As legalization and decriminalization of pot spread, state and federal lawmakers have moved to strike the word “marijuana” from law. Here’s what’s behind the movement.
Some call it “weed” or “pot.” Others use “ganja” or “hash.” But the most common way to refer to the dried buds and leaves of the cannabis plant is “marijuana.”
Now, as legalization and decriminalization of marijuana spread, some wrestle with the word because of its racially charged etymology.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to decriminalize cannabis at the federal level. The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, among other provisions, would replace statutory references to “marijuana” and “marihuana” with “cannabis.”
A few states have already presented legislation to strike the word “marijuana” from local laws. Last month, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill that erases “marijuana” from state statute to use “cannabis” instead. Virginia and Maine have proposed similar bills.
Lawmakers seek to redress the disproportionate impact anti-drug policies have had on people of color, particularly Black and Latino communities. Racial disparities in marijuana-related arrests, for example, persist even in states that have legalized or decriminalized it, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. [Read More @ USA Today]
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