Cannabis Words and Slang in Spain
Spanish cannabis vocabulary rarely matches the English one, and half of it is regional slang. This short glossary covers the words you are most likely to hear on Mallorca, so you at least know what is being talked about.
The basics
Cannabis is the formal word and the one used in law and medicine. Marihuana refers to the flower. Hachís, from the Arabic, is hashish — pressed resin, historically the most common form in Spain because of its proximity to Morocco.
Cogollo means the flower bud. Hierba, literally "grass", is the everyday word for herbal cannabis.
Street slang
Costo is Spanish slang for hashish and is heard constantly. María is slang for herbal cannabis. Grifa is an older word for low-grade Moroccan hash, still used by some.
A porro is a joint. Canuto means the same thing. Chino refers to the old method of heating hash over a pin, a technique that has largely disappeared.
Words around buying and clubs
Asociación cannábica is the formal name for a cannabis social club. Socio means member. Cuota is the membership fee, and aportación, "contribution", is the word clubs use instead of price.
Camello is slang for a street dealer and carries no positive meaning at all.
Useful legal terms
Multa is a fine. Sanción administrativa is an administrative penalty, the category that covers public consumption. Requisar means to confiscate. Consumo en vía pública, consumption in a public street, is the phrase written on those fines.
Knowing these last few is genuinely useful if you are ever handed a piece of paper by a police officer.