Marijuana Drug Slang Every Parent Should Know

As a parent, one of the most difficult aspects of raising a teenager is to help your child fight the urge use alcohol and drugs. Educating yourself regarding the drug slang of marijuana, the most widely abused illicit substance, is an essential step in determining if your teen is smoking the drug and then begin home drug testing to stop the problem before it develops into a habit. Each new generation of young people develop new slang terms for the multitude of drugs that they have access to and it is important to stay on the top of the ever changing terminology.

The Most Commonly Used Marijuana Slang

Marijuana itself is known by many different names depending upon the region of the country, potency of the marijuana, color and other subtle differences in the plant which acts a secret code to determine what a user is offering or purchasing. The slang terms include “pot,” “weed,” “herb,” “bud,” “chronic,” “ganja,” “hash,” “trees,” and “dank.” A bag of marijuana is referred to as a “sack” or “bag” and will often times be described and called upon based upon the weight of the marijuana like “quad” or “eighth” (which means a quarter of an ounce and an eighth, respectively). The utensils and tools used to smoke marijuana have their own abundance of slang terms including “bong,” “pipe,” “piece,” “blunt,” and “joint.” Learning the various definitions and meanings of the slang terms for marijuana will empower you as a parent to take preemptive steps in order to prevent marijuana usage in your own home.

Coded and Subtle Differences

The common slang terms of weed and pot are interchangeable when referring to any marijuana in general but certain coded vernacular refers specifically to the potency of the drug. The word “chronic” is known throughout the drug circles as the term for the strongest, most powerful strains of marijuana. Grown indoors or hydroponically, “chronic” maximizes THC content producing super potent pot. On the other end of the spectrum, the slang word “schwag” or “brick” is generally used to describe inexpensive, low quality marijuana which is usually grown outdoors in bulk fields under inferior conditions. The slang “brick” refers to the packaging and pressing method used by many drug cartels to literally smash together and form bricks of the marijuana. Understanding the subtle differences between these marijuana drug slang terms can help you as a parent gain a stronger understanding of which type of pot and how much of it your child may be using.

Terminology of Smoking Utensils

A teenager who has been using and ultimately abusing marijuana will inevitably begin experimentation with the plethora of different tools which can be used to smoke the drug and understanding the different slang terms can help you determine how your child is ingesting the pot. The most commonly used item to smoke marijuana is a simple metal or glass pipe through which the substance is smoked through and inhaled. General slang for pipes include “bubbler,” “piece,” “hammer,” “one hitter,” and “tools.” More advanced or adventurous smokers use a water pipe, universally referred to as a “bong.” Simple hand rolled marijuana cigarettes are called “joints” (often rolled using a common cigarette paper called “zig zags”) while a marijuana cigar is known as a “blunt” and is often filled with super potent “chronic.”

Dealing and Distribution Slang

Unfortunately, marijuana abuse can lead many teenagers to sell the drug in order to support their habit. There are important slang terms solely related to dealing and distributing the pot. In order to weigh and break up the marijuana, a person needs a scale. The three most commonly used scales are called “hand scales” for the simplicity and ease of use when in someone’s hand, a “digi” because it is a digital scale, and a “tri-beam” which refers to a triple beam balance (think like a high school chemistry set). The price and bag sizes of marijuana are based upon the weight, so pay close attention for slang terms like “eighth,” “zip (ounce)” or “QP” (quarter pound).

By combining your knowledge of the slang terms for marijuana, the tools used to smoke the drug, the terms used in its distribution, and simple home drug testing kits you can be assured as a parent that you are doing everything possible to keep your family drug free.