18 Old-Timey Slang Terms for Marijuana That We Should Bring Back
Alternatively, it could be used as a playful or flirty hint that he likes the girl. Like anything, the history of pot, weed or whatever you want to call it is complicated. During the Jazz Age, when singers wrote odes to the plant, it was called dope, reefer and tea. It was a drug of choice for the hippie counterculture 30 years later, often referred to as grass. Born of the need for secrecy, slang has long dominated pot culture. But as entrepreneurs seek to capitalise on new laws legalising recreational and medical marijuana, they too are grappling with what to call it.
There, a sort of sub-culture developed around cannabis, its uses, and the fight to legalize it — and like a lot of subcultures, various slang words organically attached themselves to the movement. I have always been a fan of rap music, and Smokin That Mary Jane resonates with me on multiple levels. While I may not share the same intense connection with smoking marijuana as portrayed in the song, I can appreciate the artistry and poetic nature of the lyrics. If you or a loved one is struggling with marijuana misuse, help is available and recovery is possible.
Many stoners use “Mary Jane” as a code for cannabis, though not everyone knows Mary Jane’s origin in weed culture. It is said that the group of high school students often met at 4.20 pm after classes to enjoy a session of cannabis smoking. Funny that the name stuck and is a favorite for many weed lovers today. Invented in the 1970s by high school students, “420” is a witty nickname that stimulates your brain. While it might not be anything serious, it gained popularity among the young people. Could Mary Jane or MJ be a twisted version of the term marijuana?
Using marijuana at an early age increases the risk for mental illness. Young brains are still developing – and infusing those young brains with THC can definitely throw off their normal growth. People who use marijuana before the age of 12 are twice as likely – double! – to develop a mental illness than those who don’t use until they’re over 18. Also, as you’ll read below, there are some serious and definitive physical and mental effects from smoking pot that need to be understood. It took some time–and a number of tries to leave it fully behind, but she did it.
Why Do We Refer to Weed as “Mary Jane” and Where Did the Nickname Come From?
The slang is universal since you might find the same name in Canada, Europe, and the US. There is no known origin, but it might have cropped up from multiple groups of enthusiasts. However, the younger generation doesn’t use this term often despite its popularity in the industry.
The idea that cannabis reduces stress is popular, but little research has been done to prove this belief. So, researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Chicago decided to tackle this issue. Their study was designed to investigate the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—the active ingredient in marijuana—on stress. Cannabis, often referred to as "Mary Jane," "weed," or "marijuana," has been a topic of discussion and debate for decades. With the increasing acceptance and legalization of cannabis in many parts of the world, more people are becoming curious about this versatile plant.
To this day, they maintain that they were the first to use the code. They even have some documentation stored away in a bank vault to support their claim—though nothing is 100% certain. But here’s the kicker—those who received the higher dose of THC experienced more stress. They reported more negative moods before and during their tasks and viewed them as more challenging or threatening. They struggled more with their tasks and had an overall more stressful experience. The participants who received the low dose of THC reported less stress than those who received the placebo.
- Marijuana may be called muggles, mooter, Mary Warner, Mary Jane, Indian hay, loco weed, love weed, bambalacha, mohasky, mu, moocah, grass, tea or blue sage.
- If you were offered an Alice B. Toklas brownie during that era, it probably wasn't drug-free.
- Plus, though the effects of the drug might look like the effects of alcohol, it seemed in some ways to be a better choice of vice.
There are many other code names for stoners you can research and familiarize yourself with, and you will not be left confused by a group of cannabis enthusiasts. While it may not be a nickname, it is derived from the Cannabaceae plant family, which is generally the hemp variant. Cannabis is widely known by novices, experienced, and non-users.
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Contact our admissions team, available 24/7, to start your journey towards recovery. Other indicators can be spending a significant amount of time obtaining, using, or recovering from the effects of marijuana, or neglecting responsibilities and activities in favor of using. While both terms are entrenched in American culture, they serve different roles and signify different things. Slang names for marijuana often arise from the need for discretion, especially in jurisdictions where the substance is illegal.
Ten people “complained of ‘feeling rather funny,’” reported The Guardian, and were taken to the hospital. The recipe was actually omitted from the first U.S. edition of the book, though the publisher added it back in for a reprint in the 1960s. The legacy of Toklas’s “entertaining refreshment” was further cemented in the 1968 movie I Love You Alice B. Toklas, which features a batch of weed brownies. If you were offered an Alice B. Toklas brownie during that era, it probably wasn't drug-free. Mezzrow wasn’t just a chronicler of weed lingo—he smoked (and sold) so much of it in 1930s Harlem that his name became synonymous with the stuff itself. Mezz referred to marijuana, and mezzroll described “the kind of fat, well-packed and clean cigarette I used to roll,” Mezzrow wrote in Really the Blues.
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It’ll be easier – and maybe even kinda fun – if you’re just a bit stoned.
There is some evidence that chronic users are at risk of lung cancer. There is a lot of research but as yet no standard treatments for withdrawal from marijuana. Most adults under the acute influence of marijuana can manage without medical assistance. If you got catnipped in the 1960s, someone sold you some marijuana that was actually a mixture of catnip—the minty herb that drives cats crazy—and cannabis.
What Is The Cultural Significance of Mary Jane?
Words that sounded cool in the Sixties and Seventies (remember wacky tobacky?) are woefully old-fashioned now. That’s especially true given that recreational marijuana is legal in 11 states and the District of Columbia. And, even though marijuana is moving toward legalization in many places in the United States, some of that terminology — giggle-smokes! Cultural factors play a significant role in the naming conventions for marijuana. Music, movies, and popular culture have popularized certain names, thereby influencing public perception and contributing to its complex identity.
Kush is a type of cannabis strain originally from Nothern India and Pakistan. The term “kush” is derived from strains such as Master Kush, Bubba Kush, and OG Kush. People who use marijuana often can develop a cough and bronchitis and could become addicted. Some chronic users may develop psychiatric illness, though it's unknown if marijuana is a direct cause.
The Origins of the Term
Marijuana can absolutely cause a mental dependency, which is why chronic usage is now called a “marijuana use disorder.” And it can definitively take the form of addiction. Matter of fact, the most current research suggests that 30% of people using marijuana may have some degree of marijuana use disorder. Cannabis use disorder develops in about 10% of regular users and in up to 50% of chronic daily users. And if you start using before the age of 18, you are 4-7x more likely to develop such a disorder as an adult. You can read more here about its addictive qualities – as well as how the potency of marijuana has significantly increased over the years and why that matters. One possibility is that it originated in a Chinese word for the hemp plant, "ma ren hua," per NPR.
It’s unclear exactly how it originated, but Green’s Dictionary of Slang suggests that it may be a truncation of fumar, meaning “to smoke” in Spanish. The thing is, though, that when you’re high from marijuana, as when you’re high from other drugs, you’re not living a full and present life. You’re not living and experiencing the world in its real and unfiltered form. The third verse, performed by Lil Sancho, adds a smoking mary jane Hispanic flair to the song, as he raps in both English and Spanish.
Explore Harbor House Collective to find the right Mary Jane for you. Even with its legalization in several states, it still evokes contentious debates. Within the next two hours, the patient was taken to the emergency room and was having some confusion, thirst, and difficulty concentrating. Her symptoms resolved within a few hours and she was discharged from the hospital the following day.
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