Glossary
Cannabis has an unusual amount of jargon, and a fair amount of it is marketing dressed as science. These definitions are written plainly and cite their sources.
B
- Biphasic dose-response
- When a low dose produces one effect and a higher dose produces the opposite. THC does this with anxiety.
- Broad spectrum
- An extract retaining multiple cannabinoids and terpenes but with THC removed.
- Budtender
- A dispensary sales associate.
C
- Cannabinoid
- A compound that acts on the endocannabinoid system. The term covers plant cannabinoids such as THC and CBD, the ones your body makes, and synthetic ones.
- Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome
- A condition of cyclical severe vomiting caused by long-term heavy cannabis use, often temporarily relieved by hot bathing.
- CB1 receptor
- The cannabinoid receptor concentrated in the brain and central nervous system. Direct CB1 binding is what makes THC intoxicating.
- CB2 receptor
- The cannabinoid receptor found mainly in peripheral and immune tissue. CB2 activation is not intoxicating.
- Certificate of analysis
- The lab report for a specific batch, covering cannabinoid content, terpene profile, and contaminant screening.
- Chemovar
- A cannabis variety defined by its measured chemical profile rather than by a marketing name. The scientifically preferred alternative to "strain".
D
- Decarboxylation
- The heat-driven chemical conversion of THCA into THC. Without it, cannabis is not intoxicating.
- Dispensary
- A state-licensed retail location authorised to sell cannabis.
- Dronabinol
- Synthetic THC, FDA-approved as Marinol (1985) and Syndros oral solution (2016) for chemotherapy-induced nausea and AIDS-related appetite loss.
E
- Endocannabinoid system
- A signalling network of receptors, naturally produced cannabinoids, and enzymes that helps regulate pain, appetite, mood, sleep, and immune function.
- Entourage effect
- The hypothesis that cannabis compounds work better together than in isolation. Plausible, widely assumed, and still unproven in humans.
- Epidiolex
- The only FDA-approved plant-derived cannabis medicine: purified CBD oral solution for specific seizure disorders.
F
- Federal versus state law
- Cannabis legality differs between federal and state law, and the two have not been reconciled.
- Full spectrum
- An extract retaining the plant's full range of cannabinoids and terpenes, including THC.
G
- Greening out
- Acute over-intoxication: nausea, pallor, sweating, racing heart, anxiety, and sometimes vomiting.
I
M
- Medical cannabis card
- State-issued authorisation to purchase cannabis through a medical program, requiring a qualifying condition and a practitioner certification.
- Microdose
- A dose small enough to produce benefit with minimal intoxication — typically 1 to 2.5 mg THC.
N
- Nabilone
- A synthetic cannabinoid approved as Cesamet in 1985 for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
- Nabiximols
- A pharmaceutical THC:CBD oromucosal spray approved in the UK, Canada, and the EU for MS spasticity. Not FDA-approved.
S
- Sativa
- A commercial label associated with energising effects. Like "indica", not supported by genomics as an effect predictor.
- Schedule I
- The most restrictive federal drug schedule. Adult-use cannabis remained in Schedule I after the April 2026 medical rescheduling.
- Schedule III
- The federal controlled-substance schedule to which state-legal medical cannabis and FDA-approved cannabis products were moved in April 2026.
- Strain
- The common commercial name for a cannabis variety. Not standardised, not regulated, and a poor predictor of chemistry.
- Sublingual
- Absorption through the tissue under the tongue, bypassing first-pass liver metabolism and acting faster than swallowing.
T
- Terpene
- Aromatic compounds that give cannabis its smell. Present in many plants; their effects in humans at cannabis doses are largely unestablished.
- Titration
- Increasing a dose gradually until you find the smallest amount that works. The core safety practice in cannabis dosing.
- Tolerance
- Reduced response to the same dose after repeated use, driven largely by CB1 receptor downregulation.
- Total THC
- The calculated maximum THC available after decarboxylation, combining delta-9 THC with converted THCA. The number to compare between products.