Headshop Terms Explained

If you've ever searched online for smoking accessories, rolling papers, CBD products or growing equipment, you've probably come across terms such as headshop, smoke shop, grow shop, vape shop and CBD shop.

But what exactly is the difference?

The names are sometimes used interchangeably, and modern stores often combine several of these categories under one roof. Nevertheless, each term has a slightly different meaning and history.

Here's our simple guide to understanding the most common terms.

What Is a Headshop?

A headshop is traditionally a specialist retailer selling smoking accessories and products connected to smoking culture and alternative lifestyles.

Typical products found in a headshop include:

• Rolling papers and filter tips
• Grinders
• Pipes and smoking accessories
• Bongs and water pipes
• Rolling trays
• Storage containers
• Cleaning accessories
• Lighters
• Scales
• CBD-related products
• Lifestyle and novelty products

The first headshops became popular during the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in the United States. They were often associated with alternative culture, music, art and the emerging cannabis movement.

Modern headshops have changed considerably. Many are now professional specialist retailers carrying well-known international brands and focusing heavily on product knowledge, quality and customer service.

Why Is It Called a "Headshop"?

The exact origin of the term isn't completely certain.

"Head" was historically used as slang for someone strongly interested in a particular substance, activity or culture. During the counterculture era, terms such as "pothead" became common, and stores serving this community gradually became known as headshops.

Today, however, the term describes the type of shop and its product range rather than its customers.

You certainly don't need to be a "head" to visit one!

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What Is a Smoke Shop?

A smoke shop is a broader term for a retailer specialising in products related to smoking.

Depending on the country, a smoke shop may sell:

• Cigarettes and tobacco
• Cigars
• Rolling tobacco
• Rolling papers
• Filters
• Lighters
• Pipes
• Grinders
• Smoking accessories

The biggest difference between a traditional smoke shop and a headshop is generally the product focus.

A traditional smoke shop or tobacconist tends to concentrate more heavily on tobacco products, while a headshop usually has a much larger selection of accessories and products associated with alternative smoking culture.

However, the distinction is becoming increasingly blurred.

In some countries – particularly the United States – "smoke shop" is now commonly used for businesses that Europeans might describe as headshops.

What Is a Tobacconist?

A tobacconist is one of the oldest types of specialist smoking retailers.

Traditionally, tobacconists focus primarily on:

• Cigars
• Cigarettes
• Pipe tobacco
• Rolling tobacco
• Tobacco pipes
• Humidors
• Lighters
• Premium smoking accessories

The emphasis is usually on tobacco itself, whereas a headshop focuses much more strongly on accessories.

A specialist cigar shop, for example, would normally be described as a tobacconist rather than a headshop.

What Is a Grow Shop?

A grow shop is something quite different.

Instead of concentrating on products used for smoking, grow shops specialise in equipment for growing plants indoors or in controlled environments.

Products may include:

• Grow tents
• Grow lights
• Ventilation systems
• Fans
• Plant nutrients
• Pots and growing containers
• Irrigation equipment
• pH and EC meters
• Growing media and substrates
• Propagation equipment

Although grow shops are frequently associated with cannabis cultivation, much of the equipment they sell can be used for many different plants.

The key distinction is simple:

A headshop focuses primarily on consumption accessories, while a grow shop focuses primarily on cultivation equipment.

Some businesses combine both concepts and operate as a head & grow shop.

What Is a Vape Shop?

A vape shop specialises primarily in electronic vaping products rather than traditional smoking accessories.

Its typical range can include:

• Vape devices
• E-cigarettes
• Replacement coils
• Pods
• Batteries
• Chargers
• E-liquids
• Vape accessories

Vape shops became increasingly common with the growth of electronic cigarettes and vaping.

Some headshops and smoke shops also carry vaping products, while dedicated vape shops tend to specialise almost exclusively in this category.

What Is a CBD Shop?

A CBD shop specialises in products containing cannabidiol – better known as CBD.

Depending on local legislation, the range might include products such as:

• CBD oils
• CBD flowers
• CBD pre-rolls
• CBD cosmetics
• CBD edibles
• CBD accessories

CBD shops are relatively new compared with traditional headshops and tobacconists.

There is considerable overlap between CBD shops and modern headshops because many headshops have added CBD products to their ranges as the European CBD market has developed.

What can legally be sold as a CBD product varies considerably between countries, so local laws always matter.

What Is a Cannabis Dispensary?

This is where an important distinction needs to be made.

A cannabis dispensary is not simply another name for a headshop.

In jurisdictions where recreational or medicinal cannabis sales are legally permitted, licensed dispensaries may sell cannabis products containing THC directly to authorised customers.

Depending on local laws, these might include:

• Cannabis flower
• Pre-rolls
• Edibles
• Concentrates
• Cannabis oils
• Other regulated cannabis products

A headshop, by contrast, traditionally sells the accessories associated with smoking or cannabis culture rather than recreational cannabis itself.

The legal situation varies enormously from one country to another.

What About a Smart Shop?

You may also encounter the term smart shop, particularly in parts of Europe.

Historically, smart shops have specialised in psychoactive, herbal or ethnobotanical products rather than conventional smoking accessories.

Their product ranges have varied considerably depending on local legislation and have sometimes included herbal preparations, supplements, mushroom-related products and other psychoactive products that were legal within the particular jurisdiction.

A smart shop and a headshop therefore aren't necessarily the same thing, although historically there has been some overlap between the two.

So What's the Difference?

The easiest way to understand all these terms is to look at what the shop primarily specialises in:

Headshop → smoking accessories & alternative smoking culture

Smoke shop → smoking products & accessories

Tobacconist → tobacco, cigars & traditional smoking products

Grow shop → plant cultivation equipment

Vape shop → electronic cigarettes & vaping products

CBD shop → CBD products

Cannabis dispensary → legally regulated cannabis products

Smart shop → specialised herbal or psychoactive products, depending on local law

But in the real world, these categories increasingly overlap.

A modern headshop might sell rolling papers, grinders, bongs, CBD products, storage solutions, scales and selected growing accessories all in the same store.

Where Does MOM & POP Fit In?

MOM & POP opened in Malta in 2013 as a specialist headshop.

Over the years, our product range has expanded considerably, but the basic concept remains the same: bringing together smoking accessories, specialist brands, CBD products and related lifestyle products in one place.

That means you'll find products from several of the categories explained above under one roof.

Rather than simply selling products, we believe a modern headshop should also provide knowledge.

What is the difference between two types of rolling papers? Which grinder is right for you? How do different smoking accessories work? What should visitors know about cannabis laws in Malta?

That's exactly why we created the MOM & POP Knowledge Centre.

One Shop – Many Terms

The terminology surrounding headshops can initially seem confusing, especially because the meaning of terms such as "headshop" and "smoke shop" can differ between Europe and the United States.

The simplest rule is to look beyond the name and consider what the store actually specialises in.

A headshop isn't necessarily a smoke shop.

A smoke shop isn't necessarily a tobacconist.

And a grow shop certainly isn't the same thing as a cannabis dispensary.

But today's specialist retailers increasingly combine elements from several of these worlds.

And ultimately, whatever name is written above the door, the products, expertise and service inside are what really define the shop.