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Cannabis, Marijuana, Ganja, Weed – Where Did These Names Come From?
Sera Jane Ghaly Sera Jane Ghaly Comments23 28 October, 2015
names feature Cannabis, Marijuana, Ganja, Weed Where Did These Names Come From?
Photo credit: Golden Chidiya
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The herb that plays a special role in a lot of people’s lives has so many names – cannabis, marijuana, ganja, weed – but where did all the names come from? Maybe people were looking for more ways to express their love to a plant that has been present throughout most of human history.

Actually, the truth is that most of these names (with the exception of cannabis) are modern names for the plant. Although mostly referred to as cannabis, its scientific name, cultures over the years have renamed the plant different things for different reasons.

Marijuana – the word from the West
names glasses Cannabis, Marijuana, Ganja, Weed Where Did These Names Come From?
Photo credit: Never Get Busted
Throughout the 19th century, Cannabis was the most commonly used word for the plant in America. US Scientific Journals from that time refer to the plant as cannabis, a medicine they used once for treating a wide range of symptoms.

The word itself is actually taken from Mexican Spanish. But it was never a name for the plant that you smoke today. It was the name of another mixture of herbs that the Mexicans used for other reasons. However, when the Mexican revolution occurred and many were traveling to the USA, many were coming with loads of the herb. As a result, the American government began their 100-year relationship with prohibition. They passed their first bill in 1913 for the criminalization of the locoweed.

In their fit of rage, they called the plant “marijuana”, and that became the Western name for the plant. Most Americans came to know the plant as marijuana, and the word became prevalent in other parts of the world like Europe.