Many people may wonder what the difference is between these terms, if any. The fact of the matter is that the answer to this question is deeply rooted behind years of propaganda and conjecture that have been fed to us by the U.S. Federal Government. These two terms actually mean the same thing, but the term Marijuana has everything to do with why this seemingly limitless plant is still federally prohibited in our country today.
‘Marijuana’ was a slang term that followed the many Mexican immigrants who were seeking refuge from civil war in the early 1900’s. Most people at that time didn’t realize that Cannabis and Marijuana were one and the same. The term ‘Marijuana’ was adopted by the propagandists of the time in an attempt to attach a racist and negative stigma to its public perception.
Through a series of events that are clearly outlined in the article attached, Cannabis was indeed placed under prohibition in 1937.
There is a deep unscientific and racist foundation of Cannabis prohibition and, sadly, still today, the racist undertones of incarceration for possession remain. This article is beautifully and concisely written, and is a really good one to share with the naysayers who are generally very uninformed about why cannabis is illegal to begin with.