Defining the Cannabis Industry Lingo
Marijuana Terms B – E
- CB1 and CB2 Receptors
- Endocannabinoid System
- Entourage Effect
The beautiful herb that we all call marijuana is a very unique and magical plant. Not only does it have many various medicinal values, but it also has several different names such as cannabis, weed, marijuana, kush, flower, tree, reefer, to name a few. These are just some of the many names given to cannabis over the years.
It makes sense that something loved by so many has picked up so many different nicknames over the years.
If you take a further step into cannabis lingo and terminology, there are actually a lot of different and specific vocabulary that go hand and hand with the marijuana world. If you like to smoke pipes, consume marijuana edibles or dab or vape marijuana, it’s nice to be educated on it as well. To help you, we’ve provided the first in a series of cannabis vocabulary words and we’ll start with a short list of 12 marijuana words and terms used to describe something in the weed world and what it does to the body.
These are some of the many cannabis terms that are associated with marijuana from Letter B through Letter E.
Bioavailability – the active rate in which a substance enters the body’s system circulation allowing it to access the site of action. So when you smoke a weed pipe it is the amount of THC and CBD that is available to the body.
Broad-Spectrum – is a full-spectrum cannabis extract that doesn’t have any THC in it. Instead it contains the synergistic benefits of full-spectrum extract with different cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids and fatty acids found in marijuana.
Budtender – a budtender is similar to a bartender. It is someone who works at a dispensary behind the register and helps with any questions you may have about the many different cannabis products available. A trained budtender can help you get the most out of your weed.
Cannabidiol (CBD) – CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant. CBD does not cause the high effect most people are familiar with when it comes to cannabis. Scientists refer to CBD as a “promiscuous” compound because it causes positive therapeutic impacts in many different ways while tapping into how we function physiologically and biologically.
Cannabinoids – these chemical compounds are the most studied group of compounds found in the cannabis plant. Both THC and CBD are cannabinoids, but there are actually 85 total known cannabinoids that all have varying effects. Cannabinoids stimulate the endocannabinoid system when smoking or eating cannabis to make the user feel the different effects of cannabis. Cannabinoids are only found in female plants.
Concentrate – is any type of cannabis product that is refined from marijuana flower or trim. Wax, oil and tinctures also fall under the concentrate umbrella. These products are made during an extraction process where the cannabinoids are extracted from the flower or trim using one of the many extraction methods such as CO2, BHO, and ethanol to name a few. These products are highly potent with cannabinoids and other compounds extracted from the plant. When you are looking to vape weed, you can use either concentrates or flower.
Decarboxylation – this is a heating process used in the cannabis industry to convert the acidic form of the cannabinoid (THCa, CBDa) into non-acidic form (THC, CBD). Decarboxylation is important and necessary to activate the cannabinoids in the cannabis so the user gets the proper high and effects from it. When you light a joint on fire or spark a bowl to smoke cannabis, you are actually decarboxylating your marijuana.
Dispensary – a storefront in which you can purchase marijuana and other marijuana products. This is where budtenders work and are responsible for getting marijuana to customers legally. During the Green Rush, disepnsaries were popping up all over. Some cities have more dispensaries than Starbucks.
Edible – The first name in our favorite chef, @EdibleDee.… edibles are medicated goods that you can eat, that are infused with cannabinoids from cannabis. These items are usually baked goods like cookies, brownies, and granola bars nut they also are made and sold as gummies, chocolates, lozenges and mints are also very popular. You can also find cannabis butters and oils that you can use to make your own edibles at home. When you consume an edible, you consume the active compounds which are absorbed by your digestive system, so it often takes an hour or so to feel the effects from them. You can learn more about edibles from The Happy Chef and her Incredible Edible Cookbooks.
Endocannabinoid System – the ECS is a homeostatic regulatory system of the body. It is found in all mammals and has an effect on the body’s perception of pain, physiological process and appetite. The ECS plays an essential role in keeping the body healthy and happy. It impacts pain, mood, immune function, appetite, memory, blood pressure, inflammation, bone growth, protection of neural tissues and many other physiological processes.
Entourage Effect – Not the popular show and movie with Vinny Chase on HBO… So, we don’t fully understand how the entourage effect works but in essence it is the natural synergy of all the chemical compounds within the cannabis plant working together in your body. All we really know is that terpenes, cannabinoids and phenols activate each other and work well together in the body.
The Entourage Effect in theory is that cannabinoids like THC and CBD interact synergistically to activate each other’s best qualities. In fact, some people believe that CBD actually enhances the effects of THC when it comes to killing pain and providing anticancer properties. It also lessens the psychoactivity of THC. It’s a good rule of thumb that if you consume too much THC and you are feeling too high you can use CBD to help bring you back down. Furthermore, if both compounds are found in a cannabis product at an equal value it will most likely lower the psychoactivity of THC while prolonging its duration. CBD and THC truly balance each other out like yin and yang.
The entourage effect also shows the importance of broad or full-spectrum products which help maximize the benefits from all the active compounds found in cannabis.
Know Your Stuff
There are some of the many terms used in the cannabis world, and it is important to know this information if you use marijuana on a regular basis. There is so much info about cannabis from High Times Magazine to everything on the internet, so stay educated about weed to help yourself find the right product for you. Also, educating yourself helps end the stigma that still surrounds cannabis in some parts of the country to this day. If you’d like to see TNMNews Marijuana Terms Part 2, TNMNews Marijuana Terms Part 3 or TNMNews Marijuana Terms Part 4, get on over to the TNMNews YouTube Channel and subscribe.