Do words matter? The “Marijuana” versus “cannabis” debate.
Here’s a question to ponder this morning: should people use the word “cannabis” or “marijuana” when referring to the psychoactive plant? That sounds like a pretty left-field question for a Wednesday morning, we know. But it was sparked by a lengthy discussion in the Ars office this morning, and we figured it might be interesting to get your take on the issue, particularly since the way we use language is under the spotlight right now.
Confession time: the debate was initiated by yours truly. I find it hard not to be pedantic, and since the actual names of the plants that people smoke (or vape, or eat) are cannabis sativa and cannabis indica, I think that’s what we should use when we write about the topic at Ars. The word “marijuana” is also specific to North America, and while our audience is predominantly North American, it’s not exclusively so.
– Read the entire article at Ars Technica.
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