Cannabis Categories
Flower
The term “flower” refers to the flower of the cannabis plant and is often referred to as “bud.” In the plant it possesses the highest concentration of compounds called cannabinoids (e.g., THC, CBD) and aromatic compounds called terpenes (e.g., Limonene, Pinene).
Cannabinoids and terpenes work together to create the type of high a user experiences, this is called an Entourage Effect or Ensemble Effect. You can find more information about cannabinoids and terpenes in the Cannabis Education section of this website.
There are three types of cannabis flower that you will likely encounter at a dispensary:
- Indica
- Sativa
- Hybrid
Historically, it’s been believed that sativa gives you a heady and somewhat energizing cerebral high, whereas indica is more mellow and gives you a relaxing body high. Hybrid flower results from breeding sativa and indica plants together and offers qualities of both, often being either more sativa dominant or indica dominant.
While recent research challenges these conventional groupings of sativa and indica and indicates that these effects are closely related to the levels of THC, CBD, and terpenes the plant contains and less due to the type of plant itself, cannabis industry professionals and dispensaries still use these groupings.
Look for cannabis cultivars known to elicit the type of effects you seek — soothing, relaxing, productive, pain relief. Your friendly neighborhood budtender can help you identify a good match for your needs.
Cultivars
Cultivars, commonly called strains, are varieties of the cannabis plant that result from growers cross-breeding plants to elicit or capture specific qualities like psychoactive effects, smell, or flavor.
Often named after one or more existing cultivars they were bred from, the name of a cultivar gives the consumer an indication of what qualities they can expect. However, the same attributes of a cultivar can vary between dispensaries and growers due to the conditions of how it was grown. If you find something you like, make a note of the brand and the grower’s name, and the dispensary where you purchased it.
You can find more information about cultivars (strains) in the Cannabis Education section of this website.
Marijuana is stronger now
Edibles
Start with a low dose and wait. Edibles can take up to 2 hours to kick in, and because of the delay of the high, it’s easy to take too much, especially if they’re delicious.
Some edibles (gummy, chocolate, baked goods) are easy to cut into smaller pieces, thus reducing the dosage and offering an excellent way to ease into it. For example, if you purchased gummies with 5 mg of THC in each piece, cut it in half and try the 2.5 mg half of the gummy first.
Many products contain cannabinoids other than THC, each offering a different benefit. You can find more information about cannabinoids in the Cannabis Basics section.
Examples of edibles
- Chocolates
- Gummies
- Candies
- Mints
- Baked goods
- Drinks and Drink Mixes
- Culinary products
- Capsules
Cartridge
A cartridge is a small, discreet vial of cannabis extract containing cannabinoids like THC and CBD, and other compounds present in cannabis. It connects with a battery that supplies a small electrical charge to the cartridge and causes the extract to vaporize; the user then inhales the vapor. This is commonly called “vaping.”
Consumers enjoy vaping cartridges because of their discretion, potency, and fast onset.
Vaping vs. Vaporizing
Vaping using a cartridge of concentrated cannabis extract is different from vaporizing cannabis flower.
Vaporizing cannabis flower uses a device that heats cannabis flower to a temperature where the cannabinoids (e.g., THC, CBD, THCV) and terpenes (e.g., Myrcene, Pinene) vaporize but do not combust.
Vaporizing flower is considered healthier than burning (smoking) cannabis like you would lighting a joint because the user doesn’t inhale particulate matter or potentially toxic compounds associated with burning.
Smoking vs. Vaporizing
Vaporizing cannabis flower is different from vaping using a cartridge of concentrated cannabis extract.
Vaporizing cannabis flower uses a device that heats cannabis flower to a temperature where the cannabinoids (e.g., THC, CBD, THCV) and terpenes (e.g., Myrcene, Pinene) vaporize but do not combust.
Vaporizing flower is considered healthier than burning (smoking) cannabis like you would lighting a joint because the user doesn’t inhale particulate matter or potentially toxic compounds associated with burning.
Topical and Transdermal
Topical
Topical products include creams, balms, bath salts, and oils that are infused with cannabis.
Unlike inhaling or ingesting cannabis, which enters your bloodstream and affects your entire body, cannabis-infused topicals provide localized relief of inflammation and pain by penetrating the upper levels of the skin without entering the bloodstream and will not make you high. The cannabinoids THC, which addresses pain, and CBD, which addresses inflammation, are commonly found in topicals. Tennis elbow, back pain, headaches, and sore muscles, among others, are conditions that consumers use topical products to address.
Concentrate and Extract
A cannabis concentrate is the result of cannabis flower undergoing a solventless or manual process to remove the trichomes from the plant — the trichomes contain the cannabinoids (THC, CBD, etc.) and terpenes — and deliver them in a condensed form. An example of this process is using cold water to pull the trichomes off the plant and concentrate them to make bubble hash.
An extract begins as a concentrate, then goes through an additional step that uses a solvent-based or CO2 process to pull out any residual substances and create a cleaner, more potent product.
The effects of concentrates and extracts can be intense, especially if you are not an experienced user, and they are not recommended as entry-level products. Examples of concentrates and extracts include shatter, wax, Rick Simpson Oil (RSO), hash, sauce, diamonds/crystals, live resin, and rosin.
Sublingual and Tincture
Tinctures are a cannabis extraction made from alcohol, fats, oils, or glycerin that has been diluted. The tincture is administered sublingually, under the tongue, and absorbed into the bloodstream through the mucous membrane in the mouth. Tinctures are great for new cannabis users who can easily manage precise dosing. However, sublingual administration of cannabis isn’t limited to only tinctures.
Other under-the-tongue products include tablets, sprays, lozenges, and strips (like a breath strip). These products are absorbed quickly into the bloodstream, faster than edibles that must pass through the digestive system first, but not as fast as inhaling.
They can take effect in as little as 15 minutes, which gives them an advantage over edibles because the consumer will not have to wait an hours to feel the effects of the edible. Knowing how cannabis affects you shortly after consuming it helps reduce the risk of consuming too much cannabis too soon.
Tinctures are relatively easy to make at home, and you can learn how to make cannabis extractions, including tinctures, in the forthcoming Cann@Home section of this website.