Marijuana (word)

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The Devils Harvest - The Truth About Marijuana...The Smoke of Hell (1942) Marijuana The Smoke of Hell!.jpg
The Devils Harvest - The Truth About Marijuana...The Smoke of Hell (1942)

Marijuana, or marihuana, is a name for the cannabis plant, and more specifically, a drug preparation from it. [1] [2] [3] "Marijuana" as a term varies in usage, definition and legal application around the world. [4] Some jurisdictions define "marijuana" as the whole cannabis plant or any part of it, [5] while others refer to "marijuana" as a portion of the cannabis plant that contains high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). [6] Some jurisdictions recognize "marijuana" as a distinctive strain of cannabis, the other being hemp. [7] For legal, research and statistical reference, "marijuana" generally refers to only the dried leaves and flowering tops (herbal cannabis), with by-products such as hashish or hash oil being uniquely defined and regulated. [8] [9] [10] [11] The form "marihuana" is first attested in Mexican Spanish; it then spread to other varieties of Spanish and to English, French, and other languages. [12] [13]

Contents

Etymology

The term, originally spelled variously as "marihuana" or "mariguana", originated in Mexican Spanish. [13]

According to the Oxford English Dictionary , the term may come from the Nahuatl mallihuan, meaning "prisoner". [12] Author Martin Booth notes that this etymology was popularized by Harry J. Anslinger in the 1930s, during his campaigns against the drug. [14] However, linguist Jason D. Haugen finds no semantic basis for a connection to mallihuan, suggesting that the phonetic similarity may be "a case of accidental homophony". [15] : 94  Cannabis is not known to have been present in the Americas before Spanish contact, making an indigenous word an unlikely source. [16]

Other suggestions trace the possible origins of the word to Chinese ma ren hua (麻仁花, lit. 'hemp seed flower'), possibly itself originating as a loan from an earlier semitic root *mrj "hemp". [17] The Semitic root is also found in the Spanish word mejorana and in English marjoram, which could be related to the word marihuana. This is also known in Mexico as "Chinese oregano". [16]

Additionally, traditional association with the personal name María Juana ('Mary Jane') is probably a folk etymology. The original Mexican Spanish used forms with the letter ⟨h⟩ (marihuana), and is famously used in the Mexican Revolutionary era (1910–1920) version of the lyrics of La Cucaracha. Forms using the letter ⟨j⟩ (marijuana) seem to be an innovation of English, and their later appearance in French and Spanish are probably due to English influence. [12] [18]

Chris S. Duvall, an associate professor of geography at the University of New Mexico, provided a different theory of the word's etymology in 2015 on the website The Conversation :

The origin of the word "marijuana" foreshadowed its current use. Historically, the earliest and most numerous group of users in the Americas were slaves from western Central Africa (modern Gabon to Angola). [19] Their words for cannabis are now used in nearly all the places they (involuntarily) ended up during the 1700s and 1800s, which includes West Africa, the Caribbean and South America. Most notably, in Central America, the Kimbundu (Angolan) word mariamba became the Spanish word marihuana. [20]

The word "marijuana" as we know it today did not appear until 1846 in Farmacopea Mexicana, though it was spelled "mariguana". In most following instances, the word was spelled marihuana. [21] [22] In Chilean Spanish, mariguanza is the dance of a shaman in an altered state of consciousness. [23]

English use

Early use of the term marijuana

The word marihuana used in the title of a 1936 drug exploitation film Marihuana 1 (1936).jpg
The word marihuana used in the title of a 1936 drug exploitation film

The word entered English usage in the late 19th century. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first known appearance of a form of the word in English is in Hubert Howe Bancroft's 1873 The Native Races of the Pacific States of North America. [12] Other early variants include "mariguan" (1894), [16] "marihuma" first recorded in 1905, "marihuano" in 1912, and "marahuana" in 1914. [24] According to the second edition of Webster's New International Dictionary, the word originally denoted a wild species of South American tobacco, Nicotiana glauca. [25]

The use of "marihuana" in American English increased dramatically in the 1930s, when it was preferred as a "foreign-sounding name" to stigmatize it during debates on the drug's use. [12] [13] The word was codified into law and became part of common American English with the passing of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937.

Contemporary pop culture and counterculture use

A banner reading Legalize Marijuana on a van at a 1977 Yippie smoke-in in Washington, D.C. Smokeinvan.png
A banner reading Legalize Marijuana on a van at a 1977 Yippie smoke-in in Washington, D.C.

From the portrayal in the media of marijuana use by the hippie subculture in the 1960s, the word became associated with revolutionary youth. High Times magazine, which advocated legalization and openly celebrated the drug and its use, was founded in 1974. A stoner comedy genre emerged, as exemplified by the comedy duo Cheech & Chong that began in 1971 and were featured in their first mainstream film in 1978 with Up In Smoke . [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] In 1975, reggae artist Peter Tosh defended the use of the drug in the song "Legalize It", referring to it by several different names in the song.

Formal usage

Many legal references prefer the term "cannabis", for instance in the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. However, many laws and regulations often use the term "marihuana" or "marijuana", for instance the Controlled Substances Act in the United States. Some cannabis reform organizations, such as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and Marijuana Policy Project, alongside political organizations like Help End Marijuana Prohibition Party of Australia and the Marijuana Party of Canada, also use this term.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ganja</span> Hindustani word for cannabis

Ganja is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marihuana Tax Act of 1937</span> American law placing a tax on cannabis

The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law  75–238, 50 Stat. 551, enacted August 2, 1937, was a United States Act that placed a tax on the sale of cannabis. The H.R. 6385 act was drafted by Harry Anslinger and introduced by Rep. Robert L. Doughton of North Carolina, on April 14, 1937. The Seventy-fifth United States Congress held hearings on April 27, 28, 29th, 30th, and May 4, 1937. Upon the congressional hearings confirmation, the H.R. 6385 act was redrafted as H.R. 6906 and introduced with House Report 792. The Act is referred to, using the modern spelling, as the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act. It was overturned in 1969 in Leary v. United States, and was repealed by Congress the next year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis (drug)</span> Psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant

Cannabis, also known as marijuana or weed among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various traditional medicines for centuries. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive component of cannabis, which is one of the 483 known compounds in the plant, including at least 65 other cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabis can be used by smoking, vaporizing, within food, or as an extract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legal history of cannabis in the United States</span>

In the United States, increased restrictions and labeling of cannabis as a poison began in many states from 1906 onward, and outright prohibitions began in the 1920s. By the mid-1930s cannabis was regulated as a drug in every state, including 35 states that adopted the Uniform State Narcotic Drug Act. The first national regulation was the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937.

The plant name Cannabis is derived originally from a Scythian or Thracian word, which loaned into Persian as kanab, then into Greek as κάνναβις and subsequently into Latin as cannabis. The Germanic word that gives rise to English hemp may be an early Germanic loan from the same source.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joint (cannabis)</span> Cannabis cigarette, contains marijuana or hashish

A joint is a rolled cannabis cigarette. Unlike commercial tobacco cigarettes, the user ordinarily hand-rolls joints with rolling papers, though in some cases they are machine-rolled. Rolling papers are the most common rolling medium in industrialized countries; however, brown paper, cigarettes or beedies with the tobacco removed, receipts and paper napkin can also be used, particularly in developing countries. Modern papers are manufactured in a range of sizes from a wide variety of materials including rice, hemp, and flax, and are also available in liquorice and other flavoured varieties.

The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009, introduced during the 111th United States Congress by House Republican Ron Paul of Texas) and House Democrat Barney Frank of Massachusetts) on April 2, 2009, sought to clarify the differences between marijuana and industrial hemp as well as repeal federal laws that prohibit cultivation of industrial, but only for research facilities of higher education from conducting research. Industrial hemp is the non-psychoactive, low-THC, oil-seed and fibers varieties of, predominantly, the cannabis sativa plant. Hemp is a sustainable resource that can be used to create thousands of different products including fuel, fabrics, paper, household products, and food and has been used for hundreds of centuries by civilizations around the world. If H.R.1866 passes American farmers will be permitted to compete in global hemp markets. On March 10, 2009, both Paul and Frank wrote a letter to their Congressional colleagues urging them to support the legislation. This bill was previously introduced in 2005 under the title of Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2005.

The history of medicinal cannabis goes back to the ancient times. Ancient physicians in many parts of the world mixed cannabis into medicines to treat pain and other ailments. In the 19th century, cannabis was introduced for therapeutic use in Western Medicine. Since then, there have been several advancements in how the drug is administered. Initially, cannabis was reduced to a powder and mixed with wine for administration. In the 1970s, synthetic THC was created to be administered as the drug Marinol in a capsule. However, the main mode of administration for cannabis is smoking because its effects are almost immediate when the smoke is inhaled. Between 1996 and 1999, eight U.S. states supported cannabis prescriptions opposing policies of the federal government. Most people who are prescribed marijuana for medical purposes use it to alleviate severe pain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Chile</span> Use of cannabis in Chile

Cannabis in Chile is illegal for all production and public consumption, though private at-home consumption, grow and selling is allowed for medical use. It is widely consumed, with the highest per-capita use in Latin America. In 2014 Chile began clinical trials on medical marijuana, and in 2015 a decriminalization bill successfully passed the lower house of the Chilean Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Colombia</span> Use of cannabis in Colombia

Cannabis in Colombia is fully legal for medicinal purposes and for industrial purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in Mexico</span> Use of cannabis in Mexico

Cannabis in Mexico is legal for both recreational and medicinal purposes. It became legal for recreational purposes in June 2021, upon application and issuance of a permit from the health secretariat, COFEPRIS. On 29 June 2021, the Supreme Court of Mexico decriminalized the recreational use of cannabis. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador signed a bill that allows adults 18 and over to possess up to 28 grams of cannabis and grow up to six marijuana plants on their property.

The list includes and details significant events that occurred in the global history of national-level implementations of, or changes made to, laws surrounding the use, sale, or production of the psychoactive drug cannabis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis in China</span> Use of cannabis in China

Cannabis is illegal in China except for industrial purposes (hemp) and some forms of medicine. Historically, cannabis has been used in China for fiber, seeds, as a traditional medicine, as well as for some ritual purposes within Taoism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Entheogenic use of cannabis</span> Marijuana used for spiritual or religious purposes

Cannabis has served as an entheogen—a chemical substance used in religious or spiritual contexts—in the Indian subcontinent since the Vedic period dating back to approximately 1500 BCE, but perhaps as far back as 2000 BCE. It was introduced to the New World by the Spaniards in 1530-1545.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannabis and the United States military</span>

Cannabis usage is currently prohibited in the United States military, but historically it has been used recreationally by some troops, and some cannabis-based medicines were used in the military as late as the twentieth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of cannabis terms</span>

Terms related to cannabis include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of cannabis</span>

The history of cannabis and its usage by humans dates back to at least the third millennium BC in written history, and possibly as far back as the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B based on archaeological evidence. For millennia, the plant has been valued for its use for fiber and rope, as food and medicine, and for its psychoactive properties for religious and recreational use.

References

  1. ↑ Small, Ernest (2015), "Evolution and Classification of Cannabis sativa (Marijuana, Hemp) in Relation to Human Utilization", Botanical Review, 81 (3): 189, Bibcode:2015BotRv..81..189S, doi: 10.1007/s12229-015-9157-3
  2. ↑ Clayton J. Mosher; Scott M. Akins (2013). Drugs and Drug Policy: The Control of Consciousness Alteration. SAGE Publications. p. 149. ISBN   978-1-4833-2188-2.
  3. ↑ Krishnan Vij (2008). Textbook Of Forensic Medicine And Toxicology: Principles And Practice. Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Government Medical College & Hospital, Chandigarh, India. p. 672. ISBN   978-81-312-1129-8.
  4. ↑ Tom Decorte (2016). World Wide Weed: Global Trends in Cannabis Cultivation and its Control. Routledge. p. 8. ISBN   978-1-134-78521-6.
  5. ↑ John Brick; Carlton K. Erickson (2013). Drugs, the Brain, and Behavior: The Pharmacology of Drug Use Disorders. Routledge. p. 101. ISBN   978-1-135-12219-5.
  6. ↑ Wayne Hall; Rosalie Liccardo Pacula (2013). Cannabis Use and Dependence: Public Health and Public Policy. Cambridge University Press. p. 13. ISBN   978-0-521-80024-2.
  7. ↑ R.N., Mary Lynn Mathre (1997). Cannabis in Medical Practice: A Legal, Historical and Pharmacological Overview of the Therapeutic Use of Marijuana. McFarland. p. 193. ISBN   978-0-7864-0361-5.
  8. ↑ Dr Gary Potter; Mr Martin Bouchard; Mr Tom Decorte (2013). World Wide Weed: Global Trends in Cannabis Cultivation and its Control (revised ed.). Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 17. ISBN   978-1-4094-9438-6.
  9. ↑ Mahmoud A. ElSohly (2007). Marijuana and the Cannabinoids. Springer Science. p. 151. ISBN   978-1-59259-947-9.
  10. ↑ Allan Tasman; Jerald Kay; Jeffrey A. Lieberman; Michael B. First; Michelle Riba (2015). Psychiatry, 2 Volume Set. Wiley. p. 4935. ISBN   978-1-118-75336-1.
  11. ↑ Reprinted from Journal of the American Medical Association 201 (August 7, 1967): 368-71 (2012). "DEPENDENCE ON CANNABIS (MARIHUANA)". Drugtext.org. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Marijuana". Oxford English Dictionary . June 2013.
  13. 1 2 3 American Heritage Dictionaries (2007). Spanish Word Histories and Mysteries: English Words That Come From Spanish. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 142–143. ISBN   978-0-618-91054-0.
  14. ↑ Booth, Martin (2005). Cannabis: A History. Picador. pp. 179–180.
  15. ↑ Haugen, Jason D. "Borrowed Borrowings: Nahuatl Loan Words in English" (PDF). Lexis: e-Journal in English Lexicology. 3: 63–106. ISSN   1951-6215. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 1, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  16. 1 2 3 Alan Piper, "The Mysterious Origins of the Word 'Marijuana'", Sino-Platonic Papers, 153 (July 2005)
  17. ↑ Weston La Barre, (1980) "History and Ethnography of Cannabis", in Culture in Context, Selected writings. Durham NC: Duke University Press.
  18. ↑ "Marijuana". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, V3.0, 1999.
  19. ↑ Duvall, Chris S. (2019). The African roots of marijuana. Durham. ISBN   978-1-4780-0453-0. OCLC   1065945825.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  20. ↑ Duvall, Chris S. (30 June 2015). "Decriminalization doesn't address marijuana's standing as a drug of the poor". The Conversation. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
  21. ↑ "The African Origins of Cannabis Culture and How It Got to…". Civilized. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
  22. ↑ Duvall, Chris S. (2019). The African roots of marijuana. Durham. ISBN   978-1-4780-0453-0. OCLC   1065945825.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  23. ↑ Alan Piper, "The Mysterious Origins of the Word 'Marijuana'", Sino-Platonic Papers 153 (July 2005)
  24. ↑ Dale H. Gieringer (2006), "The Origins of Cannabis Prohibition in California", Contemporary Drug Problems, Federal Legal Publication.
  25. ↑ “Marijuana, N. (a).” Merriam-Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd ed., Merriam-Webster, 1949, p. 1503.
  26. ↑ Haines-Saah, Rebecca J. (2013). "The privileged normalization of marijuana use – an analysis of Canadian newspaper reporting, 1997–2007". Critical Public Health. 24 (1). Taylor & Francis: 47–61. doi:10.1080/09581596.2013.771812. PMC   3919199 . PMID   24574580.
  27. ↑ Coertzen, Pieter; Green, M Christiaan; Hansen, Len (2015). Law and Religion in Africa: The quest for the common good in pluralistic societies. African Sun Media. p. 186. ISBN   978-1-919985-63-3.
  28. ↑ Braiker, Brian (April 28, 2005). "Chong's Bongs Gone Wrong". Newsweek .
  29. ↑ Belville, Russ (March 14, 2016). "'Marijuana' Is Not A Racist Word". High Times .
  30. ↑ Courtwright, David T. (2009). Forces of Habit. Harvard University Press. ISBN   978-0-674029-90-3.
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