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<\/p>\nNathan Griffith | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
So does it really matter what we call it? The answer is a resounding \u201cmaybe.\u201d Let\u2019s start at the beginning. <\/p>\n
RELATED: The New, Cool Term For Cannabis? It’s Still Up For Grabs.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n According to historical estimations<\/a>, cannabis cultivation began around the same time that agriculture itself was developing \u2013 around 9,000 BCE. At this point, language itself was still new and constantly evolving \u2013 so understanding where the word cannabis originated can be tricky. <\/p>\n The first mention of cannabis appears to have been in ancient Chinese history, when Emperor Shen Neng of China recommended cannabis tea for the \u201ctreatment of gout, rheumatism, malaria, and poor memory\u201d in 2737 BCE<\/a>. <\/p>\n The ancient Egyptians<\/a> also had a word for cannabis: shemshemet,<\/i> with the first references appearing around 2350 BCE. <\/p>\n Indeed, from the Sumerians to the Persians to the Hebrews, most ancient cultures had a word for cannabis. Some historians believe that cannabis may be a hidden ingredient in the holy anointing oil of Hebraic priests \u2013 referred to as kaneh bosem<\/i><\/a>. <\/i><\/p>\n The etymology of the term itself is easily traceable to Ancient Greece\u2019s k\u00e1nnabis. From there came Scythian adoption of cannabis-related terminology<\/a>; the Scythians differentiated between industrial-type hemp, Sanskrit \u015ba\u1e47a<\/i>, <\/b>and narcotic hemp [ie, cannabis], Sanskrit bhanga<\/i>.<\/p>\n Other ancient cultures made room for cannabis and hemp\u2019s differences, too \u2013 an issue to this day which we\u2019ll discuss further on. Typically prefixes ken<\/i> or kan<\/i> implied fiber-type plants, while kana<\/i> or bhang<\/i> implied high-THC cannabis. Our current English word for hemp likely has the same kan<\/i>-type source, seemingly from the Persian term kanap<\/i>.1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n Fast forward to the modern era, and cannabis was widely used as a medical treatment around the world, including the US. In 1850 it was included in the US Pharmacopeia<\/i>, the official volume listing medicinal drugs, their effects and instructions for use. <\/p>\n But in the early 1930s, something changed<\/a>. A nationwide campaign vilifying and delegitimizing cannabis was launched by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, the FBN (one of the DEA\u2019s precursors), and especially by its commissioner, Harry Anslinger.<\/p>\n Cannabis was renamed \u201cmarijuana,\u201d the term used by the growing Hispanic population migrating from Mexico. According to the British author Martin Booth in his book Cannabis: A History<\/i>, the change in terminology was designed by Anslinger as a part of his campaign against cannabis \u2013 most likely to play on rampant xenophobia in America at the time. <\/p>\n For instance, Anslinger once commented, \u201cThere are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.\u201d2<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n Ultimately, the campaign succeeded; in 1937 Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act, prohibiting recreational use, and imposing taxes on medical cannabis producers, prescribing physicians, and pharmacists. The final result was that it was just too complicated and expensive to treat patients with cannabis. Eventually, a few years later, in 1941, cannabis was removed from the US Pharmacopeia<\/i> \u2013 and the term \u201cmarijuana\u201d stuck. How the word \u201ccannabis\u201d can help normalization.<\/p>\n RELATED: Cherokee Leaders Decriminalize Marijuana in North Carolina<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n We\u2019ve come a long way in recent years, but there\u2019s still a lot of work to be done when it comes to normalizing cannabis use across the board. There\u2019s an argument that holds that using slang words like \u201cweed,\u201d \u201cpot,\u201d and \u201cganja\u201d can evoke lingering stigma, reminding people of the \u201clazy stoner\u201d propaganda they were brought up on rather than what we now know to be true about cannabis \u2013 that it is a safe substance that can be used for a variety of applications. <\/p>\nThe etymology of the word cannabis <\/b><\/h2>\n
When did \u2018marijuana\u2019 come in? <\/b><\/h2>\n
Why it matters<\/b><\/h2>\n