Whether it’s because of its origin, usage, history, or simply the fact that it has a compelling tale, we’ve decided to examine an expression or word once a week. This week, we discuss the history of the term “marijuana” and its connection to Mexico. Long before the term “marijuana” was created, marijuana was associated with ethnicity and racial background in America. Recently, my colleague Gene Demby reported on the drug’s unsettling multiple personality disorder: It is a popular line of humour in pop culture. It serves as the cornerstone of an expanding leisure and therapeutic sector. However, the American Civil Liberties Union claims that it is also the cause of over half of drug-related arrests in the US. According to the ACLU, despite identical rates of marijuana use amongst whites and blacks, African-Americans are disproportionately arrested for possession, accounting for the great majority of marijuana arrests.
During the 19th century, the plant’s official name, cannabis, was virtually always used in news stories and publications in medical journals. The term “marijuana” gained popularity in the United States in the early 1900s, according to several stories, because anti-cannabis groups wished to emphasise the drug’s “Mexican-ness.” Today, while historical stigmas still linger, the growing accessibility of cannabis—including options like cheap weed delivery near me—reflects a shift in public perception and policy. Taking advantage of anti-immigrant sentiment was the goal.
This is a prevalent variation on the story of how cannabis was made illegal: By spreading stories about homicidal mania triggered by the dreaded Mexican “locoweed,” wealthy individuals (some of whom have financial interests in suppressing hemp production) managed to turn cannabis into a bogeyman in the public’s mind. Public action in opposition to the “marijuana menace” was sparked by a combination of dread of brown people and fear of the terrible drugs that brown people take. This combination resulted in state-by-state limits and, eventually, a federal ban.
The Multifaceted Nature of Cannabis
As you recall, the press reports about “cannabis” before 1900 and “marihuana” after 1900 essentially looked to be about two separate plants. Well, they were in some instances. The Washington Post article makes a distinction between Indian “hasheesh,” also known as “cannabis indica,” and “Mexican marihuana or locoweed.” The article mistakenly confuses marijuana with a toxic herb called locoweed, which is known by its clinical name as Astragalus rather than cannabis.
In fact, the history of the crop is so extensive over the world that we are uncertain of the exact genealogy of the Mexican Spanish term marihuana. Competing ideas that are plausible place the world’s origins on any of the three continents. The enigmatic name of marijuana is appropriate for this incredibly intricate plant. You should think about how much global, geopolitical, and historical significance is packed into the name of the common weed as you see coverage of it.
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