Marijuana.
Mary Jane.
Weed.
Dope.
Pot.
These are just a few of the names used to define our favorite high-inducing plant, and until hemp re-entered the scene, I would say they communicated pretty effectively and clearly just what you were getting.
But with the recent renaissance of the cannabis plant, I wanted to carve out some space to discuss bluntly why I think using the term marijuana is not only appropriate but effective.
Let me set the stage for you, marketing works.
It’s how we got here after all.
I remember my first year going from a consumer to an operator in the industry and on my journey of education rediscovering the movie “Reefer Madness”.
The movie was released in 1936, just one year before the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937.
That movie was exaggerated and assumptive, but it was clearly meant for fiction not fact, right?
And as much awareness I had about the war on drugs, it wasn’t something I was explicitly familiar with (it did take place some twenty years before I was even born.)
That was just the beginning, I am a sponge when it comes to this industry. I want to learn and understand everything. I’ve taken courses, read books, and tried thousands of different products and consumption methods in the name of better familiarizing myself with this plant and her history.
This led me on the journey of better understanding the term “marijuana”, why we use it, and how it was weaponized”.
I would come to learn about the origin of the word, in Mexico the Spanish translation is "marihuana" or "mariguana”. And even prior to that the word was influenced by the Nahuatl language, spoken by the Aztecs and other indigenous peoples of Mexico.
In Nahuatl, "mallihuan" means "prisoner," and it is suggested that the term was used metaphorically to describe the intoxicating effects of the plant.
The term "marijuana" gained widespread use in the United States during the early 20th century, particularly after the Mexican Revolution in 1910 when many Mexican immigrants arrived in the U.S. They brought with them their cultural practices, including the use of cannabis for recreational and medicinal purposes.
During the 1930’s American lawmakers and the media began using the term "marijuana" as a way to associate the plant with Mexican immigrants and create negative connotations around its use.
I want to pause and highlight the key use of the term “media”, aka propaganda making a massive marketing smear campaign against marijuana and those who use it.
Of course, I recognize the slippery slope that followed suit, marijuana would go on to be classified as a Schedule 1 Narcotic by the United States of America and the War on Drugs would be in full effect come 1970.
And let me be clear, this absolutely has impacted people of color far greater as a result of the propaganda.
But as much as this was about race, it was also about power.
Hemp was made illegal in the United States primarily due to its association with marijuana, despite the fact that hemp and marijuana are different varieties of the Cannabis sativa plant.
I won’t get into it fully (maybe another post), but hemp is a powerful plant in and of itself. It’s a great remediator, fiber, and building material and you have to think about the economic and political landscape at the time.
The 1930s saw the rise of synthetic fibers and materials, which competed with hemp in the textile and paper industries. Some argue that powerful business interests played a role in pushing for the criminalization of hemp to protect their investments in synthetic materials.
So now would be a good time to clarify why the term cannabis isn’t specific enough to differentiate between the two.
When I use the word cannabis, I am speaking about the cannabis genus, the family that hemp and marijuana are derivatives of.
Going back to the underlying thread of this post, it is all in the language and how we use those words to market effectively to consumers.
If consumers don’t understand what we’re talking about, then how can we clarify the language of the law or simply speaking — make a sale?
Which is what has led me to share this point of view.
I’ve been in the cannabis retail space for 5 years, I am based in Austin, Texas and as such, I legally sell through the hemp industry. And for clarification, hemp is anything less than .3% delta 9 THC.
I say the term cannabis because I do believe it is most appropriate to use the term to distinguish the overall industry and also because cannabinoids are consistent whether you’re talking about hemp or marijuana, CBD is CBD and THC is THC.
But then we have to get into the legalities, these state programs even refer to it as medical marijuana, and as of right now marijuana is not legal in the state of Texas greater than .5% THC, however, hemp is as long as it is less than that .3% Delta 9 THC threshold is.
So when I use the terms, I am specifically using them from a place of differentiation between the two legal accesses of the cannabis plant.
It’s not hemp vs cannabis, hemp is cannabis. Yes, you could suggest or say low THC vs high THC, but that brings me to my next point.
The layperson or general consumer who comes into the dispensary can hardly differentiate between CBD and THC, let alone discern hemp from marijuana.
Have you ever seen the two plants next to each other, they look exactly the same.
And with more and more cannabinoids hitting the market, the way to differentiate them legally is where they were derived: hemp or marijuana.
The media has played a big role in demonizing the term marijuana, but it’s also done an outstanding job marketing that term to associate with the feeling that high THC can produce.
Consumers may not know the specifics when they walk through our doors, but they understand a feeling, that’s what they’re chasing, and being able to use language that is familiar to them to help drive the stigma down has been a key observation through these retail conversations.
Because we do, at RESTART we take every opportunity we can to help clarify the differences between hemp and marijuana, what the legalities are, and the different effects produced by cannabinoids amongst other topics.
And we do this not just for the consumers, but first and foremost ourselves.
Education is a never-ending conversation and my feeling is that it’s time we take back the negative connotations of the word marijuana and we recognize and celebrate cannabis for what it is while also using it as an opportunity to help erode stigmas.
Cannabis isn’t and shouldn’t just be about high THC, that’s clear from the scientific research and study of minor cannabinoids.
In fact, I would argue that the advancement of minor cannabinoids really stemmed from hemp becoming federally legalized.
Which has only propelled us further toward this crossroads.
Maybe I feel it more because I work in a state with limited to no access to legal marijuana and with a fast-growing hemp market these conversations of clarity are just too vividly a part of my day-to-day.
I think this industry is too new to be any one thing right now, but I do believe we need to get on the same page as an industry if we want the consumers to speak our language.
So what do you think? Have you been using the term marijuana or avoiding it? Do you have a better word in its place that we could be using? Is this more divided by geography due to where hemp and marijuana or high THC may be legal?
My hope for this is to just present a perspective for how we could move forward with acceptance and celebration for the cannabis plant first and foremost whether we refer to it as hemp or marijuana or some other name altogether.
I’ll leave you with this thought,
Using the term "marijuana" also acknowledges the historical roots of the word and its connection to cultural practices, particularly in regions where it was widely used, such as Mexico and now in the United States.
And oddly enough as I was drafting this post, someone from Marijuana Moment published “Why The Word ‘Marijuana’ Is Not Racist (Op-Ed)”.
I hope you’ll share your thoughts below, I’m always welcoming perspective and discussion!