Cannabis Glossary: 76 Weed Terms Explained

A

Adult-use cannabis

Cannabis sold to anyone 21 or older with a valid ID, also called recreational cannabis. Adult-use sales began in New Mexico on April 1, 2022.

Autoflower

A cannabis plant that starts flowering on its own after a few weeks, no matter how much light it gets. Popular with home growers because it finishes fast.

B

Badder (batter)

A soft, creamy concentrate whipped during extraction until it looks like cake batter. Easy to scoop for dabbing.

BHO (butane hash oil)

A concentrate made by extracting cannabinoids and terpenes with butane, then purging the solvent. Shatter, wax, badder and live resin are often made this way.

Blunt

Cannabis rolled in a tobacco leaf or hemp wrap instead of rolling paper.

Bong

A water pipe that cools and filters smoke through water before you inhale.

Bud

The dried flower of the female cannabis plant, the part most people smoke or vape.

Budtender

The dispensary staff member who helps you choose products and doses. Every HDR store has them.

C

Cannabinoid

Any of the more than 100 compounds in cannabis, like THC, CBD, CBG and CBN, that act on the body's endocannabinoid system.

Cannabis Control Division (CCD)

The part of New Mexico's Regulation and Licensing Department that licenses and regulates cannabis growers, manufacturers and dispensaries.

Caregiver

A person 18 or older approved by the New Mexico Department of Health to buy and manage medical cannabis for a qualified patient.

Caryophyllene

A peppery, spicy terpene, also found in black pepper, that also acts on the body's CB2 receptors.

CBD (cannabidiol)

A non-intoxicating cannabinoid people use for calm, sleep and body relief. It can soften some of THC's intensity.

CBG (cannabigerol)

A minor cannabinoid, sometimes called the mother cannabinoid, because other cannabinoids form from its acid form as the plant grows.

CBN (cannabinol)

A mildly psychoactive cannabinoid that forms as THC ages. Often added to sleep products.

Clone

A cutting taken from a mother plant and rooted, so the new plant is a genetic copy.

Concentrate

Any product that concentrates cannabinoids and terpenes from the plant, such as shatter, wax, rosin or distillate. Adults in New Mexico can carry up to 16 grams. Browse concentrates.

Cultivar

The botanical word for a cannabis variety. Most people say strain.

Curing

Slowly drying and aging harvested flower in controlled conditions, which protects flavor and makes smoke smoother.

D

Dab

A small amount of concentrate vaporized on a hot surface, usually with a dab rig or e-rig.

Decarboxylation

Heating cannabis to turn THCA into THC. It happens when you smoke or vape, and it's a step in making edibles and cannabutter.

Delta-8 THC

A less potent cousin of delta-9 THC, often made from hemp-derived CBD.

Delta-9 THC

The main intoxicating compound in cannabis. When people say THC, this is what they mean.

Diamonds

Crystalline THCA concentrate, often sitting in a terpene-rich sauce.

Dispensary

A licensed store that sells cannabis. HDR has six in Albuquerque, Bernalillo, Santa Fe and Hobbs.

Distillate

A highly refined oil, often over 85% THC, with most flavor removed. Common in vape cartridges and edibles.

E

Edible

Any food or drink infused with cannabis, like gummies, chocolate or drinks. Effects take longer to start and last longer than smoking. See our edibles dosage chart.

Endocannabinoid system (ECS)

The body's network of receptors and molecules that helps regulate mood, appetite, sleep and pain. Cannabinoids act on it.

Entourage effect

The idea that cannabinoids and terpenes work better together than alone, which is why many people prefer full-spectrum products.

Extract

Another word for concentrate: cannabinoids and terpenes pulled from the plant with a solvent, heat or pressure.

F

Flower

The dried, cured buds of the cannabis plant. See HDR flower.

Full-spectrum

An extract that keeps a wide range of the plant's cannabinoids and terpenes, rather than isolating just one.

G

Grinder

A small tool that breaks up flower evenly for rolling or packing a bowl.

H

Hash

One of the oldest concentrates, made by collecting and pressing trichomes.

Hash rosin

A solventless concentrate made by pressing ice water hash with heat. Prized for flavor.

Hemp

Cannabis with no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight, legal under federal law.

Hybrid

A strain bred from both indica and sativa parents. Most strains sold today are hybrids.

Hydroponics

Growing plants in a nutrient solution instead of soil. HDR flower is grown hydroponically indoors.

I

Indica

A plant type that grows short and bushy. People often link indica strains with relaxing body effects, though terpenes and cannabinoids say more about effects than the label.

Infused pre-roll

A pre-roll boosted with concentrate such as kief, distillate or rosin for extra potency.

K

Kief

The loose, sandy trichomes that fall off flower, often collected in a grinder's bottom chamber.

L

Landrace

A strain that grew naturally in one region for generations before modern crossbreeding.

Limonene

A citrusy terpene, also found in lemon peel, often linked with an upbeat mood.

Linalool

A floral terpene, also found in lavender, often linked with calm.

Live resin

A concentrate made from fresh-frozen plants instead of dried ones, which keeps more terpenes and flavor.

Live rosin

Solventless concentrate pressed from hash made from fresh-frozen plants.

M

Medical Cannabis Program

New Mexico's program for qualified patients, run by the Department of Health. Patients pay no cannabis excise tax and can buy up to 425 units every 90 days. How to get a card.

Microdose

A very small dose, often 1 to 2.5 mg of THC, for mild effects while staying clear-headed.

Milligrams (mg)

How THC is measured in edibles, drinks and tinctures. Adults in New Mexico can carry up to 800 mg of THC in edibles.

Myrcene

An earthy, musky terpene, also found in mango and hops, often linked with relaxing effects.

O

One-hitter

A small pipe that holds a single hit of flower.

P

Personal Production License (PPL)

A license from the New Mexico Department of Health that lets a medical patient grow their own cannabis.

Phenotype

How a specific plant looks and acts. Seeds from the same strain can grow into different phenotypes.

Pinene

A pine-scented terpene, also found in rosemary and pine needles.

Potency

How strong a product is, usually listed as a THC percentage for flower or milligrams for edibles.

Pre-roll

A joint that comes already rolled and ready to smoke.

Primary caregiver

See Caregiver.

Q

Qualified patient

A person a medical provider has certified with a qualifying condition, who holds a New Mexico medical cannabis registry card.

R

Reciprocity

New Mexico accepts valid medical cannabis cards from other states and U.S. territories. Reciprocal participants can buy up to 425 units every 90 days, tax-free.

Resin

The sticky substance made by trichomes. Also the tar left inside a pipe.

Rosin

A solventless concentrate pressed out of flower or hash with heat and pressure.

S

Sativa

A plant type that grows tall and thin. People often link sativa strains with energizing effects, though terpenes and cannabinoids say more about effects than the label.

Shatter

A glassy, brittle concentrate that snaps like hard candy.

Solventless

Made with only water, ice, heat or pressure, and no chemical solvents. Hash, rosin and kief are solventless.

Strain

A specific variety of cannabis with its own genetics, flavor and effects, like Blue Dream or Gelato.

T

Terpenes

Aromatic oils that give cannabis its smell and flavor and may shape its effects. Common ones include myrcene, limonene, pinene, linalool and caryophyllene.

THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)

The main intoxicating cannabinoid in cannabis, and the number to watch on every label.

THCA

The non-intoxicating acid form of THC found in raw cannabis. Heat turns it into THC, which is why flower test results often list total THC.

Tincture

A liquid cannabis extract taken by dropper, usually under the tongue.

Tolerance

How used to THC your body is. Regular use raises it, and a short break can bring it back down.

Topical

A lotion, balm or salve applied to the skin for local relief. Topicals usually don't produce a high.

Trichomes

The tiny, frosty, mushroom-shaped glands on cannabis flower that hold most of its cannabinoids and terpenes.

U

Unit

How New Mexico measures medical purchase limits. Patients can buy up to 425 units in a rolling 90-day period, and the patient portal shows how many you have left. See possession limits.

V

Vape cartridge

A pre-filled cartridge of cannabis oil that screws onto a battery, usually a 510-thread.

Vaporizer

A device that heats flower or concentrate enough to release cannabinoids as vapor, without burning it.

W

Wax

A soft, crumbly concentrate with a texture like candle wax.

Cannabis glossary.

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