Since the hedonistic days of the 1970s where hippy culture and free love reigned supreme, the stoner movement has progressed far beyond just a counterculture pastime. As society’s perceptions around marijuana use has gradually become more liberal, stoner culture is now more widely accepted than it used to be and the lexicon around this activity has grown exponentially. The sheer variety and choice of products presented to meet consumer demand means that there is a much more diverse range of goods compared to what was available even twenty years ago. These days, you can find everything from firefly vaporisers and pipes to bongs and grinders, and everything in between.
Weed slang has seeped into everyday language, growing from inside jokes and made-up, invented words by people in the stoner community to words and phrases many people have adopted into their everyday vocabulary, regardless of whether they smoke or not. Because of this growth in terminology, we thought it might be handy to explore some of the well-known as well as the lesser-known words and terms linked to stoner culture. So, without further ado, welcome to the first part of our A-Z of stoner slang.
A – AUNT Mary
Much like its sister term Mary Jane, this is one of many terms that’s slang for cannabis. This one is a little bit more discreet and subtle than some other words. It’s good to use if you’re in company where you don’t want certain people overhearing what you’re discussing and need a code word. If they’re not smokers, they’ll be blissfully unaware of your antics and will just naively think you’re talking sweetly of a relative.
B - BLUNT
Alongside joints, blunts are another traditional preparation of cannabis, and usually consists of a hollowed-out cigar filled with ground-up weed. The name originates from the cigar company Phillies Blunt, where people would swap out the tobacco for weed as a more discreet and concealed way to smoke.
C – CHOOF
This is old school Aussie slang for both the cannabis plant and the act of smoking marijuana, often through a bong. One who might overindulge is known as a choofmonster.
D - DOOBIE
The good old, classic jazz cigarette, doobies are rolled marijuana joints and are also affectionately referred to as doobs, doobskins, doowops, the list goes on!
E - ENT
All of you fantasy nerds out there will know where this word originates from. For the rest of us who aren’t in the know, an ent is an anthropomorphic tree creature from Lord of the Rings. The word has been adopted as a slang term for stoner.
F - FRIED
Fried has similar connotations to slang words like baked, cooked and blitzed. There are a crazy number of colloquial terms to describe the sensation of being excessively high, but this one is one of our all-time favourites.
G - GANJA
Probably one of the most popular words for weed, ganja is the oldest English-language slang term for cannabis and dates back to before 1700. It’s a word that is derived from the Sanskrit word for cannabis, gañjā.
H - HOOCH
This term is super popular amongst the elderly generations of Aussie stoners and could potentially be seen as the #1 slang term for marijuana use with this group. It’s also the counterpart word to “grass” in the United States, and typically refers to a joint which presents an easy-access high for users.
I - ISO
Although this term is now probably synonymous with the 2020 pandemic to refer to being in isolation or quarantine, this word in the stoner community actually stands for isopropyl alcohol, which is used for many cannabis-related applications. One of the top uses is cleaning ash and resin from glass bongs, but it can also be a handy solvent for concentrate creation, although DIY home extracts are risky, so we’d advise just sticking to cleaning your equipment!
Hope you’ve enjoyed part 1 of our A-Z of stoner slang and potentially come across some new terms! Stay tuned for part 2 coming to you in the next few months.
