How did marijuana get so many slang terms?

Answer 1

Cannabis is the latin name for marijuana, derived from Kaneh Bosm, which is Hebrew for "smelly plant". Marijuana is an American racial slur attributing the plant to Mexican immigrants in the 1930's and 40's. It is literally translated into Mary Jane.

Answer 2

Because each name represents the strain it is. The strain then represents its character of flavor, smell, physical characteristics, and THC potency. So many strains have been hybridized with other strains so many times that they must come up with a new name for every new plant

Answer 3

"Marijuana" is derived from the Mexican slang term for cannabis in the early 1900s, "Marihuana". The term was popularized by Harry Anslinger's campaign in the 1930s against the plant. Anslinger deliberately used the Mexican name to take advantage of the rampant racism of whites toward Mexicans at the time, building a negative image of the plant. The racism behind the original criminalization efforts is painfully clear; "in Texas, a senator said on the floor of the Senate: 'All Mexicans are crazy, and this stuff [marijuana] is what makes them crazy.'"

The word has become ingrained in the American terminology, largely due to its continued use by anti-drug campaigns, as it has arguably the most negative connotation of all the terms for cannabis.

Answer 4

Cannabis in its most familiar form is marijuana. "Marijuana" is derived from the Mexican word maraguanquo which means "intoxicating plant". Some people site historical information in which the name was used to create an "evil" or "unpatrioitc" image for use of cannabis or other THC containing compounds.

Answer 5

Drug addicts use slang and jargon to try to keep the police from knowing that they are talking about illegal drugs.