A Few Words
About Words
Cannabis has so many monikers that it is difficult to address them all. In the US, the most familiar name is marijuana, a Mexican term that was used by prohibitionists to rally racists against the herb. However, that word itself may have roots that are more interesting.
The most often cited origin for the term is “mariguan,” first described by John G. Bourke in 1894, which referred to an herb used by women along the Rio Grande river for casting revenge spells and for receiving prophetic visions. As the revenge spells were likely not really spells but surreptitious poisoning, it may be more likely that this plant was not cannabis but datura, a poisonous deliriant also used, in much smaller doses, to induce visions.164
A somewhat better theory, in my opinion, is based on the presence of Chinese laborers in western Mexico. The Chinese word for hemp is Ma and various modifying syllables specify the different uses and parts of the plant. Ma hua refers to cannabis flowers. Ma ren means cannabis seed. And Ma ren hua would mean seeded flowers, the form of cannabis most common in Mexico up until recent times. An adaptation of that into Spanish could easily become marijuana, which means “Mary Jane.” A slang term for cannabis that persisted in Mexico over many years was Oregano Chino, or Chinese Oregano, perhaps attesting to the Chinese connection.165
It is likely that the Chinese root word Ma was the origin of many of the other historic terms we find for cannabis, including haoma (a reversal, perhaps, of the syllables ma hua), and soma (sau ma translates as “good hemp”).166
It’s tough to say who had the word cannabis first. The Assyrians called their herb qunnabu; in Persian it is kenab; kannab in Arabic; kanbun in Chaldean; kaneh bosm in ancient Hebrew; and canna in Sanskrit.167 Certainly, the Scythians were the ones who spread their word Kannabis throughout Asia and Europe. Following the Scythians, it evolved into the Polish konop, Dutch canvas, Russian konoplya, Lithuanian canapés, Irish canaib, and so forth. In early European history, the “k” sound shifted to an “h” in many languages, yielding the Middle Low German hennep, modern German hanf, Swedish hampa, Anglo-Saxon henep, and the English hemp.168
The word hashish, commonly used to describe preparations of cannabis resin, is an Arabic term that simply means “grass.” 169
“Pot” most likely comes from the Spanish potaguaya, which is from the same root as our word potion.170
“Ganja” is a Sanskrit word for cannabis, carried all over the planet by sadhus and Rastas. The origin of the word is lost in antiquity but may have a connection to the river Ganges, where wild cannabis still grows today. Incredible healing properties are attributed to the waters of the river, a reputation earned, perhaps, in the distant past from the healing herb found there. The river, in turn, is personified by the goddess Ganga, who represents the flow of water and healing energy.
We typically use the words “high” and “stoned” to denote the cannabis experience. Some users will use “high” to refer to the headier kinds of high-THC herb and “stoned” to refer to the more narcotic varieties. “Stoned” comes from alcohol terminology, beginning as “stone drunk.” For instance, the well-known Ray Charles song “Let’s Get Stoned” is about drinking, not herb. Mostly, though, no one applies it to alcohol anymore. “High” is slightly more interesting, and while I can find no information on who first used the term, we can speculate. Many strains of cannabis produce a floating feeling that might be “high.” We also use the term to describe a variety of spiritual and religious phenomena. God is the Most High. New agers seek their higher selves. Being ethical is described as taking the high road or the higher ground.
We can also think of “high” as a submodality term, a way that we describe the positioning of our internal representations that lets us know they are spiritual, better, more ethical, etc.
Some people consider both “high” and “stoned” to have too much connotation of “recreational” use or parallel to alcohol mentality. There aren’t many alternative terms, so I’ve mostly used “high” in this volume. However, when I asked friends about terms that might be used to describe the more spiritual or meditative effects of cannabis, the brilliant DJ Reese suggested “sanctified.”
Get sanctified!
May your sanctification
bring happiness, health, and enlightenment!