BDSA Category Hierarchy & Definitions

BDSA Category Definitions

• Inhaleables - Any cannabis product that is smoked or inhaled.

  • Extracts - Also known as concentrates, dabs, waxes, and oils, cannabis extracts are a type of refined product where the cannabis essential oils and active compounds are separated from the raw plant material. Extracts are highly concentrated, so even a small quantity can induce a strong, long-lasting effect. BDSA’s Extracts category contains primarily loose extracts (not sold pre-packaged in a vape) and is often consumed via dabbing, adding to Flower, or a loose concentrate vape.

    • Resin Cannabis resin can come in multiple formats and textures due to various post-processing techniques to achieve desired consistencies. BDSA uses Resin to refer to any non-oil extract created using a solvent (Butane, Propane, CO2, or others). The subcategories under this Level 3 Resin category are organized based on the resin texture.

      • Badder is a form of Wax extract that is creamy in consistency. Badder is extracted just as Wax is but goes through an additional process of redistributing air molecules through mechanical agitation to achieve a whipped consistency. The result is an extract that is softer and creamier than Wax.

      • Crumble is a form of Wax extract that is dry and crumbly, like cheese. Crumble is made by taking Badder through an additional process of drying and purging at low temperatures in a vacuum until it becomes a Crumble. The result is an extract that is dry, crumbly, and waxy.
      • Crystalline is produced to isolate a specific type of cannabinoid, usually THCA, CBDA, or CBD. Crystalline is formed by thoroughly refining cannabis oil into a single compound, isolating the desired cannabinoid from all other molecules, and producing an extract free of plant matter or terpenes. The end product is often flavorless with a sugar-like consistency.
      • Diamonds like Crystalline, are isolated THCA diamonds most often produced using live extraction techniques and separating any large diamonds from the terp sauce. The result is large THCA diamond-like rocks that are often flavorless as they have been separated from most terpenes.
      • Resin this Resin category will include any general Cured Resins and primarily Live Resins. Cured Resin utilizes dried cannabis that has been put through the curing process. Live Resin, and other Live extracts, are produced using plant material frozen immediately after harvest. Skipping the curing process can lead to a product that better retains the plant’s natural cannabinoid and terpene profile due to preserving the plant’s trichome content.
      • Sauce Terp Sauce is a cannabis extract with a high concentration of terpenes, resulting in a runny, syrupy sauce-like concentrate that is high in flavor. Sauce is produced similarly to Diamonds and is the terpene-rich product left after the Diamonds are removed.
      • Shatter is a cannabis extract named for its hard, glass-like consistency that tends to crack or shatter when broken apart. It is typically gold or amber in color. It achieves its glass-like appearance through specific processing techniques involving solvents like butane or other hydrocarbons.
      • Sugar is a cannabis extract with a consistency like wet sugar or sugar mixed with a liquid but not dissolved. Cannabis sugar is made through chemical extraction and can be made from dried Flower or fresh frozen cannabis. Sugar often has a bright yellow or deep amber color.
      • Wax is an extract named for its soft, malleable texture that resembles Wax. Most waxes result from extraction processes involving butane or other hydrocarbon solvents. Because waxes can form a variety of nuanced textures due to variations in moisture and lipid content, we find Waxes marketed under different names like “butter,” “badder,” “honeycomb,” “crumble,” or “sugar.” BDSA provides different subcategories for deeper analyses of Badder, Crumble, and Sugar. So this more general Wax category will include any Wax extracts that are not branded or can not be described as those.
    • Solventless extracts are extracted from Flower using no chemicals. Instead of utilizing hydrocarbons (butane or propane) as a solvent to separate the cannabis extract from plant matter, as is done for most other extracts, solventless extraction often uses ice water or the application of heat and pressure, resulting in what is perceived as a cleaner, more high-quality extract.
      • Bubble Hash refers to a specific type of hash made with a process involving ice water. To make bubble hash, cannabis flower is added to fine mesh bags of ice water (called “bubble bags”) and agitated to separate trichomes from the Flower. It results in a fine, sandy, or powdery material ranging in color from light blonde to dark brown. Bubble hash gets its name from its tendency to bubble when brought under a lighter’s flame.
      • Hash is made from tightly compressed cannabis resin, forming solid chunks of concentrated trichome heads that are usually brown in color. Hash often starts as Kief or Bubble Hash, which is pressed either by hand or mechanically to form one dense, solid chunk of hash.
      • Kief is the collection of dried trichomes mechanically separated from Flower using a screen or sieve. It has a powdery appearance and a somewhat sticky texture, though less so than trichomes on a bud. Flower consumers can often create their own Kief using a grinder with a screen divider.
      • Rosin is a cannabis extract made using heat and pressure. Cannabis plant material (Flower, Trim, Kief, or Bubble Hash) is placed in a press with heated pads and then compressed, producing a hot oil. When freshly pressed, it will be a hot oil. When it cools, it becomes soft and creamy or honey-like and malleable.
    • Oil extracts are cannabis extracts with an oil-like consistency. The product is most often consumed in pre-packaged vapes but is also sold in loose form, most often packaged in a syringe for easy application. The subcategories under this Level 3 Oil category will include only those Oils sold in their loose form (not pre-packaged in a vape).
      • Distillate is a highly potent cannabis oil made by extracting plant matter from the cannabis flower via hydrocarbon extraction (Butane, Propane, or CO2) and refining the oil using ethanol distillation with boiling points that target specific terpene/cannabinoid ranges to separate harsh contaminants. The process strips the oil of all “impurities” (fats, lipids, plant matter), resulting in a thin, highly-viscous liquid, often golden in color.
      • RSO, or Rick Simpson Oil, is a full-spectrum cannabis oil often used medically and taken orally or applied topically. It contains all the cannabinoids, terpenes, and additional compounds of the whole cannabis plant. RSO is made by mixing Flower and alcohol (often grain or ethanol) in a large container, stirring and crushing the plant matter into the alcohol. After a time, the alcohol is drained from the remaining plant material. That mixture is then heated in a container so that the residual alcohol evaporates. The end product is a high-potency oil, often dark in color with a thick consistency.
      • Oil subcategory will include any non-distillate or RSO oils. Primarily what ends up in this category is CO2-extracted hash oil, but it also houses any other known or unknown oils that can’t be considered distillate or RSO.
      • Infused Flower is created when additional cannabis extracts are added to whole or ground Flower. There are many different infusion processes, but the main ones involve spraying, coating, or sprinkling an oil or different extract types onto the cannabis flower and using heat to bind the two materials. This process creates a potent new strain of infused cannabis that has added elements to the original strain. The most commonly sold Infused Flower product is Caviar, which is whole cured Flower rolled in Oil or Distillate and then dusted in Kief or Bubble Hash.
      • Inhaler is Cannabis Inhalers. They work just as inhalers do for medication; activated cannabis extracts are inhaled into the bronchial airways via a propellant, bringing the cannabis extract directly to the lungs, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream. More significantly, an exact dosage can be administered, taking much of the guesswork out of how much of a cannabis product to consume.
      • Unspecified/Other - This subcategory is used as a catch-all for any Extract that does not fit any other category definitions and generic data for Extract products that lack sufficient detail to classify accurately.

  • Vape - A device designed to vaporize Concentrate pre-loaded within the apparatus.

    • Vape Cartridge - Viscous Concentrate material packaged in a cartridge with an attachable or integrated battery that heats the material to a temperature suitable for vaporization and inhalation, subcategorized by the Concentrate they contain, including Budder, Distillate, Live Resin, Oil, Rosin, and RSO.

      • Kit - A vape cartridge kit is a “bundled” product in which the cartridge is sold with the vape pen/battery and is often packed together by the brand or an in-store promotional deal.

      • Unspecified Cartridge - This is a catch-all classification for generic data where the contents of the Vape Cartridge do not fit other Concentrate definitions or generic data for Vape Cartridge products that lack sufficient detail to classify accurately.

    • Vape Disposable - A Disposable Vape is an “all-in-one” unit where the concentrate container and battery are all one device and cannot be detached. These are sub-categorized by the Concentrate they contain, including Distillate, Live Resin, Oil, and RSO.

  • Flower - Raw, harvested, and cured cannabis flower sold in bud form. Includes popcorn.

  • Pre-Rolled - Inhalable product pre-rolled in paper to make a portable, smokable form.

    • Infused Pre-Rolled - A pre-rolled product infused with cannabis concentrate (most often Bubble Hash or Oil). Sometimes referred to as “Caviar Joints.”

    • Pre-Rolled - A pre-rolled product that contains only ground Flower. Sometimes referred to as “Joints” or “Blunts.”

  • Shake/Trim/Lite - Raw, harvested, and cured cannabis flower sold in loose leaf or small bud form. Shake most commonly refers to Flower that has naturally broken down through handling (think “bottom of the barrel”), so it is often sold at a lower price point (commonly referred to as Shake).

• Ingestibles - Any product ingested and taken into the body orally by either swallowing or absorbing it.

  • Edibles - An ingestible product that is swallowed and absorbed via the stomach lining. Includes Beverages, Candy, Culinary (products used in cooking), Infused Foods, Chocolates, and Pills.

  • Sublinguals - An ingestible product absorbed sublingually, meaning the product is placed under the tongue and absorbed via the salivary glands. Includes Orally Dissolvable Strips/Tablets, Nasal Spray, Tinctures, and Gum.

• Topical - Products absorbed through the epidermis (skin) or via non-oral/nasal orifices. Most often used for medicinal purposes. Includes Balms/Salves, Creams, Lip Balm, Lotion, Sexual Lubricant, Massage Oil, Transdermal Patches, Soap, Spray, and Suppositories.

• Other Cannabis - Cannabis products that do not fit into any other categories. Includes Bundles/Collections of products, Pet Products, and Clones/Seeds.

• Accessories - All non-cannabis products. Includes smoking accessories/devices, merchandise/apparel, and grow supplies.