What is Cannabis flower?

If you’ve been following weed lingo recently, you may have noticed a steady increase in the term cannabis flower over the more traditional “bud.” That evolution begs the question: what exactly is cannabis flower? Another new “high-tech” innovation?

No! But the good news is, you probably already know!

Simply put, cannabis flower refers to the part of the plant that you smoke, as opposed to the iconic seven-bladed leaf. (And for those unaware, no, you really don’t smoke that leaf you always see depicted.)

When you buy your regular, run-of-the-mill cannabis from a dispensary, you’re buying cannabis flower. And yes, when you buy your normal pre-rolled joints, they’re filled with cannabis flower.

That’s right, the famous “bud” you’ve been puffing on isn’t actually bud at all, it’s flower.

So what’s with the seemingly recent change in phrasing? The plentiful choice of dispensaries all share the same commonality: that beautiful government-enforced standardization that can lead to some product names sounding the same. However, they’re not wrong – it’s the technical name for everyone’s favourite part of the plant, that nobody can agree on a singular name for.

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So how do you smoke cannabis flower and where can you find it?

While cannabis flower remains the lowest-tech of any of the options at your local dispensary, it’s also extremely popular. That means even your smaller dispensaries will have a plethora of different options to choose from.

How do you choose? The best idea is to chat with your budtender about what kind of experience you’re looking for.

Once you’ve selected your variety, you’ll need to choose your method of consumption, but all will begin by first preparing the cannabis flower using a grinder.

For the inexperienced, using a pipe can be a safe way to take things a little bit slower, either by putting a little less in the bowl or by lighting the corners of the bowl only, then waiting to feel the effects.

Ground cannabis flower is also used to roll joints, perfect for sharing with a few friends, or for use in bowls in other paraphernalia, such as bongs or bubblers.

Just because smoking “normal” cannabis flower is being made to seem old fashioned these days doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it, after all, if it ain’t broke; don’t fix it!

READ MORE: Indica? Sativa? What are they and what’s the difference?

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