Cannabis glossary

The words you meet on mail-order menus, in plain language. Each entry links to the aisle where you can compare prices.

Gram, eighth, quarter, half, ounce: The weights shops sell flower in. Canadian shops count an ounce as 28 g, so an eighth is 3.5 g, a quarter 7 g and a half 14 g. A QP (quarter pound) is 112 g and a pound 448 g. Guide
Price per gram: The price of a format divided by its weight. It is the only fair way to compare a 3.5 g bag with a 28 g bag. Bud Picker shows the best price per gram across every weight a shop sells. Flower
Grades: AA, AAA, AAAA, AAAAA: A quality scale used by mail-order shops, from AA (budget) to AAAA+ or AAAAA (top shelf). It is not an official standard: each shop sets its own grades, so an AAAA at one shop can match an AAA+ at another. Guide
Indica, sativa, hybrid: Labels for the plant's lineage that shops use to describe a strain. They say little on their own about effects, which depend on the THC level, the terpenes and the person. Guide
THC: Tetrahydrocannabinol, the main intoxicating compound of cannabis. Flower is labelled as a percentage of weight, edibles in milligrams. Mail-order shops publish their own figures, which are not checked by a lab we know of.
CBD: Cannabidiol, a cannabis compound that is not intoxicating. Sold in oils, capsules, gummies and creams, often from hemp. CBD
Terpenes: Aromatic compounds that give a strain its smell and taste: myrcene (earthy), limonene (citrus), caryophyllene (pepper), pinene (pine).
Strain: A named cannabis cultivar such as Pink Kush or Gelato. The same name sold by two shops can come from different growers.
Smalls, popcorn: Small buds from the lower part of the plant, sold cheaper than large buds of the same strain. Smalls and Popcorn Buds
Shake, trim: Loose pieces of flower and leaves left at the bottom of the bag or from trimming. The lowest price per gram, but it is not the same product as buds. Shake and Trim
Pre-roll: A ready-made joint. Some are infused with oil or kief for a higher THC level. Pre-Rolls
Craft cannabis: Flower grown in small batches, often hand-trimmed. The word is a marketing term, not a certification. Craft Cannabis
Concentrate: A product made by extracting the resin of the plant: shatter, wax, budder, live resin, rosin, hash, diamonds. Far stronger per gram than flower. Concentrates
Shatter: A glass-like concentrate that snaps when you break it, made with a solvent that is then purged. Shatter
Live resin: A concentrate made from plants frozen right after harvest instead of dried, to keep more of the terpenes. Live Resin
Rosin: A concentrate pressed out with heat and pressure only, without solvent.
Hash, kief: Kief is the loose resin powder that falls from the flower; hash is kief pressed into a block. Hash and Kief
THCa diamonds, sauce: Crystals of THCa, often sold in a terpene-rich liquid called sauce. THCa Diamonds and Sauce
Distillate: A refined THC oil with almost no taste, used in vape cartridges, edibles and syringes. Distillate and THC Oil
Caviar, moon rocks: Buds coated with oil and rolled in kief, much stronger than plain flower. Caviar and Moon Rocks
Edible: Food or drink with cannabis: gummies, chocolate, drinks, baked goods. Effects take longer to start than smoking, which is why Health Canada advises starting with 2.5 mg of THC or less. Edibles Guide
mg per package, price per 10 mg: Edibles list their THC in milligrams for the whole package. Dividing the price by that total, per 10 mg, compares packages of different sizes. THC Gummies
Tincture: A cannabis or CBD extract in oil or alcohol, taken with a dropper.
Disposable vape, cartridge, 510: A disposable is a pre-filled pen thrown away when empty. A cartridge screws onto a battery; 510 is the most common thread. Disposable THC Vapes
Feminized seeds: Seeds bred to grow female plants, the ones that produce buds. Feminized Seeds
Autoflower seeds: Plants that flower on their own after a few weeks, whatever the hours of daylight. Popular for short Canadian summers. Autoflower Seeds
MOM (mail-order marijuana): Online shops that ship cannabis by post. They are not licensed by the provinces; legal purchase in Canada goes through provincially authorized retailers. Guide
Xpresspost: Canada Post's tracked express service, used by most mail-order shops (the shops announce 1 to 3 business days).
Interac e-Transfer: The bank transfer most mail-order shops ask for. Unlike a credit card, a transfer cannot be disputed once accepted.

Price alerts by email

Every Monday, only the aisles, shops and products you pick.

Choose my alerts