Where Does the Word ‘Marijuana’ Come From?

“Marijuana” has become a well-known term in U.S. vernacular. With the legalization of medical marijuana in political discussion being a hot debate topic, the term has found its way into mainstream lexicon. But many are unaware that before it was termed “marijuana,” most people in the U.S. referred to the plant as “cannabis.” Many people in Europe and Latin America still refer to the plant by the scientific name. So where does the word “marijuana” come from? Unfortunately this word has a complicated past, tied with racism and xenophobia.

In the 19th century, cannabis was sold by pharmaceutical companies such as Bristol-Myers Squib and Eli Lilly to treat insomnia, migraines and rheumatism. Articles published in scientific journals lauded the plant for its medicinal qualities. But in the 20th century, public views on cannabis changed.

After the Mexican Revolution, Mexican immigrants traveled to U.S. border states and brought along with them their substance of choice, “marihuana.” Anti-immigration fears ran rampant in the Southwestern states, playing a large role in the first anti-cannabis legislation. According to Amanda Reiman, a policy manager at the Drug Policy Alliance, “In an effort to marginalize the new migrant population, the first anti-cannabis laws were targeted at the term ‘marijuana’.”

The first cities to outlaw cannabis were in border states where immigration fear was high. It is believed that the first city to outlaw cannabis was El Paso, Texas, in 1914, when a measure was approved criminalizing the sale or possession of cannabis. Media outlets in the U.S. began feeding the fire of growing fear around cannabis with news headlines such as, ‘Loco weed now cultivated and smoked in cigarettes’ and ‘Mexican Finned for Selling Marihuana‘. Cannabis had been banned in 29 states by the early 1920s.

Harry Anslinger, director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, was one of the leading opponents in the war against cannabis and he set out on a mission to create a federal ban from 1930 to 1962.

“Anslinger is often referred to as the great racist of the war on drugs,” says John Collins, coordinator of the LSE IDEAS International Drug Policy Project in London. “[H]e knew that he had to play up people’s fears in order to get federal legislation passed. So when talking to senators with large immigrant populations, it very much helped to portray drugs as something external, something that is invading the U.S. He would use the term ‘marijuana’ knowing that it sounds Hispanic, it sounds foreign.”

Anslinger began his campaign against cannabis in a report titled “Marijuana: Assassin of Youth” in 1937. Anslinger reportedly kept files on jazz musicians titled, “Marijuana and Musicians,” and kept tabs on musicians who performed with artists such as Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. In 1937, Anslinger testified before congress saying, “Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind. Most marijuana smokers are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.”

His campaign succeeded, and in the same year, Congress approved the Marijuana Tax Act, which criminalized cannabis possession throughout the United States. It is only recently that U.S. scholars, politicians, and citizens are beginning to rediscover the medicinal benefits of the once demonized plant.

Regardless of what you think about cannabis, it is undeniable that anti-cannabis attitudes in this country stemmed from fears brought on by racism and fear of “foreigners” immigrating to the U.S. So we can ask ourselves: do we want to continue using this word, tied to past racism, to refer to the medical plant we enjoy today? It is my personal preference to use the term cannabis, because of the negative association I have with the term “marijuana.”

However, I recognize that language is constantly shifting and being redefined, words can be reclaimed and obtain new meaning. So perhaps some might prefer to use the original term cannabis, while others might like calling the plant marijuana, or to some it may not matter it all. No matter what terms you use to refer to cannabis, “marijuana” is a word with an important history that we should not forget.