Is Cannabis a Weed?

Pot. Grass. Reefer. Devil’s Lettuce. Mary Jane.

These are just a few nicknames that cannabis has garnered over the years. Yet, none have piqued people’s vernacular quite like the term weed. We have heard it called weed in movies, television, and music – and most of us know what it refers to. If not, ask your parents (and get off our site!). But those who don’t partake (or partoke) are usually quick to wonder: Why call it weed? Is marijuana a weed?

It’s easy to associate the word weed with the annoying plants that infest people’s lawns. We’re talking dandelions, moss, thistles, crabgrass, and meadow grasses – anything that we dread having to yank out of our beautiful lawns come springtime.

Even potheads enlightened individuals will find themselves pondering this question. Take a drag off your favorite vape pen and you too may start to wonder if marijuana is called weed because it may actually be… a weed.

Still, no matter what your personal stance on cannabis is, it’s not a silly question. Is marijuana a weed?

By definition, a weed is an undesirable wild plant that grows where it’s not wanted and has little to no botanical significance (to whomever owns the land). They’re not considered beautiful or useful. Weeds grow in dense patterns and tend to interfere with other plants that may be considered desirable. This is why many landowners regard them as a nuisance.

With that said, there is no scientific or biological definition of a weed. The term “weed” is, more or less, a subjective adjective that can describe any plant – no matter how beautiful or ugly it is. In simplest terms, how the word applies simply depends on who you’re talking to.

But we all know that weeds suck. So, if you’re someone who likes cannabis, why would you ever want to refer to it as weed?

The answer to the question depends on who you’re talking to. Marijuana is a colloquial name for the Cannabis plant. It is a plant, and it’s specifically a genus of the flowering plant family, Cannabaceae. So, biologically, cannabis is actually a flower.

If you were to talk to someone who sees no purpose in it (such as the DEA), then would probably consider marijuana a weed. After all, people can apply the meaning of “weed” to any plant they don’t see as beneficial or beautiful. And the DEA has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove “ditch weed” or “feral weed.”

Yet, the biggest reason why people ask themselves “Is marijuana a weed?” is not because they actually think that it lacks in purpose or is ugly. Most people are really pondering about the slang connotation behind the term.

In his article ‘How Weed Became the Hippest Slang Term’, Ben Yagoda explores the evolution of the term weed. According to Yagoda, weed has origins dating back to the 1900’s when the plant was still very foreign to North Americans. It was a plant that Mexican immigrants brought over the southern border in the late 19th and early 20th centuries – along with the word “marihuana”.

Eventually it made its way to cities in the South and Northeast by the 1930s, but it was rarely seen outside the underground world of jazz clubs. It was something that people on the fringes of society used. During this period, several nicknames for the plant arose, and weed was one of them.

Cannabis looks like a weed when left untended.

Still, many Americans had plenty of misconceptions about marijuana. To them, marijuana was a foreign herb that was too outlandish and dangerous for society, brought in by foreigners. Not surprisingly, the movement to criminalize marijuana was well on its way by the 1930’s.

Editor’s Note: Want to read about the history of cannabis prohibition in the United States? Check out our article on the subject here.

Few people referred to cannabis as weed throughout the next couple of decades and it was known as grass thanks to hippie culture and dope by the anti-marijuana movement by the 1960s

Editor’s Note: We’re not talking about the evolution of the plant itself here. We already have an article for that.

It wasn’t until the 1990’s that term “weed” entered into popular vernacular. In his article, Yagoda explained that weed likely didn’t grow in popularity until a younger generation came into adulthood. Generation X likely wanted to separate itself from its parents in the baby boomer generation.

So, like kids of any generation do, Generation X came up with a different slang from their parents. “Grass” wasn’t the best description for cannabis’ sticky, colorful, and robust appearance. Marijuana is too official (and has a racist past), while cannabis sounded too scientific.

Editor’s Note: At Growers Network, we prefer to use the word cannabis to refer to our favorite plant, because it isn’t shrouded in racist rhetoric and is technically accurate.

Weed had survived during a few decades as a slang word in minority communities, so by the 1990’s, Generation X’ers incorporated their slang into pop culture. Weed was one of those slang words that became popular in the 90’s, especially in hip hop and rap music, as well as in television and stoner comedy films.

“Weed” continues to live on to this day, even amongst the Millennial generation. Though its usage as a word has dwindled since the 2000’s, weed has forever engrained itself into pop culture and history.

Cannabis continues to garner a plethora of nicknames for itself, and it will probably continue to do so. Even though younger generations will continue to ask “Is marijuana a weed?”, one thing is certain: Despite how we refer to marijuana, its presence exists across all regions and cultures. And those who appreciate it don’t ever see it as an actual weed, no matter what they call it.

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