Ganja Explained

Ganja (; in Hindi pronounced as /ɡaːɲd͡ʒaː/) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689.[1]

Etymology

Ganja is borrowed from Hindi (Hindi: गांजा|links=no, IPA: [ɡaːɲd͡ʒaː]), a name for cannabis in the Indo-Aryan language that descended from an early form of Vedic Sanskrit. The Sanskrit refers to a "powerful preparation from Cannabis sativa".[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] But the word only refers to a certain product derived from cannabis plants. Gāñjā is the title given to the flowers, whereas “charas” refers to the resin, and “bhang” the seeds and leaves.[7]

The word ganja reached the Western world through victims of slavery. Victims of the Atlantic slave trade were brought from Africa to Jamaica in 1513. In 1845, the British Empire started to traffic enslaved Indians to the Caribbean to strengthen the workforce on sugar plantations. They brought with them elements of their culture, including ganja.[8]

One academic source places the date of introduction of ganja in Jamaica at 1845.[9] The term came with 19th century workers whose descendants are now known as Indo-Jamaicans.[10]

The word was used in Europe as early as 1856, when the British enacted a tax on the "ganja" trade.[11]

In 1913, Jamaica banned cannabis with the Ganja Law.[12]

Contemporary use of the term ganja

English use

Ganja is the most common term for marijuana in West Indies.[10] [13]

In popular culture

Cultural figureheads such as Bob Marley popularized Rastafari and ganja through reggae music. In 1976, Peter Tosh defended the use of ganja in the song "Legalize It".[14] The hip hop group Cypress Hill revived the term in the United States in 2004 in a song titled "Ganja Bus", followed by other artists, including rapper Eminem, in the 2009 song "Must Be the Ganja".[11] [15]

In other languages

Derivatives of the term are used as generic words for marijuana in several languages, such as Indonesian/Malay (Malay: ganja), Khmer (Central Khmer: កញ្ឆា,), Lao (Lao: ກັນຊາ,), Thai (Thai: กัญชา,), Tiwi (kanja),[16] and Vietnamese (Vietnamese: cần sa).

Notes and References

  1. News: 10 Words From Hindi & Urdu . . 15 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190415002454/https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/10-english-words-from-hindi-and-urdu/ganja . 15 April 2019 . live .
  2. Iranian L, and Some Persian and Zaza Etymologies. 25597374. Schwartz. Martin. Iran & the Caucasus. 2008. 12. 2. 281–287. 10.1163/157338408X406056.
  3. Web site: The Oxford Hindi-English dictionary. R. S. (Ronald Stuart). McGregor. 29 November 1993. dsal.uchicago.edu.
  4. Book: Torkelson, Anthony R. . The Cross Name Index to Medicinal Plants, Vol. IV: Plants in Indian medicine, p. 1674, ISBN 9780849326356, OCLC 34038712 . 1996 . CRC Press. Taylor & Francis . 9780849326356 .
  5. Book: Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol & Additive Behaviour . Kranzler, Henry R. . Korsmeyer, Pamela . 2009 . . 978-0-02866-064-6 . 28 .
  6. News: 420 Day: Why There Are So Many Different Names for Weed . Steinmetz . Katy . 20 April 2017 . . 16 March 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180812115237/http://time.com/4747501/420-day-weed-marijuana-pot-slang/ . 12 August 2018 . live .
  7. Web site: Origins and Modern Use of Ganja - RQS Blog . 2024-04-26 . Royal Queen Seeds . en.
  8. Ren . Guangpeng . Zhang . Xu . Li . Ying . Ridout . Kate . Serrano-Serrano . Martha L. . Yang . Yongzhi . Liu . Ai . Ravikanth . Gudasalamani . Nawaz . Muhammad Ali . Mumtaz . Abdul Samad . Salamin . Nicolas . Fumagalli . Luca . 16 Jul 2021 . Large-scale whole-genome resequencing unravels the domestication history of Cannabis sativa . Science Advances . en . 7 . 29 . 10.1126/sciadv.abg2286 . 2375-2548 . 8284894 . 34272249. 2021SciA....7.2286R .
  9. Book: Home Away from Home: 150 Years of Indian Presence in Jamaica, 1845-1995 . limited . Laxmi . Mansingh. Ajai. Mansingh. I. Randle Publishers. 1999. 9768123397. 127.
  10. Web site: Leafly. Jamaica's Cannabis Roots: The History of Ganja on the Island. Lisa Rough. 14 May 2015. 11 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190411020545/https://www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/jamaicas-roots-the-history-of-ganja-on-the-island. 11 April 2019. live.
  11. Web site: Pot patois: A comprehensive etymology of marijuana . Linder, Courtney . 19 April 2015 . . 17 March 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190403063353/https://pittnews.com/article/1195/opinions/pot-patois-a-comprehensive-etymology-of-marijuana/ . 3 April 2019 . live .
  12. Web site: 2013-12-02 . The ganja law of 1913: 100 years of oppressive injustice - Columns . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150725062712/http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/The-ganja-law-of-1913--100-years-of-oppressive-injustice_15548584 . 2015-07-25 . 2015-07-24 . JamaicaObserver.com.
  13. Book: Courtwright, David T.. Forces of Habit. 2009. Harvard University Press. 978-0-674029-90-3.
  14. Book: Pieter Coertzen . M Christiaan Green . Len Hansen. Law and Religion in Africa: The quest for the common good in pluralistic societies. 2015. African Sun Media . 978-1-919985-63-3. 186.
  15. Book: Rafael Pérez-Torres. Mestizaje: Critical Uses of Race in Chicano Culture. 2006. U of Minnesota Press. 978-0-8166-4595-4. 97–.
  16. https://ausil.org.au/Dictionary/Tiwi/lexicon/main.htm Dictionary