Dear Marley – Why is Marijuana Called Pot?

You may not know it yet, but your question is actually a two-parter. Why is marijuana called pot? And also, why does your Uncle Ronnie insist on referring to it as pot? Let’s start with part one:

Part I

Why Is Marijuana Called Pot

I get it. You hear ‘pot’ and your first guess is;

“Well it’s a plant that’s grown in a POT, so that’s why marijuana is called pot. So obvious.”

But why is marijuana called pot – for real?

Gracias, Mexico!

Close, but no canna cigar. Get your mom’s stationary and a fresh ballpoint pen out, because you’re going to want to write the fine people of Mexico a letter after hearing this. Ordinarily I’d suggest one of the ‘thank you’ variety, but based on how much your uncle annoys you with his branding of marijuana as pot, you may just end up writing BUT WHY THO? on a small sheet and send it down south.

As per the Oxford English Dictionary, which has surprisingly survived the digital age, a logical argument suggests that ‘pot’ is derived from the Mexican term ‘potaguaya’, which if out of context you attempt to say out loud 5 times fast, you will surely sound like a lunatic. It’s believed that potaguaya is actually a word for cannabis leaves. Another possibility that’s been explored is ‘potación de guayaya,’ which translates to ‘drink of grief’. This beverage is made by steeping cannabis buds in wine or in brandy. Mmm, brandy. In terms of whether they drank it to help with grief, or if the drink caused the it remains up in the air. 

The Way We Live Now

In the early years of the 20th century, ‘potaguaya’ was condensed to ‘pot’. The first time pot was seen in print was in 1938. Author Chester Himes used the word in “The Way We Live Now”, where he wrote, “She made him smoke pot…” Finally in print, pot just got real. Why is marijuana called pot? That’s why.

Part II

From Pot to Grass to Weed – Why Uncle Ronnie is Living in a Pot World

Marijuana has numerous nicknames that typically stick within specific generations and cultures. For example, your generation loves weed. And so does mine. But why weed? Again, it all comes back to generations and some perspective will better help us answer the root of the question. Why is marijuana called pot?

Back in the 90’s when we were listening to tapes because we didn’t have CDs and girls were slapping snap bracelets up on their wrists, everyone under the age of 25 had an unspoken agreement. Everything our parents said was uncool. Because of the MTV Accord of 1992 (this is made up, don’t start Googling it), we needed to come up with words that our uncool parents were not using. A lot of them had moved on from pot to grass, so we collectively decided that the most organic move would be to begin using ‘weed.”

The answer you’re looking for transcends pot. And it transcends language. Not to beat a dead chicken, but it’s a generational thing. Instead of getting annoyed with Uncle Ronnie’s use of “pot”, you should appreciate it. Appreciate that you are privileged to be amongst those who came before you, whose generation experienced life a lot differently than you are. When he was young and hip, so was pot.

Pot Perspective

When you’re 55 and smoking “weed”, don’t be surprised when the younger generation is smoking “neon blaze” and “bush” and you’re going to still be calling it WEED? How uncool of you!

Spark one up with Uncle Ronnie and refer to it as pot. It’ll make him happy for a moment or two, until you start asking him for his craziest neon blaze stories. I don’t think he’s ready for neon blaze, and neither are you.