Cannabis: The Plant With Many Names

Just like there are many uses for the cannabis plant, there are also many names that it may go by – and some of them are better known than others. These days, the word cannabis is becoming commonplace and is swiftly replacing the everyday use of the word marijuana, which many in the culture and industry feel perpetuates the negative stigmas of the past.

The Evolution of Cannabis Slang Over Generations

This is by no means a comprehensive guide to slang terms for cannabis – there are well over a thousand potential nicknames for weed, and we just don’t have time to get to them all in this post. Instead, we’re going to look at the way cannabis slang has evolved over the last century or so, since just before prohibition, through Reefer Madness, the days of Flower Children, and up through modern legalization.

Historical and Scientific Names for Cannabis (1890s and Earlier)

Something that many history books didn’t teach us is the fact that cannabis use by humans dates back as far as the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B – of course, it wasn’t called anything way back then. Historic terms like Hashish, Ganja, and Bhang all referred to the cannabis plant in one form or another. At this point there was little need for additional slang, as there was no illegality to the plant back then.

Pre-Prohibition Slang Terms for Cannabis (1910s-30s)

In the decades leading up to prohibition, as the practice of smoking cannabis took hold in North America, was when slang terms really started to come into play. It was around this time that the American government started referring to cannabis as marijuana, and started moving to separate the way people viewed industrial hemp’s intoxicating twin they knew so little about.

Possibly the most popular and recognized slang term for cannabis came about around this time – weed. This nickname came about because of the plants ability to grow like wildfire in almost any climate or terrain.

Other slang terms from this era include: gague, jive, jazz cigarette, Mary Jane, and reefer.

Reefer Madness Era Slang Terms for Cannabis (1940s-50s)

Speaking of reefer… It wasn’t long after this that the U.S. passed its first attempt at cannabis prohibition – The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. Around this same time, the movie Reefer Madness was released, as well as a plethora of other anti-cannabis propaganda. The plant started to receive negative nicknames like the Devil’s lettuce, and words like weed, pot, and dope were used along with marihuana or marijuana instead of cannabis to induce fear over a previously accepted substance.

“Old School” Cannabis Slang (1960s-90s)

The 60s were like the advent of legalization and the beginning of prohibition all over again as it was the time of flower children or “hippies” where more often people were pushing for peace in hopes of ending wars. Instead, the 70s gave way to a still in effect war on drugs. However, the era gave way to, or popularized terms that we still use today like flower, grass, green, and herb.

“Modern” Cannabis Slang (2000-Present)

These days, the need for slang terms isn’t as important as it was in the past, when these nicknames and code words were used often among those who use cannabis as a way to identify others who did as well. Anyone who’s answered the question “do you smoke” with “…smoke what?” knows exactly what I’m talking about.

But in the modern era, we’re coming to a time where the next generation will be used to seeing dispensaries around town and don’t have to fear a jail sentence for that pre-roll they just bought. However, that hasn’t stopped the evolution of cannabis nicknames for plants, like trees, reefer, and dro.

There are also new additions to the cultural terminology that refers to ways you partake in the herb, like hotboxing or clambaking. There’s also modern slang like dabs, crumble, or sauce that all refer to cannabis concentrates.

Though the need isn’t the same, the many names of cannabis are rooted in a long and rich history of global appreciation, demonization, and re-acceptance – and it’s going to be interesting to see what slang the next generations will add to the vernacular as we continue to push towards acceptance and normalizing cannabis use among adult consumers.