have a different texture and consistency depending on the exact extraction method used, but it is usually waxy or oily and ranges in colour from dark brown to golden yellow.
Due to the extraction method, concentrates can have a much higher THC percentage than traditional cannabis herb, sometimes up to 90%, making it a favourite for veteran smokers with a high tolerance level.
Dabbing refers to the way in which it’s smoked, usually by taking a small ‘dab’ of concentrate and heating it with a blowtorch on a specialised dab rig – a device very similar to a bong.
Edibles
Although cannabis has been used in cooking and consumed with food for millennia, the edibles craze has seen a strong resurgence in recent times.
An edible is any food that has the active ingredients of marijuana within it. The methods of preparing vary and edibles can be found to suit any palate; gummies bears, milkshakes, teas and even cakes can be infused with cannabis extract.
Edibles are ideal for anyone who is put off by the idea of smoking but still wishes to get high, and they can be consumed much more discreetly than other methods. Because the THC enters your bloodstream via the digestive process, the effects take longer to hit and build more slowly, as opposed to the instant knockout effect of smoking a bong or dabbing.