Cannabis dictionary
Plain-English definitions for every cannabis word you'll see on a menu, in a dispensary, or on a lab report. THC, terpenes, METRC, OMMA, BOGO — all of it.
Cannabinoids
CBD
Cannabidiol — a non-intoxicating cannabinoid often used for inflammation, anxiety, and seizures. Doesn't produce a high on its own and can blunt some of THC's effects when consumed together.
CBG
Cannabigerol — the "mother cannabinoid," chemically the precursor that the plant converts into THC and CBD as it matures. Found in low concentrations; some strains are bred for higher CBG content.
CBN
Cannabinol — forms as THC ages and oxidizes. Often associated with sleep and sedation, though research on its effects is still early.
THC
Tetrahydrocannabinol — the primary psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis. THC binds to CB1 receptors in the brain to produce the high. Measured on labels as a percentage (flower / concentrates) or in milligrams (edibles / tinctures).
THCV
Tetrahydrocannabivarin — a minor cannabinoid sometimes called "diet weed" for its appetite-suppressing effect at low doses. African landrace strains tend to be higher in THCV.
Terpenes
Caryophyllene
A peppery, spicy terpene also found in black pepper and cloves. The only terpene that also acts on CB2 receptors; associated with anti-inflammatory effects.
Limonene
A citrus-smelling terpene also found in lemon peels. Associated with mood elevation; common in many sativa-leaning strains.
Linalool
A floral, lavender-scented terpene. Associated with calming, anti-anxiety effects.
Myrcene
A common cannabis terpene with an earthy, musky, slightly fruity aroma. Often the dominant terpene in indica-leaning strains; associated with relaxation.
Pinene
A pine-smelling terpene; both alpha and beta forms occur in cannabis. Often credited with mental clarity and focus.
Terpenes
Aromatic compounds the cannabis plant produces. They give each strain its smell and flavor — citrus, pine, diesel, berry — and contribute to the strain's effects via the "entourage effect."
Strains
Hybrid
A cross between indica and sativa lineages. Most modern strains are technically hybrids; the label usually means the effects sit somewhere between the two extremes.
Indica
A loose category for strains traditionally associated with body-relaxing, sedating effects. Modern science suggests effects are driven more by terpene profile than indica-vs-sativa lineage, but the labels persist on menus.
Sativa
A loose category for strains traditionally associated with energizing, head-focused effects. As with indica, terpenes likely drive the felt experience more than the indica/sativa label.
Consumption
Concentrate
Cannabis processed into a concentrated form — rosin, live resin, distillate, sauce, shatter, badder, wax, diamonds. Higher in THC than flower; consumed via dab rig or by topping a joint.
Edible
Cannabis-infused food or drink — gummies, chocolates, baked goods, beverages. Dosed in milligrams of THC. Onset is 30–90 minutes; effects last 4–8 hours and feel more body-heavy than smoking.
Flower
The dried, cured cannabis bud — the most traditional form of cannabis. Smoked in a joint, blunt, pipe, or bong; the cannabinoids are released by combustion. Effects come on within minutes and last 1–3 hours.
Pre-roll
A joint that's already rolled and ready to smoke. Comes in singles or multi-packs; some are infused with concentrate or kief for extra potency ("infused pre-rolls").
Rosin
A solventless cannabis concentrate made by pressing flower or hash with heat and pressure. No chemical solvents used; flavor reflects the starting material. Available as live rosin, hash rosin, and flower rosin.
Tincture
Cannabis extracted into alcohol or oil and consumed sublingually (under the tongue) or added to food. Faster onset than edibles when taken sublingually, slower if swallowed.
Vape
A cartridge or disposable pen containing cannabis distillate or live resin, vaporized via battery. Fast-acting like smoking, more discreet, no smoke.
Legal & OMMA
Approval email
As of January 2026, Oklahoma patients can shop at licensed dispensaries using just the OMMA approval email while they wait for their physical card to arrive. The email must be presented along with a state-issued ID.
Caregiver license
An OMMA license allowing a designated adult to purchase and handle medical cannabis on behalf of a patient who needs assistance, such as a minor or homebound patient.
Contributory database
A shared database that multiple businesses contribute accusations or reports to, which other businesses then use to make decisions about a person. Cannabis "block lists" that share customer flags between dispensaries work this way. Such databases have faced legal challenges when they lack accuracy and dispute protections.
Due process
The principle that before a person is punished, they should know the accusation, see the evidence, and have a chance to respond. Guaranteed against the government by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. Private dispensary "block lists" are not bound by it — which is exactly why a flag with no notice or appeal is so concerning.
Excise tax
The 7% state tax applied to medical cannabis sales in Oklahoma, charged in addition to standard state and local sales taxes.
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
A federal law (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.) that regulates databases used to make decisions about consumers, requiring accuracy, notice, and a way to dispute entries. A merchant-accusation database (LexisNexis "Esteem") was challenged under the FCRA and suspended; its application to cannabis "block lists" is untested but structurally similar.
False light
An Oklahoma privacy tort: publishing information that places a person in a false and highly offensive light, with knowing or reckless disregard for the truth. It can apply when an unproven accusation is attached to a patient and shared between businesses. Oklahoma recognizes false light with a two-year deadline to sue.
HIPAA (and dispensaries)
HIPAA is the federal health-privacy law — but standalone dispensaries generally are not HIPAA "covered entities," so it usually does not apply to them. No agency issues a "HIPAA certification." A POS vendor marketing itself as "HIPAA certified" while spreading patient data raises a truth-in-advertising question, not a HIPAA violation.
METRC
The Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance system — Oklahoma's seed-to-sale tracking software. Every legal cannabis product has a METRC tag identifying its origin batch and chain of custody.
Network block (point-of-sale)
A point-of-sale feature that lets one dispensary block or flag a customer across every other business on the same software network, keyed to the customer's scanned state ID. Unlike a single-store ban, a network block follows the customer to unrelated dispensaries they may never have visited.
OMMA
The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority — the state agency that regulates Oklahoma's medical cannabis program. OMMA issues patient cards and dispensary licenses, and sets purchase + possession limits.
Patient blacklist
A private list, kept inside some cannabis point-of-sale (POS) software, that flags a customer so dispensaries see a warning when the customer's state ID is scanned. Network-wide versions can share that flag between unrelated dispensaries — often with no proof, no notice to the customer, and no way to appeal. It is run by a software vendor, not by the State of Oklahoma.
Presumption of innocence
The bedrock principle that a person is treated as innocent until an accusation is actually proven. The U.S. Supreme Court called it "axiomatic and elementary" in Coffin v. United States (1895). A dispensary "block list" entry treats an unproven accusation as if it were established fact.
Qualified privilege
A legal defense that can protect certain statements shared between parties with a genuine common interest — but it is lost through "excessive publication," such as broadcasting an accusation to unrelated businesses with no connection to the matter. Network-wide dispensary flags can defeat this privilege.
Republication
In defamation law, every repetition of a false statement can count as a new publication — a fresh wrong with fresh harm. So a budtender repeating a false "block list" reason to a coworker, or posting it on social media, can be a separate act of defamation.
Seed-to-sale
The tracking of cannabis through every stage, from cultivation to final sale, used by regulators to monitor the legal supply chain.
SQ 788
The 2018 ballot measure in which Oklahoma voters legalized medical marijuana, creating the state's patient and business licensing program.
Temporary license
Non-residents who hold a valid medical marijuana card from another state can apply for an Oklahoma 30-day temporary medical license. Valid for 30 days from issue; allows purchase at any OMMA-licensed dispensary.
Unity Bill
The 2019 legislation (HB 2612) that built the regulatory framework implementing State Question 788, including patient protections and business rules.