Walking into a dispensary for the first time means running into a small pile of unfamiliar words — eighth, cart, COA, smalls — usually printed on a menu with no translation. None of it is complicated once someone explains it, so that's all this page does: plain definitions for the terms you'll actually see at a Vermont shop, mapped to what's on our shelf. There's no quiz, and you never have to use any of these words yourself — "the one in the green jar" works fine at the counter.

How is cannabis flower measured? (eighths, quarters, smalls)

Flower is the dried, cured bud of the cannabis plant — the classic form you grind and smoke or roll. In Vermont, like most places, loose flower is sold by weight, and the weights have nicknames that throw off newcomers. Here's the whole system:

• Eighth — 3.5 grams (an eighth of an ounce). The most common starting size, and the one most menus lead with.
• Quarter — 7 grams (a quarter ounce).
• Half — 14 grams (a half ounce).
• Ounce — 28 grams. In Vermont, an ounce is also the personal possession limit for cannabis flower for adults 21+.
• Gram — the smallest loose amount, handy for trying a single cultivar without committing to an eighth.

You'll also see the word "smalls" (sometimes "littles" or "small buds"). These are simply smaller-sized buds of the same flower — same plant, same batch, just the little nuggets instead of the big showpiece ones. They're usually priced lower, which makes them a sensible, no-downside way to try a grower you're curious about. The flower itself isn't lesser; the buds are just smaller.

What's a pre-roll?

A pre-roll is exactly what it sounds like: a joint that's already rolled for you, ground flower wrapped in paper with a little cardboard tip, ready to go. It's the lowest-effort way to try flower — no grinder, no rolling, nothing to learn. Pre-rolls come as singles or in multi-packs, and some growers use them to showcase a specific cultivar. If "buy flower and roll it yourself" sounds like a project you're not ready for, a pre-roll skips all of it.

What's a vape cart?

A cart — short for cartridge — is a small pre-filled container of cannabis oil that screws onto a battery (the pen-shaped part) and heats the oil into vapor you inhale. The battery and the cart are usually separate purchases: you buy a battery once and swap in new carts as you go. Some products are all-in-one or disposable, meaning the battery and cart are a single sealed unit you use and recycle. Carts are popular because they're compact and low-fuss, with no grinding, rolling, or smell of burning flower.

What's an edible?

An edible is any cannabis-infused food or drink — gummies are the best-known, but it also covers chocolates, mints, and infused beverages. Edibles are measured in milligrams (mg) of cannabinoid per piece, and they work very differently from smoking or vaping: they're swallowed and digested, so they take noticeably longer to take effect and the experience lasts longer. The standard, oft-repeated guidance for anyone new is "start low and go slow" — begin with a small amount and give it plenty of time before deciding whether to have more. We've got a fuller walkthrough of cannabis drinks in our guide to THC beverages.

What's a concentrate?

A concentrate is cannabis flower refined down into a thick, potent extract — the plant's resin separated from the leafy material. You'll see names like hash, rosin, live resin, wax, shatter, and budder; they describe different textures and extraction methods, but they're all concentrates. They're more potent by weight than flower and are generally a more advanced format, so they're worth understanding before you reach for one. We break down the main types — and which are solventless — in our concentrates explainer.

What's a COA, and why does it matter?

A COA stands for Certificate of Analysis — the report from an independent testing lab that says what's actually in a given batch of cannabis. It lists the cannabinoid content and confirms the batch was screened for contaminants like pesticides, solvents, and microbials. In Vermont, every legal product on a licensed shelf has gone through this required lab testing, which is the core difference between a regulated store and the untested gray market. You don't need to read a COA to shop, but you can always ask a budtender to show you the testing behind a product — it's a fair question, and they'll have the answer.

If the licensed-versus-unlicensed distinction is new to you, our guide on why lab-tested, licensed cannabis matters goes deeper on what that testing actually covers.

A few more words you'll hear

• Budtender — the person behind the counter who helps you choose. Telling them it's your first time is the single most useful thing you can do.
• Cultivar / strain — a specific variety of cannabis with its own name and character, the way a grape variety names a wine.
• Terpenes — the aromatic compounds that give a cultivar its smell, from citrus to pine to fuel. Often a better thing to shop by than a potency number.
• Cannabinoids — the family of compounds in cannabis; THC and CBD are the two you'll see named most often on labels.
• Indica / sativa / hybrid — traditional shelf categories. They're a loose, imperfect shorthand, so treat them as a starting point and let a budtender or the cultivar itself guide you rather than the label alone.

You don't have to know any of this to walk in

Here's the honest version: you can show up knowing none of these words and still have a great visit. Bring a government-issued photo ID showing you're 21+, tell the budtender it's your first time, and describe what you're after in plain language. That's all it takes. When you're ready, browse the live menu to see the terms in context, or read what to expect your first time for a walkthrough of the visit itself.

And the Vermont basics that apply to all of it: cannabis here is adult-use for 21 and older, public consumption isn't permitted anywhere in the state, and it can't legally cross state lines — so it's something to enjoy privately, at home.