Marijuana is making a comeback. It is legal now, fully legal, in fifteen states, by my count. Most of the rest of the nation has legalized its medicinal use. The only states in the USA where marijuana is entirely illegal are Idaho, Wyoming, Kansas, Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina. It is probably only a matter of time.
It doesn’t matter to me, one way or the other. I am not a smoker and never have been. At least not of marijuana. I smoked cigarettes of the tobacco variety, heavily, for a number of years. I’m glad not to be doing that any longer, having quit 20 years ago, almost to the date.
Anyway, back to weed. I tinkered with it some in high school. But the only two things it did for me were to make me voraciously hungry and very sleepy. I figured I had no problem eating or sleeping of my own volition, so I never really bothered with it much. I found other drugs and alcohol that I liked much more. I am glad to have given those up a long time ago too.
Enough about my habits. Many people love to smoke marijuana. In fact, some make it an integral part of their lives. More than half of adults in the United States — over 128 million people — have tried marijuana. That is, despite the fact it is still an illegal drug under federal law.
Here is another staggering fact. Nearly 600,000 Americans are arrested for marijuana possession annually. They tell me that is more than one person per minute. Though, that seems to be shifting. Public support for legalizing marijuana is going up. Back in 1969, only 12% supported legalization. I am pretty sure I know who they were. These days, nearly 67% would like to see it for sale at the Speedway or QuickMart.
But. Weed has been around for a long time. Marijuana, also known as cannabis or pot, has a long history of human use. We can look back all the way to 500 BC. Back then, those ancient cultures didn’t grow the plant to get high. Instead, they used it as a form of herbal medicine, or so they say. And of course, here in the United States, we can see its use starting with the earliest of colonists here. They grew plenty of hemp for textiles and rope. Or so they say.
But through the years, marijuana has seen a lot of changes and has been called a lot of things. Back in the 1930s, people in the South called it Giggle Smoke. They also called marijuana cigarettes “Muggles.” Look out, J.K. Rowlings. We know where you grabbed your term for humans. Anyway, Louis Armstrong used to like to smoke, and he’d frequently call them muggles.
At the same time, in Hollywood, people called their joints “Goof Butts.” Now, I don’t know if I can get behind this, should it makes a comeback. I have been called a Goof Butt several times in my life. Just the other day, actually.
My favorite comes from the early 1920s. We’ve all heard it referred to as MaryJane. But the in-crowd in the those Roaring Twenties called it “Mary Warner.” I think that’s my new name for it now. Mary Warner.
One of my favorite stories comes from the 1950s. Alice B. Toklas was a respected writer, not to mention she was Gertrude Stein’s longtime partner. Good Alice published a little cookbook. She included a recipe for “Haschich Fudge,” which “might provide an entertaining refreshment for a Ladies’ Bridge Club or a chapter meeting of the DAR.” Indeed it would. She published the book, and wouldn’t you know? Those Alice B. Toklas Brownies really caught on.
So, just a little weed history, for the world. Good thing I wrote it down before it all goes up in smoke.
=========
“Federal and state laws (should) be changed to no longer make it a crime to possess marijuana for private use.”
― Richard Nixon
=========
Q: Why is the roach clip called a roach clip?
A: Because pot holder was taken
=======
Q: What do you get when you eat too many hash brownies?
A: A pot belly
=========
Pot. Weed. Grass. You name it.
