Cannabis has many different names, including more than 1,200 slang terms, and more than 2,300 names for individual strains.[1] Additionally, there are many names to describe the state of being under the influence of the substance.[2] This list is not exhaustive; it includes well-attested names.
The first recorded name for cannabis is the Chinese 麻 (má), which is prehistoric.
| Name | About | |
|---|---|---|
| al-quinnab / al-quinnam | Forms used in Al-Andalus, including but not limited to: al-quinnab, al-qinnab al-barrī, qinnab al-barrīyya, al-qinnab al-hindī, al-qinnab al-bustānī, qinnab rūmī[3] [4] | |
| "ang" or "an" | A Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Semitic root from which the words for cannabis in "all modern languages" derive, per Alphonse de Candolle.[5] | |
| "kan-" | The proto-Kartvelian stem for hemp. It is more recent than the proto-Indo-European stem. | |
| "san-" and "kan-" or "gan-" | The Proto-Indo-European stem for hemp/cannabis sativa, "san-" and "kan-" or "gan-", existed prior to the 5th century (400 CE).[6] Differently, "k(h)an-" indicates singing/making a sound. | |
| भांग (bhang) | Hindi, sixteenth century, from Sanskrit "bhaṅgáḥ", "bhaṅgā" (see below).[7] Also recorded as Persian.Garcia de Orta recorded the name as "bangue",[8] as did Jan Huyghen van Linschoten.[9] Used in British English, it can also be spelt "bang", and retains much of the original meaning. In American English it may refer to hemp or a tea made from hemp that is either drunk or smoked. The Bhangmeter, a type of radiometer, is named as a pun on "Bhang".[10] . | |
| bhaṅgā | An ancient Sanskrit name originating before the 5th century (400 CE). | |
| bhangi | Swahili.[11] Note: Bhangi is also a Hindi term for a person who uses bhang. | |
| cáñamo | Spanish,[12] from Greek "kánnabos" and Andalusi Romance "quinnam".[13] Originally, also poetically used to refer to objects made of hemp.[14] . | |
| canapa | Italian | |
| cannabis | See main article: Etymology of cannabis. Latin.[17] English botanical name.[18] Assigned in the mid-eighteenth century, cannabis and hemp describe the entire cannabis plant for all its uses. Dried preparations of the plant are also called ganja, one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana.[19] [20] . | |
| cần sa | Vietnamese.[21] | |
| Chamba | Chichewa.[22] | |
| Chanvre | French
| |
| चरस (Charas) | Hindi. | |
| Dagga | Afrikaans[24] and English. | |
| Diamba | Kimbundu.[25] | |
| Esrar | Turkish.[26] | |
| ගංජා (Gaṁjā) | Sinhala. | |
| Gandia | Mauritius.[27] | |
| Ganja | Hindi[28] or Bengali. | |
| గంజాయి (Gan̄jāyi) | Telugu. | |
| Gañjikā | An ancient Sanskrit name originating before the 5th century (400 CE). | |
| Grifa | Mexican Spanish.[29] | |
| Hanf | German. | |
| Hamp | Danish.[30] | |
| Hampa | Swedish. | |
| Hamppu | Finnish.[31] | |
| Hashish | Arabic. Also "assis", per Jan Huyghen van Linschoten.Alphonse de Candolle described hashish as an "environmental material"; he included the Egyptians of the 18th century primarily cultivating cannabis for hashish in his list of places where the plant (which he primarily saw as a textile producer) was not popular. | |
| Hemp | English, name for cannabis plant. | |
| Hennep | Dutch.[32] | |
| Hursīnī | An ancient Sanskrit name originating before the 5th century (400 CE). | |
| Injaga | Rwanda.[33] | |
| Kanas | Celtic. | |
| കഞ്ചാവ് (Kañcāv) | Malayalam | |
| Kaņepes | Latvian.[36] | |
| កញ្ឆា (Kanhchhea) | Khmer. | |
| Kan-jac | Panamanian Spanish.[37] | |
| Kάνναβις (Kánnabis) | An ancient Greek name originating before the 5th century (400 CE).[38] | |
| กัญชา (Kạỵchā) | Thai.[39] | |
| Kenevir | Turkish.[40] | |
| قنب (Kinnab or Quinnab) | An ancient Arabic name originating before the 5th century (400 CE). May also have been spelt "Cannab". | |
| Konopí | Czech.[41] | |
| Konopie | Polish.[42] | |
| Конопля (Konoplya) | Russian
| |
| Kunnabu | An ancient Akkadian name originating before the 5th century (400 CE).[44] | |
| 麻 (Má) | Má, a Chinese name for hemp, predates written history and has been used to describe medical marijuana since at least 2700 BCE. It is the earliest recorded name.[45] Hemp is recorded in the Book of Documents. | |
| Ma-kaña | Bantu.[46] | |
| Maconha | Portuguese.[47] | |
| Marijuana | Americanized Mexican Spanish.[48] The term has a complex etymology, derived from western Central African slaves[49] (notably, the Kimbundu word riamba/mariamba) transformed through Caribbean and South American influences info mariguana, later marihuana and marijuana.[50] | |
| Mbanje | Shona.[51] | |
| Pakalolo | Hawaiian.[52] | |
| Pango | Portuguese. | |
| Potiguaya | Spanish. | |
| 삼 (Sam-gwa) | Korean.[53] | |
| Šedenegi / šahdānaŷ | From Persian origins, meaning approximately "the King of Grains" / "the Sultan of all seeds"; used to refer to seeded tops of cannabis and hemp plants in the Mediterranean region and particularly Al-Andalus. Also found as šahrānaŷ, šahdanaq, šādānaq, sedeneghi, shedenegi. | |
| Siddhi | Bengali. | |
| ירוק (Yarok)ירק (Yerek) | Yerok is literal translation for the color green and Yerek is literal translation for the word vegetables in Hebrew.[54] |
See also: Cannabis cultivation and Cannabis industry. Commercial cannabis growers and retailers have given individual strains more than 2,300 names. A 2022 study in PLOS One, drawing data from almost 90,000 samples from six US states, representing the largest quantitative chemical mapping of commercial dispensary-grade cannabis flower samples to date, found that “commercial labels do not consistently align with the observed chemical diversity.” In other words, many strain names do not necessarily reflect the actual cannabinoid content or its perceived effects.[55]
| Name | About | |
|---|---|---|
| AK-47 | Industry trade name for sativa-dominant hybrid strain. It may be named after an AK-47 assault rifle due to its gunpowder smell and potency,[56] or because the letters "AK" are the initials of the breeder and 47 is the number of days from planting to harvest.[57] | |
| Acapulco Gold | Traditional heirloom strain of cannabis[58] named for its location of origin (Acapulco) and typical color.[59] | |
| Afghani | Traditional heirloom strain of cannabis. | |
| African | Traditional heirloom strain of cannabis. | |
| Amnesia | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Amnesia Haze | Industry trade name for cannabis strain.[60] | |
| BC Big Bud/BC Roadkill/BC Hydro | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. Initially cultivated in British Columbia, first called Red Hair Sensi, a hybridization of Panama Red/Acapulco Gold strains brought from Colorado by Vietnam War draft dodgers or BC Roadkill Skunk and Indica Deep Chunk.[61] [62] | |
| BC OG Kush | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. Initially cultivated in British Columbia, at the BC Bud farm, a hybridization of BC Grapefruit Kush and Afghani strains.[63] | |
| Bhang | Hindi (see above). Traditionally refers to the leaves of hemp plants, or to a traditional Indian cannabis leaves tea preparation. Bhang is culturally significant in India, and is not technically banned, as the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, specifically does not outlaw using seeds and leaves of the cannabis plant, of which the common tea drink is made. Bhang (referring to cannabis in general) can also be acquired medically.[64] [65] The narcotics act does not list bhang/cannabis, instead documenting both charas and ganja (as cannabis plant products) separately; in the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, cannabis leaves are not included in the definition of cannabis for Indian legal purposes.[66] | |
| Blueberry | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Blueberry Diesel | Industry trade name for indica-dominant hybrid strain, a mix of Blueberry and Sour Diesel strains, its name is also a combination of theirs.[67] | |
| Blue Dream | Industry trade name for sativa-dominant hybrid strain. | |
| Blue Goo | Industry trade name for sativa-dominant hybrid strain, a mix of Blue Dream and Agoo, a combination of which gives it its name.[68] | |
| Bruce Banner | Industry trade name for cannabis strain.[69] | |
| Bubba Kush | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Bubblegum | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Bud | English. Part of a cannabis plant.[70] | |
| Budder | English, from bud and butter. Industry trade name for cannabis extract.[71] | |
| Cambodian red | Traditional heirloom strain of cannabis. | |
| Cannabinoid | A class of active compounds identified in cannabis. | |
| Cannabis | See above | |
| Cannabis edible | English. Food product with cannabis content. | |
| Cannabis indica | Latin. Putative plant varieties or sub-varieties of cannabis.[72] | |
| Cannabis ruderalis | ||
| Cannabis sativa | ||
| Cannabis tea | English. Tea infused with cannabis.[73] | |
| Charas | Hindi. Traditional resin made from live cannabis plant. | |
| Charlotte's Web | Industry trade name for cannabis sativa strain. | |
| Cola | English. Part of a cannabis plant. | |
| Colombian | Traditional heirloom strain of cannabis. | |
| Concentrate | English. Industry trade name for cannabis extract. | |
| Critical Mass | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Durban Poison | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Extract | English. Wax product.[74] | |
| Feral cannabis or feral hemp | Wild cannabis strain.[75] | |
| Flower | English. Part of a cannabis plant. | |
| Girl Scout Cookies | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Gorilla Glue | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Grape Ape | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Hashish | Arabic. Traditional resin made from dead cannabis plant.[76] | |
| Hash oil | Arabic, English. Oil extract of hashish. | |
| Hawaiian | Traditional heirloom strain of cannabis. | |
| Haze | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Hemp | English. Plant from which cannabis is derived. | |
| Hindu Kush | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Inhale Time | Industry trade name for hybrid cannabis strain. | |
| Island Pink Kush | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. A hybridization strain cultivated in British Columbia of Island Pink with BC OG Kush[77] | |
| Jack Herer | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Jamaican gold | Traditional heirloom strain of cannabis. | |
| Kief | Moroccan Arabic. Loose cannabis trichomes. | |
| Leaf | English. Part of a cannabis plant. | |
| Live resin | English. Industry trade name for cannabis extract.[78] | |
| Matanuska Thunderfuck (MTF) | Industry trade name for sativa-dominant cannabis strain.[79] | |
| Maui Waui | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Mexican red | Traditional heirloom strain of cannabis. | |
| Northern Lights | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| OG Kush | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Orange Bud | Skunk | |
| Panama red | Traditional heirloom strain of cannabis. | |
| Paonia Purple | Industry trade name for cannabis indica strain.[80] [81] | |
| Pineapple Express | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Platinum OG | Industry trade name for cannabis indica strain. | |
| Purple Kush/Haze | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. A hybridization cultivated in Oakland, California from Hindu Kush and Purple Afghani.[82] | |
| Resin | English. Part of a cannabis flower. | |
| Root | English. Part of a cannabis plant. | |
| Seed | English. Part of a cannabis plant. | |
| Shatter | English. Industry trade name for cannabis extract. | |
| Skunk | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Sour Diesel | Industry trade name for cannabis sativa strain. | |
| Stem | English. Part of a cannabis plant. | |
| Strawberry Cough | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Super Lemon Haze | Industry trade name for cannabis sativa strain.[83] | |
| Tangerine Dream | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. A hybridization of G13, Afghani, and Neville's A5 Haze.[84] | |
| Terpene | English. Part of a cannabis flower.[85] | |
Traditional heirloom strain of cannabis, and method of preparation. The strain is a high quality bud originating in northeast Thailand, where it was grown by hill tribes since antiquity. The name comes from a traditional Thai method of preparing cannabis to be smoked, which involved wrapping cannabis bud around a stick.[86] The stick was either bamboo or a hemp stalk, the bud may have been treated with hash oil before wrapping and would have been wrapped around the stick with fan leaves and/or silk string. The stick was then cured underground, and may be dipped in opium before smoking.[87] The Thai stick cigars used Thai bud Cannabis sativa, which also became known as Thai stick. When the original Thai sticks were popular, dealers would sell any buds bound in string or to a stick under the name. Most of the original bud was destroyed in the 1970s when the Thai government began its war on drugs. Making Thai stick-style cannacigars out of other strains continued around the world, though the Thai government legalized medical cannabis again in 2018.[88] | ||
| Tincture | English. Alcohol cannabis product. | |
| Tochigishiro | Industry trade name for non-narcotic cannabis sativa strain.[89] It originates in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, with the modern variety produced in Tochigi-shi.[90] [91] [92] | |
| Trichome | English. Part of a cannabis flower. | |
| Wax | English. Industry trade name for cannabis extract. | |
| White Russian | Hybrid cannabis strain. It is a mix of AK-47 and White Widow, of which its name is also a combination (AK-47 is Russian) and a pun on the alcoholic drink White Russian.[93] | |
| White Widow | Industry trade name for hybrid cannabis strain. | |
| Willie Nelson | Industry trade name for cannabis strain. | |
| Zaza | Slang term for cannabis, popularized via hip-hop music and internet culture. |
| Name | About | |
|---|---|---|
| Cannabinoid | The general class of the therapeutic compounds found in cannabis. | |
| Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) | Main psychoactive compound isolated from cannabis. | |
| Cannabidiol (CBD) | Compound isolated from cannabis (non psychoactive).[94] | |
| Cannabinol (CBN) | Compound isolated from cannabis (mildly psychoactive). | |
| Cannabigerol (CBG) | Compound isolated from cannabis (non psychoactive). | |
| Cannabidivarin (CBDV) | Compound isolated from cannabis (non psychoactive). | |
| Dronabinol | Synthesized D9-THC (psychoactive). | |
| Nabilone | Synthetic cannabinoid, THC analogue (psychoactive). | |
| Nabiximols | Cannabis extract and botanical drug, CBD and THC combination (psychoactive). |
See also: Cannabis consumption.
| Name | About | |
|---|---|---|
| Appetite | Effect of consuming cannabis. | |
| Drink | Method of consuming cannabis. | |
| Edible | Method of consuming cannabis.[95] | |
| Smoke | Method of consuming cannabis. | |
| Topical | Method of consuming cannabis.[96] | |
| Vapor | Method of consuming cannabis.[97] |
See main article: List of slang names for cannabis.