Is marijuana the same thing as weed? What about marihuana, pot, cannabis, and dozens of other terms and nicknames? What are the differences between THC, CBD, and CBN?
Now that recreational marijuana has been legalized in New York state, it’s high time you learn the lingo.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act into law on March 31, instantly making it legal to possess up to three ounces (or 24 grams of marijuana concentrate) if you’re 21 or older in the Empire State. You can also store up to five pounds at home and consume it anywhere that it’s legal to smoke tobacco cigarettes.
The new law also allows adults to cultivate up to six plants (three mature and three immature) or 12 (six and six) for a household with more than one adult; establishes the Office of Cannabis Management to regulate the cannabis market (along with medical marijuana) under the the New York State Liquor Authority; and sets up taxes for retailers (9% state tax, 4% local, plus taxes for distributors).
Not all of it takes effect immediately, though. Recreational users will likely have to wait at least a year before they can legally buy marijuana from a licensed retailer or get home delivery, and you can’t (legally) bring it in from another state as it’s still illegal under federal law — though 17 states have legalized marijuana since 2012.
Of course, pot enthusiasts have been getting high long before it was legal anywhere in the U.S. April 20 has become an unofficial marijuana holiday (a.k.a. Weed Day), thanks to a group of California teens who would meet outside their school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke up together in the 1970s. Known as “The Waldos,” they used “420″ as a code to discuss it without teachers or parents knowing.
According to History.com, two members had connections to the Grateful Dead, which helped spread the word. By 1990, the term “420″ was appearing on flyers for the psychedelic rock band and appeared in High Times magazine, making 4/20 and 4:20 a popular date and time to toke.
CNN has also previously debunked other half-baked theories about the origin of 420, including police codes (NYPD and LAPD don’t even have a “420″ code) and California criminal codes (”420″ refers to obstructing entry on public land). Some also think it comes from Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35,” which includes the famous line “Everybody must get stoned” — yes, 12 x 35 = 420, but that doobie theory is dubious at best.
Marijuana code words and nicknames come from the simple fact that cannabis was illegal for so long.
It sounds confusing but weed is the same thing as marijuana/marihuana, along with cannabis, pot, hashish, kush, Mary Jane, 420, ganja, dope, green, cheeba, bud, reefer, chronic, puff, sticky icky, and wacky tobaccy (or whacky tabacky).
FILE - In this June 20, 2018, file photo, marijuana and a pipe used to smoke it are displayed in New York.AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File
All of these words refer to the same thing: A cannabis plant known for naturally occurring, complex cannabinoids like THC, CBD and CBN. Hemp and cannabis both come from the cannabis sativa plant.
THC vs. CBD vs. CBN
THC stands for tetrahydrocannabinol, and refers to the part of cannabis that causes psychological effects, including a “high” sensation; it can cause hallucinations and affect a person’s memory, mood, movements, concentration and sensory and time perception, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). THC is often available in oils, edibles, tinctures, and capsules; medical marijuana with THC can be used to help with PTSD, glaucoma, cancer, ADHD, anorexia, and HIV/AIDS.
CBD and CBD-infused products, which have been legal for longer in New York state, refer to cannabidiol and help with anxiety, depression, and seizures — without the psychoactive “high.” Common CBD items include gels, gummies, oils, supplements, extracts, and more; it’s sometimes used for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, alcoholism, PTSD, insomnia, AIDS, arthritis, depression, eating disorders, epilepsy and seizure disorders, migraines, and MS.
CBN, or cannabinol, is another cannabinoid in the cannabis plant. According to California dispensary Berkeley Patients Group, CBN is an antioxidant and a non-narcotic analgesic that works kind of in between CBD and THC. It’s mildly psychoactive, calming and a stronger pain killer than aspirin; it can help kill pain and inflammation without harming kidneys.
Keep on rollin’
Rolled-up marijuana cigarettes also have their own variety of nicknames, including doobies, blunts, joints, and spliffs; consumption also can occurs through bongs, pipes or edibles like gummies. Related slang terms include getting baked, stoned, blazed or wasted; burning one; puff the magic dragon; a hit; toke; wake and bake; toasted; and lit up.
David Bienenstock, author of “How to Smoke Pot (Properly): A Highbrow Guide to Getting High” and a former editor of High Times, told the CBC in 2018 that all of these various terms grew out of a necessity to avoid getting caught with illegal drugs.
“Any underground culture develops a coded language,” Bienenstock said. “Each word has a slightly different shading.”
As the marijuana retail industry grows, you’ll also learn about cannabis products that sound like code names of their own. Celebrities with their own marijuana lines include rapper Snoop Dogg (Leafs By Snoop), actor Seth Rogen (Houseplant), rapper-actor Ice Cube (Fryday Kush), Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart (Mind Your Head), rapper Jay-Z (Monogram), and “Family Matters” star Jaleel White (Purple Urkl).
MORE:
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