marijuana

American  

[mar-uh-wah-nuh] / ˌmær əˈwɑ nə /

Sometimes marihuana

noun

1. a psychoactive narcotic drug rendered from the leaves and flowering tops of a cannabis plant, especially Cannabis sativa, used for recreational or medical purposes by smoking, vaping, or ingesting.

   He’s tried marijuana but claims it has no effect on him.

2. the dried leaves and flowering tops from which the drug is rendered.

   Her personal stash of marijuana is rarely more than an ounce or two.

3. any plant of the genus Cannabis, especially C. sativa, whose leaves and flowering tops have psychoactive properties.

   several acres of cultivated marijuana.

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marijuana British  

/ ˌmærɪˈhwɑːnə /

noun

1. the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant, used for its euphoric effects, esp in the form of cigarettes See also cannabis

2. another name for hemp

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Etymology

Origin of marijuana

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; from Mexican Spanish marihuana, mariguana; the traditional association with the personal name María Juana is probably a folk etymology

Example Sentences

A White House official told MarketWatch that the order was about reclassifying marijuana.

From MarketWatch

Another study in Social Science and Medicine in 2013 concluded that “immigrant youth have a lower risk of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use relative to U.S.-born youth.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The predicament those in the hemp business find themselves in is that they’re stuck between both the alcohol lobby and, perhaps counterintuitively, the state-level marijuana lobby.

From Salon

McConnell, who championed hemp back in 2018, has since argued in favor of closing what he has called a loophole that allows psychoactive products to be marketed as legal alternatives to marijuana.

From The Wall Street Journal

In October 2022, Biden was pictured signing an order pardoning those in jail for marijuana possession.

From BBC

Related Words

• bhang
• cannabis
• dope
• hashish
• hemp
• herb
• tea