Short answer
A nug is a dried cannabis flower bud. The word is slang for nugget. Nugs grow on female cannabis plants in compact clusters. Dispensaries sell them as flower. Each nug holds trichomes, the resin glands that carry THC, CBD, and terpenes.
Is nugs the same as weed?
Nugs are one form of weed. Weed covers the whole plant and every product made from it: flower, vape carts, edibles, concentrates. A nug is the raw flower. When someone says they have nugs, they mean cannabis flower, not oil or gummies.
What is inside a nug
A nug has four parts.
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- Bracts and calyxes: the seed-bearing structures that make up most of the flower mass.
- Pistils: the hairs that turn orange or brown as the plant matures.
- Trichomes: mushroom-shaped glands on the surface. They produce cannabinoids and terpenes.
- Sugar leaves: small leaves with trichomes that growers trim close to the bud.
Nugs compared to shake, trim, and smalls
- Nugs: whole, intact buds.
- Smalls: whole buds below a size cutoff, often under 1 gram each. Same plant, lower price.
- Shake: loose flower and plant bits that fall off during packing and handling.
- Trim: sugar leaves and stems cut from buds. Processors send trim to extraction.
How flower is sold by weight
- 1 gram
- Eighth: 3.5 grams
- Quarter: 7 grams
- Half ounce: 14 grams
- Ounce: 28 grams
Labels list THC and CBD percentages from a lab test. NIDA reported average THC in confiscated flower at about 15% in 2021, up from about 4% in 1995. Retail labels in legal states often show numbers in that same range or higher.
Nug run in concentrates
Nug run is a label on extracts. It means the processor used whole flower buds as the starting material instead of trim, leaf, or stems. Nug run products cost more.
Storage
Keep nugs in a sealed glass jar. Store the jar in a dark place at room temperature. Air, light, and heat degrade THC and terpenes. A humidity pack holds flower near 58% to 62% relative humidity.