Cannabis Glossary: Menu, Label and Delivery Terms Explained

Cannabis menus, labels and lab reports come with their own vocabulary, and some of it is borrowed from chemistry, some from state law and some from decades of slang. This glossary defines the terms you're most likely to see when shopping for cannabis delivery in Massachusetts, in plain English. It's grouped by where you'll run into each word, and every section links to a longer guide. It's for adults 21 and over, and it describes products, not health effects.

Key takeaways

• Menu terms describe the product: flower, pre-roll, concentrate, edible, tincture, topical.
• Label and lab terms tell you what's in it: total THC, THCA, terpenes, batch, date of testing.
• Delivery terms come from state rules: pre-verification, residence, one delivery a day, delivery waiver.
• Names aren't data. Strain names and indica/sativa labels are shorthand. The lab record is the measurement.

Product types

Flower. The dried, cured buds of the cannabis plant, sold by weight. See flower.

Eighth, quarter, half, ounce. Fractions of an ounce used to size flower: about 3.5 g, 7 g, 14 g and 28 g. The flower sizes guide has exact conversions.

Pre-roll. Ground flower rolled in paper, ready to use. Sold as singles or packs. See pre-rolls.

Infused pre-roll. A pre-roll that also contains concentrate, such as kief, distillate or rosin. It usually tests much higher in THC than flower alone. The pre-roll buying guide explains how to read one.

Concentrate. A product made by extracting cannabinoids and terpenes from the plant. Massachusetts labels identify these as a "concentrate" or "extract." See concentrates.

Extract. Another word for concentrate, used on labels and menus.

Distillate. A highly refined concentrate, often used in vape cartridges and edibles.

Live resin. A concentrate made from plant material frozen right after harvest, typically using a solvent.

Rosin / live rosin. A concentrate made with heat and pressure rather than chemical solvents. "Live" rosin starts from fresh-frozen material. The live resin vs. rosin vs. distillate guide covers all three.

Kief. The fine, powdery trichome material that collects when flower is ground or sifted.

Hash. Trichomes separated from the plant and pressed or collected into a solid.

Badder, budder, shatter, wax, sugar. Texture names for concentrates. They describe consistency, not strength.

Vape cartridge ("cart"). A container of cannabis oil that attaches to a battery. See vapes.

510 thread. The most common screw-in connection between a vape cartridge and a battery.

All-in-one (AIO) / disposable. A vape with the battery and oil in one sealed device. The vape cartridge guide covers hardware.

Edible. A food or drink containing cannabis, portioned into servings. In Massachusetts, a serving can't contain more than 5 mg of delta-9 THC, subject to testing variance. See edibles.

Tincture. A liquid cannabis product, usually in an oil or alcohol base, measured with a dropper or applicator. See the tinctures guide and tinctures.

Topical. A cannabis-infused product made to be applied to the skin, such as a balm or lotion. See topicals.

Accessories. Papers, grinders, batteries and storage that don't contain cannabis. See accessories.

Plant and chemistry terms

Cannabinoid. A class of compounds produced by the cannabis plant. THC and CBD are the best known.

THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). The cannabinoid primarily associated with cannabis's intoxicating effects and with impairment. Massachusetts measures serving caps and purchase-limit equivalents in THC.

THCA. The acid form of THC found in raw cannabis. It converts to THC when heated.

Total THC. A calculated figure that combines THC and the THC that THCA can convert to. The THC percentage guide explains the formula.

CBD (cannabidiol). A cannabinoid commonly described as non-intoxicating. The CBD vs. THC guide explains how both appear on labels.

Hemp. Under Massachusetts law, cannabis with a delta-9 THC concentration of no more than 0.3%. Hemp CBD products are regulated separately from licensed marijuana products.

Terpenes. Aromatic compounds that give cannabis its smell and flavor, such as myrcene, limonene and pinene. The terpenes guide covers the common ones.

Cultivar / strain. A named variety of the cannabis plant. The name tells you the genetics a grower is claiming, not the measured profile.

Indica, sativa, hybrid. Traditional labels for plant types. They don't reliably predict what's in the jar. The indica vs. sativa vs. hybrid guide explains why.

Trichomes. The tiny, resin-producing glands on cannabis flowers, where most cannabinoids and terpenes are concentrated.

Cure. The slow drying process after harvest that prepares flower for sale.

Label and lab terms

Cannabinoid profile. The part of a label or lab report listing THC, CBD and other cannabinoids. Massachusetts labels must include it.

Serving size. The amount a manufacturer defines as one serving, with THC listed per serving on edibles, concentrates, tinctures and topicals.

Batch number. An identifier for a specific production run. It links the package to its lab test.

Date of testing. When the batch's lab test was completed. It's not an expiration date.

Use-by date. The recommended use-by or expiration date required on edibles and concentrates.

Certificate of analysis (COA). The lab's full report for a batch: potency, contaminant screens and dates. The COA guide walks through one.

Contaminant screens. Required tests for things like microbials, mycotoxins, heavy metals and pesticides. Labels carry a statement and seal that the product was tested with no adverse findings.

METRC. The state's seed-to-sale tracking system. Every licensed plant and package carries a METRC tag. The METRC package tag guide explains what it means for shoppers, and our lab results page shows how we display that data.

Package tag. The METRC-issued identifier on a package that ties it to its history in the tracking system.

Child-resistant packaging. Packaging designed to be hard for young children to open, required for cannabis sold in Massachusetts.

Universal symbol. The Cannabis Control Commission's symbols on every label: one marking the package as marijuana, one warning it's harmful to children. The label guide covers every required element.

Delivery and legal terms

Adult-use. The legal, non-medical cannabis market for adults 21 and older.

Cannabis Control Commission (CCC). The state agency that licenses and regulates cannabis businesses in Massachusetts.

Delivery Operator. A state license type that allows a business to buy, store and deliver cannabis directly to consumers. The legality guide explains license types.

Pre-verification. The required check of your government-issued photo ID before your first delivery. The ID requirements guide explains it.

Residence. The only kind of address licensed delivery can go to: a house, condo or apartment. Not dorms, other college-designated housing, federal public housing, hotels or workplaces.

Delivery window. The time slot you choose at checkout. Ours are 12–2pm, 2–4pm, 4–6pm, 6–8pm, 8–10pm and 10–11pm Monday to Saturday; 12–2pm through 8–10pm on Sunday, and state rules require every delivery to be completed between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.

Order cutoff. The latest time to order for same-day delivery. Ours is 9pm (7pm on Sundays).

One delivery per day. A licensee can't deliver to the same consumer at the same residence more than once per calendar day.

Purchase limit. The most a single order can contain: two ounces of flower, or the equivalent of 10 grams of active THC in concentrates or 1,000 milligrams in edibles. See the limits guide.

Delivery waiver. A CCC-certified local ban on delivery, available only to municipalities without retail cannabis stores and limited to two years at a time. The MetroWest guide covers towns that hold one.

Excise tax. The 10.75% state tax on retail cannabis sales, charged on top of the 6.25% sales tax and any local option tax. The taxes guide explains a receipt.

Local option tax. An additional local tax of up to 3% that a city or town can adopt. Ours is 3%.

Open container. A cannabis package with a broken seal or partly used contents. It can't be in a car's passenger area. See the driving guide.

Everyday terms

Onset. How long a product takes to take effect. It varies by product type and by person, and the state warns that the impairment effects of edibles may be delayed by two hours or more.

Start low, go slow. Begin with a small amount, at or below one labeled serving, and wait before having more. It matters most for edibles and anything else you swallow. The edibles guide for first-timers explains why.

Dab. A small amount of concentrate, vaporized with specialized equipment.

Grinder. A tool that breaks flower into even pieces for rolling or vaporizing.

Put the vocabulary to work

Every product on our menu lists its type, weight or servings, and the state-tracked lab record for its package when available: cannabinoid profile, contaminant screens and test date. We deliver across Greater Boston and MetroWest, including Cambridge, Somerville, Fenway–Kenmore and Framingham, with a $50 minimum and a $4 delivery fee.

Browse the menu, or read how cannabis delivery works in Massachusetts. Adults 21+ only.

Definitions reflect Massachusetts law and regulations as of September 2026. For adults 21+ only.