The word “marijuana” was popularized back in the 1930’s. Prior to this timeframe, the most common terms for marijuana were either hemp or cannabis. Marijuana was actually a Mexican slang term that was derived from the word maraguanquo. This word means “intoxicating plant” and as Mexicans immigrated over the border to the US with cannabis, the term was popularized, being spelled “marihuana” at the time.
Prior to the illegalization of cannabis, hemp was a popular and profitable cash crop in the states. Popular Mechanics called hemp a Billion Dollar Crop in 1938. This never came to pass after az medical marijuana was made illegal and eventually made a Schedule 1 narcotic.
In the 1930’s, a growing movement started with propaganda to make hemp illegal. People started projecting that marijuana caused violence, aggression, insanity, and increased crimes against women, such as rape. A film called “Reefer Madness” portrayed hemp as a deadly substance.
The head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics at the time, Harry Anslinger, promoted these myths. He received prominent businessperson support from numerous individuals who had special interests in marijuana prohibition, including the Dupont Family, Randolph Hearst, and Andrew Mellon.
The words cannabis and hemp were mostly used at the time and maintained good reputations as being 1) successful business terms and 2) medical. Hemp at the time was a big cash crop, and cannabis had the reputation as being good medicinally. Marijuana, however, was a new slang term, and it was seized upon by those opposed to medical marijuana arizona legality to turn it into a negative term.
It worked back then and even with the Amercian Medical Association objections, prohibition passed. The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 went through, and an interesting occurrence was that the word marijuana turned from slang into commonplace legitimacy. It started appearing in dictionaries and in commission reports, and when discussing medical marijuana. Unfortunately there remains somewhat of a negative connotation from the 1930’s propaganda, and fortunately one can now get an az medical marijuana card.
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