Juanita, weed, ganjagrass, marijuanamarijuana, marijuana, oregano, hashish, are just a few of the infinite names that have been given to the cannabis since its recreational and medicinal properties became known (by using the CBD against Parkinson'sfor example).
Normally, a plant present all over the world has up to half a dozen names per language or culture, but this is not the case with cannabis, which in some countries, such as Mexicohas accumulated more than a hundred names since the nineteenth century, although the plant, the Cannabis sativaarrived in this country in the mid-16th century by the Spaniards.
Cannabis in the world
The origins of cannabis use date back to the 3rd century BC, and the plant is believed to have been domesticated in regions of South and Central Asia, from where it began to spread thanks to its various and varied uses, commonly known as Indian hemp.
The explosion of names for cannabis began during the 19th century, and especially during the 20th century, when it went underground, being declared illegal and subject to persecution, led to it being christened in many different ways.
The most famous popular name for cannabis originated in Mexico: marihuana, marijuana or marijuana; Mary Jane in English.
Marijuana in the Anglo-Saxon world
Other international names are ganja, amnesia, doobie, Houdini, reefer (from which the Spanish nickname grifo derives), grass, weed, green, spliff, herb, Bud, pot, joint, blunt, dank, bag of bones (to refer to a bag with several joints of cannabis).
Cannabis in other regions of the world
Other names in the world: maconha (in Brazil), banga (Equatorial Guinea), porro, grifa, alfalfa, mandanga, etc. (Spain), faso, fino, joi (Paraguay), marimba, cusumbo, maracachanga (Colombia), chala (Argentina), ma (China), ku-shung-pen (Jamaica), chanvre (France), ganja (Hindi), hanf (German), among others.
It is the most widely consumed psychotropic drug in the world, so it is not surprising that in every language it has one or more nicknames.
Marijuana in Mexico
The Spanish brought hemp from India to Mexico with the intention of cultivating it to develop the textile industry, but the plant was soon destined for other uses, medicinal and recreational.
Mexico undoubtedly takes the prize for the country with the highest number of names for cannabis, as Jorge García-Robles demonstrated in his book Anthology of vice. Adventures and Misadventures of Marijuana in Mexico (2013).
García-Robles in his research collected more than a hundred names for marijuana or marijuana, in literary texts, but also scientific ones, such as those collected in the Mexican Pharmacopoeia (1846).
Simple names
The names of cannabis range from very simple terms to phrases of great poetic flight, such as shora or chora, chíchara, roasted cauliflower, chlorophyll, atacama, alfalfa, chipiturca, greña, grifa, moronga, morisqueta, mota, etc.
Poetic names
Sheep's tail, lion's cream, lady with fiery hair, green goddess, Doña Juanita, Japanese birdseed leaves, angel's buttocks and soft butterfly breast, among other names, could only have come about in the midst of an experience with Doña Juanita.
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