Basic Names
Pot
Marijuana
Cannabis
Obvious Names
This is an easy word to guess. Weed is green and grows like any other plant on the ground. It just makes sense to call it grass.
Grass
This is an easy word to guess. Weed is green and grows like any other plant on the ground. It just makes sense to call it grass.
Herb
This is another popular word used by weed users. It is used because it describes the different tastes and smells of the plant. It also can be used like any other herb to cook.
Mary Jane
This one is easy to guess. It is the English translation of Marijuana. Mari is Mary and Jane is Juana. It is not the most creative of names but can fool somebody that does not know Spanish.
Green
Another name that is easy to guess is why it was given to weed. Green is referring to the color of weed.
420
This term is commonly used in the media. It can be a day like April 20th or 4:20 p.m./a.m. Many have used the day and time to smoke weed. It is also a worldwide stoner holiday. For example, like the Cannabis festival in Humboldt county on 4/20. The origin of 420 is still unknown but the term is commonly used. One of the stories is that it began in the 1970s with a group of California students at Rafael High School who would meet to smoke weed at 4:20 p.m.
Skunk
Weed is also called skunk because of the smell of the plant. Some find the smell unpleasant. It differs from person to person.
Celebrities
Chronic
This word became a slang word because of a famous rapper, his name Snoop Dog. In an interview with actor/comedian Seth Rogan, Snoop Dog and he were getting high and explained that he first used the word in the 1990s when he misheard someone. That person told Snoop Dog that they were growing cannabis hydroponically at a party and Snoop Dog thought they said “hydrochronic”. Snoop Dog later shortened it to “chronic”. Other rappers, like Dr. Dre, started using the term. He also used it for his classic album “The Chronic.”
Doja
Doja as in Doja Cat the artist is also a slang term for weed. This word existed before Doja Cat came up with her name but in an interview with Capital Xtra, she explained that it was another word for weed and she chose it as the name because it sounded cute.
Names From Different Languages Or Cultures
Ganja
This term is used in Jamaica but the word is Sanskrit for the word hemp. Sanskrit is an old Indo-Aryan language of South Asia. Ganja is “a potent and selective preparation of marijuana used especially for smoking.”
Mota
This term came from the Spanish language. It means speck and is used to describe a small amount of weed. It is popular in Latin America and the southern states like California or Texas.
Kif
Another word for weed, the term comes from North Africa and is pretty common in Morocco.
Dagga
This is a term that comes from South Africa. According to the United Nations website, the word is derived from the Hottentot word “dacha”
Pakalolo
This term is used in Hawaii and is a Hawaiian word.
Doña Juanita
This term came from the Spanish language. Doña is used as a form of respect to call a woman who is typically older. Juanita is a regular name in Spanish. The reason people call weed, Doña Juanita, is probably from the word marijuana. Marijuana has the word “Juana” and why she is Juanita.
References —
- Capital Xtra (Director). (2019). Doja Cat Explains ‘Juicy’ To A Classical Kyle | Capital XtraMusic Expert| Classical [Film]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHqf2M0SqFI
- Department of Cannabis Control. (n.d.). Laws and Regulations. Sate of California. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://cannabis.ca.gov/resources/laws-and-regulations/
- Editorial Staff. (2021, July 26). Nicknames for Marijuana and Slang for Pot. American Addiction Centers. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/marijuana-rehab/slang-names
- Green, J. (n.d.). Green’s Dictionary of Slang [a online dictionary for slang words]. https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/rtwl42i
- Holland, B. (2017, April 19). The Hazy History of ‘420’. History. https://www.history.com/news/the-hazy-history-of-420
- Merriam Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). ganja/pot. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ganja
- Oxford English Dictionary. (n.d.). Marijuana. The definitive record of the English Language. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://www-oed-com.csulb.idm.oclc.org/view/Entry/114102?redirectedFrom=marijuana#eid
- Sclar, K., & Thomas, S. (2021, June 16). Marijuana Street Names and Nicknames. American Addiction Centers. https://luxury.rehabs.com/marijuana-rehab/street-names-and-nicknames/
- SnoopDoggTV (Director). (2014). Seth Rogen, Snoop, Cross Joints & Chronic [Film; Yotube]. GGN News. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBxK3WEtN8I
- Tina. (2004, December 22). Ganja. Urban Dictionary. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ganja
Watt, J. M. (1961, 01 01). Dagga in South Africa. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/bulletin/bulletin_1961-01-01_3_page003.html
