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Cannabis knowledge · reviewed October 10, 2026

Understand what you’re buying.

Plain-language explanations of cannabis words, product forms, processing and labels. Start with a question, explore a term, or use the buying checklist.

Cannabis words, explained

Start here when a label or menu uses an unfamiliar term.

Cannabis / cannabinoids

Cannabis is the plant. Cannabinoids are compounds it produces, including THC and CBD. A product name alone does not tell you its chemical contents.

Sources: NIH / NCCIH: cannabis and cannabinoids

THC and CBD

THC is the main intoxicating cannabinoid. CBD does not cause the same high, but it can still have side effects and interact with medications. CBD on a label does not mean risk-free.

Sources: NIH / NCCIH: cannabis and cannabinoids

THCA / decarboxylation

THCA is an acidic precursor to THC. Heating can convert it into THC through decarboxylation. A laboratory may report both measured THC and calculated potential total THC; these describe chemistry, not the amount a person absorbs.

Sources: SC Labs: test panel details

Terpenes

Aromatic compounds measured in cannabis testing. Use a batch report to see which are present; a flavor description on a strain page is not a measurement of your product.

Sources: SC Labs: test panel details

Trichomes

Small resin-producing structures on the plant. Separating this resin is the basis of products such as kief and hash.

Sources: Health Canada: about cannabis

Strain / cultivar / genetics

A strain name identifies a marketed variety or lineage. Our strain library separates source claims and flags conflicting ancestry. Use it for background, then check the exact product and batch you are buying.

Indica, sativa and hybrid

These are the type labels recorded in our strain profiles. The effects tags are reader reports, not a prediction for every person or product. Compare actual ingredients and batch chemistry rather than treating a name as a guarantee.

What form are you buying?

The form describes the finished product. The extraction name describes how its cannabis ingredient was made.

Edibles and beverages

Foods and drinks contain a cannabis ingredient. Compare THC per serving with THC in the whole package, and read allergens. Swallowed cannabis can take 30 minutes to 2 hours to start having effects; the delay can lead people to consume too much.

Sources: Health Canada: using a cannabis product · CDC: cannabis and poisoning

Oral oils, tinctures and capsules

These deliver cannabis ingredients in a liquid or capsule. Tinctures may use alcohol, oil or glycerin. Read the intended route and concentration. A bottle sold for oral use is not automatically suitable for a vape device.

Sources: Health Canada: using a cannabis product

Vape cartridges and disposables

These are devices or containers for inhaling a cannabis preparation. Look for the actual extract, added ingredients and intended use. A cartridge shape does not tell you whether it contains resin, rosin or a blend. Smoking and vaporization carry health risks.

Sources: Ohio: packaging and labeling, effective September 11, 2026

Concentrates: wax, shatter and other textures

Concentrates collect cannabinoid-rich resin into a smaller volume. Names such as wax, shatter and budder describe product formats or textures; ask the producer for the extraction method and ingredient list. Concentrated does not mean harmless.

Sources: Health Canada: about cannabis

Kief and hash

Kief is separated resin-rich material; hash is a concentrated resin product that may be pressed. Mechanical separation differs from dissolving resin into an extraction solvent.

Sources: Health Canada: about cannabis

Rosin and live rosin

Rosin uses heat and pressure to release resin. In Verano’s live-rosin process, ice water first separates trichomes, then pressing produces the extract. Solventless describes the extraction approach; it does not replace batch testing.

Sources: Verano: solventless extracts (producer explanation)

Topicals

Creams, lotions and similar preparations are applied to skin. Read the route, ingredients and warnings. Do not assume a topical has the same effects as an edible, or that a product calling itself transdermal behaves like an ordinary lotion.

Sources: Health Canada: using a cannabis product

From plant to product

A high-level map of commercial processing, so you can ask better questions about a purchase.

Mechanical separation → kief or hash

Physical separation collects resin-bearing material. This is a different approach from chemical extraction, which uses a solvent to separate compounds from the plant.

Sources: Health Canada: about cannabis

Ice-water separation + pressing → live rosin

A producer can separate trichomes in ice water and press the collected material with heat and pressure. The finished extract can be packaged as a concentrate or used in other products.

Sources: Verano: solventless extracts (producer explanation)

Fresh-frozen starting material → live concentrates

Cresco describes its live concentrates as extracted from fresh-frozen flower. This tells you something about the starting material, while the finished format, ingredients and batch tests tell you what is actually in the package.

Sources: Cresco: concentrates (producer explanation)

Decarboxylation → changing cannabinoid chemistry

Heat changes acidic cannabinoids such as THCA into their neutral forms. Laboratories account for the molecular-weight change when calculating potential total THC. Conversion and delivery are different: a calculated total is not a personal dose.

Sources: SC Labs: test panel details

Cannabis ingredient + finished recipe → infused product

An edible, beverage, oil or topical combines a cannabis ingredient with a delivery format. Compare the complete recipe, concentration and intended route, rather than assuming all products made from the same strain are equivalent.

Sources: Health Canada: using a cannabis product

Read the product, not just the name

Use these questions at the counter or while browsing a menu.

1. What is it, and how is it intended to be used?

Confirm the product form, intended route, net contents, ingredients and allergens. For an extract, ask how it was made. Ohio’s rules distinguish plant material from manufactured products and require additional disclosures for some forms.

Sources: Ohio: packaging and labeling, effective September 11, 2026

2. Are the numbers per serving or per package?

Illustrative arithmetic: a package with 100 mg THC divided equally among 10 gummies contains 10 mg per gummy. This is a reading example, not a recommended amount. Check the actual serving information; package totals and concentration units are different things.

3. What do %, mg and mg/mL mean?

Percent is a proportion; mg is an amount; mg/mL is an amount per volume. For example, 20 mg/mL × 0.5 mL = 10 mg. These calculations describe product content, not the amount absorbed or a prediction of effects.

4. Does the lab report match this batch?

A certificate of analysis (COA) records laboratory results for a sample. Match the product, batch or lot, lab and dates. Look at cannabinoid results and contaminant panels, including residual solvents when relevant. A report for another batch is not evidence about this one.

Sources: SC Labs: understand your certificate of analysis · SC Labs: test panel details

5. What is still unclear?

Ask: Which extract is used? What ingredients were added? Where is this lot’s lab report? What does the serving size refer to? Marketing words and a familiar strain name do not answer these questions.

Effects, timing and storage

Understanding a product includes understanding its risks.

Swallowed products can take longer

Edible effects can be delayed and unpredictable. Inhaled and swallowed products differ in timing, and effects can persist for hours. Do not use the absence of an immediate effect as proof that an edible was weak.

Sources: CDC: cannabis and poisoning · Health Canada: consumer information

Get help when needed

If someone has concerning symptoms after cannabis exposure, contact Poison Control in the U.S. at 1-800-222-1222. For a medical emergency, call 911.

Sources: CDC: cannabis and poisoning