Cottonmouth

THC-induced oral dryness (clinically xerostomia). The compound cotton plus mouth describes the sensation of fibers on the palate. The noun originally referred to the venomous water-moccasin snake (attested 1832, from its white mouth interior); the dry-mouth sense developed independently in 20th-century American vernacular and attached to cannabis effects by mid-century. Cause identified in 2006 (Prestifilippo et al.): cannabinoids bind CB1 and CB2 receptors in submandibular glands, suppressing saliva production. Near-universal in English-language cannabis slang.