I have a feeling the answer will surprise you…
Whether you’ve been smoking for years or are just learning how to smoke weed, you should be aware of at least the most popular cannabis names. There are at least 1,200 different recorded names for cannabis, way beyond the typical “weed,” “pot,” or “bud.” The naming trend doesn’t just stop there, though. There are hundreds of different words to describe the feeling of intoxication from cannabis, with more being added to the lexicon each day. In fact, slang scholars have studied and recorded the niche of cannabis-related names and terms for decades, and have come up with a more or less comprehensive list.
Slang terms generally go hand-in-hand with societal faux pas or things that are illegal to talk about. In fact, it was the former that was behind the group of five high school students who first coined the term “420” back in the 1970s when they wanted to talk about cannabis without getting in trouble. They would meet at the statue of Louis Pasteur, the French scientist responsible for pasteurization and the rabies vaccine, at 4:20 p.m. each day. They also met at other places on campus, but that was the most well-known spot. Eventually, this grew into a stoner holiday and special time of day that is celebrated by cannabis users all around the world. Once it became a term authorities and other people were more aware of, stoners came with more names for cannabis. Now, the list is in the thousands.
List of Popular Cannabis Names
People come up with new names all the time, and some terms die out, but here’s a list of the most common cannabis names, with some being far more popular than others:
- Pot
- Weed
- Marijuana
- Grass
- 420
- Bud
- Herb
- Flower
- Green
- Ganja
- Trees
- Broccoli
- Joint
- Dope (refers to some other illegal drugs as well)
- Blunt
- Cannabis
- Mary Jane (MJ)
- Reefer
- Smoke
- Chronic
- Skunk
- Sticky Icky
- Blaze
- Fire
- Burnie
- Spliff
- Purple
- Doobie
- Green Goddess
- Asparagus
- Stogie
- Dank
- Dagga (South Africa)
- Mota (Spanish word)
- Pakalolo (Hawaiian)
- Kif (North Africa)
- Travka (Russia)
List of Weird Cannabis Names
- Alice B. Toklas
- Wacky Tobaccy
- Loud
- Airplane
- Bubonic Chronic
- Kind Bud
- Kine Bud
- Juan Valdez
- Lefty cigarettes (or Left-Handed Cigarettes)
- Giggle Smoke
- Devil’s Lettuce
- Cabbage
- Yum-Yum
- Good-Good
- Nice-Nice
- Lakbay Diva
- Laughing Grass
- Limbo
- Llesca
- Lima
- Kermit
- Kajee
- Knuckle Samich
As language evolves and fluctuates, more cannabis names are added and some fall from the lexicon. Street names and other slang terms allow people to talk about their favorite plant without others knowing what they are talking about. One day, cannabis use will be able to shed the stigma surrounding it. But until then, keep this handy list of cannabis names close by.
Article by: Alexia P. Bullard
