Throughout the 19th century, news reports and medical journal articles almost always use the plant’s formal name, cannabis. Numerous accounts say that “marijuana” came into popular usage in the U.S. in the early 20th century because anti-cannabis factions wanted to underscore the drug’s “Mexican-ness.” It was meant to play off of anti-immigrant sentiments.

  • @AnUnusualRelic
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    713 days ago

    What happened to “Mary-Jane”? Wasn’t that in use for some time?

    • @linearchaos
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      413 days ago

      Early 20th century here gets discounted because of the zero century so that’s 1900 through say 1930. Marijuana and Mary Jane both used at the same time it’s older than you’re thinking when you read the article

      • @AnUnusualRelic
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        113 days ago

        There’s still some Mary Jane erasure going on here.

        And it seems like nobody is using mary jane any more. There’s got to be a reason for that.