• A Phlaming Phoenix
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    312 days ago

    Back in the day, the plant cannabis was referred to as “marihuana” to associate its use with Mexicans, who were (are?) often maligned as migrants, itinerants, etc. Those people could then be made the subject of racist laws and wind up arrested or deported.

    This article goes into a couple explanations and offers a different one that’s maybe less racist. https://www.sacurrent.com/cannabis/why-some-people-believe-marijuana-is-a-racist-word-and-why-it-doesnt-offend-me-31654627

    • @Warl0k3@lemmy.world
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      12 days ago

      Article title:

      Why some people believe ‘marijuana’ is a racist word, and why it doesn’t offend me

      Getting the feeling we could be spending our time on much more important issues…

    • El Barto
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      312 days ago

      From the article:

      the word was being used decades before [trying to give it a racist connotation] in the United States.

      Plus the term originated in México anyway.

      Checkmate, atheists.