Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
A few of us may know, or can infer, what the genera vitis or nicotiana refer to. Fewer, perhaps, malus or pyrus. How many of us are familiar with solanum? Humulus? Triticum? Hordeum? Zea?
Marijuana. Pot. Weed. Ganja. Reefer. Whacky tobacky. There are countless names for the drug that has become a cultural mainstay in America today. But the people who grow and sell it, the people who make up -- and cater to -- the booming industry that is "marijuana," invariably refer to the drug as "cannabis." Consciously or not, this is an attempt to reform the public's view of an increasingly powerful psychoactive drug.
I am a grape grower and a viticulturist by title. I grow wine grapes for vineyard owners and wineries, so I am no stranger to the drug industry or it's marketing efforts. If I were to use the term vitis with any of my clients I would surely get a raised eyebrow and maybe, if I were lucky, a chuckle.
I grew up in the tobacco country of Virginia and North Carolina. I'm fairly certain that I have never heard a tobacco farmer refer to his crop as "nicotiana." I've worked in both pear and apple orchards and have yet to hear either referred to by their genera pyrus and malus, respectively.
The next time you're buying tomatoes or potatoes, try asking the farmer or produce manager how the solanum crop was this year. Or maybe ask your local brewer what his favorite variety of humulus for his triticum beers is, or if he prefers 2-row to 6-row hordeum.
Many of us may be familiar with "maize" (another common name for corn) or even it's origin, Z. mays. But to refer to it as Zea; that would be analogous to using the word cannabis to describe hemp and marijuana.
So what gives?
Pot growers live in a tenuous landscape. Their crop, while allowed in some states, is still federally illegal. By eschewing the long-standing colloquialisms associated with the drug, the industry is essentially rebranding itself in an effort to appear more legitimate and professional.
"Medicine" had long been preferred to "drug" when referring to marijuana, but this misnomer has faded as new recreational use laws have ended prohibition. And no one has ever gone to jail for "cannabis" possession because the legal system still refers to the drug as "marijuana."
Cannabis, as defined by its current taxonomy, is a genus. Not all of the species or varieties within this genus will produce the psychoactive compounds associated with marijuana in sufficient concentration to elicit the drug's mind-altering effects. Referring to marijuana as cannabis is a declassification; and while broadly accurate, it is by no means precise.
I can empathize with this labeling insecurity. Several varieties of vitis vinifera - Merlot, Syrah, Riesling - have fallen out of fashion with the public and are frequently bottled under proprietary names. Unfortunately for some growers, vitis doesn't have the greatest ring to it. Nor is it very specific. Vitis (as a genus like cannabis) describes everything from wild grapes, muscadines and concords to the finest Pinot Noir or Champagne. Even more specifically, vitis vinifera still encompasses every fine wine-grape of old-world origin -- some thousands of varieties.
And this is why I cannot refer to marijuana as "cannabis." The term is a buffer, a social dodge meant to suspend preconceptions about a powerful drug. It sidesteps the checkered history of -- until recently -- an illegal substance by over-simplifying the truth. But we can be forgiven for wanting to keep things simple; we are, after all (along with habilis, erectus and the Neanderthal) only homo.
Daniel Sweeney is a farmer who lives in Talent, Oregon.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Why marijuana isn't just 'cannabis' (Guest opinion) | OregonLive.com
Author: DANIEL SWEENEY
Contact: Contact the News Team - Oregonian Media Group
Photo Credit: Ricardo Ardeungo
Website: Oregon Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - OregonLive.com
Marijuana. Pot. Weed. Ganja. Reefer. Whacky tobacky. There are countless names for the drug that has become a cultural mainstay in America today. But the people who grow and sell it, the people who make up -- and cater to -- the booming industry that is "marijuana," invariably refer to the drug as "cannabis." Consciously or not, this is an attempt to reform the public's view of an increasingly powerful psychoactive drug.
I am a grape grower and a viticulturist by title. I grow wine grapes for vineyard owners and wineries, so I am no stranger to the drug industry or it's marketing efforts. If I were to use the term vitis with any of my clients I would surely get a raised eyebrow and maybe, if I were lucky, a chuckle.
I grew up in the tobacco country of Virginia and North Carolina. I'm fairly certain that I have never heard a tobacco farmer refer to his crop as "nicotiana." I've worked in both pear and apple orchards and have yet to hear either referred to by their genera pyrus and malus, respectively.
The next time you're buying tomatoes or potatoes, try asking the farmer or produce manager how the solanum crop was this year. Or maybe ask your local brewer what his favorite variety of humulus for his triticum beers is, or if he prefers 2-row to 6-row hordeum.
Many of us may be familiar with "maize" (another common name for corn) or even it's origin, Z. mays. But to refer to it as Zea; that would be analogous to using the word cannabis to describe hemp and marijuana.
So what gives?
Pot growers live in a tenuous landscape. Their crop, while allowed in some states, is still federally illegal. By eschewing the long-standing colloquialisms associated with the drug, the industry is essentially rebranding itself in an effort to appear more legitimate and professional.
"Medicine" had long been preferred to "drug" when referring to marijuana, but this misnomer has faded as new recreational use laws have ended prohibition. And no one has ever gone to jail for "cannabis" possession because the legal system still refers to the drug as "marijuana."
Cannabis, as defined by its current taxonomy, is a genus. Not all of the species or varieties within this genus will produce the psychoactive compounds associated with marijuana in sufficient concentration to elicit the drug's mind-altering effects. Referring to marijuana as cannabis is a declassification; and while broadly accurate, it is by no means precise.
I can empathize with this labeling insecurity. Several varieties of vitis vinifera - Merlot, Syrah, Riesling - have fallen out of fashion with the public and are frequently bottled under proprietary names. Unfortunately for some growers, vitis doesn't have the greatest ring to it. Nor is it very specific. Vitis (as a genus like cannabis) describes everything from wild grapes, muscadines and concords to the finest Pinot Noir or Champagne. Even more specifically, vitis vinifera still encompasses every fine wine-grape of old-world origin -- some thousands of varieties.
And this is why I cannot refer to marijuana as "cannabis." The term is a buffer, a social dodge meant to suspend preconceptions about a powerful drug. It sidesteps the checkered history of -- until recently -- an illegal substance by over-simplifying the truth. But we can be forgiven for wanting to keep things simple; we are, after all (along with habilis, erectus and the Neanderthal) only homo.
Daniel Sweeney is a farmer who lives in Talent, Oregon.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Why marijuana isn't just 'cannabis' (Guest opinion) | OregonLive.com
Author: DANIEL SWEENEY
Contact: Contact the News Team - Oregonian Media Group
Photo Credit: Ricardo Ardeungo
Website: Oregon Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - OregonLive.com