Councillor objects to the term ‘marijuana’

Halifax politician weeds word out of vocabulary after discovering its ‘racist’ history

HALIFAX— A Halifax councillor says he will no longer use the term “marijuana” because it is racist, sparking a social media debate over the wellused synonym for cannabis.

Councillor Shawn Cleary said a police officer he works with on a cannabis legalization task force recently brought it to his attention that the term has a racist history.

Cleary said in the early 1900s during the criminalization of cannabis in the U.S., “marijuana” was used to demonize marginalized communities, namely Mexicans.

After doing some further research of his own, Cleary said on Twitter: “Let’s do what we can to not perpetuate racism.”

“We need to actually have conversations, have dialogue, and talk about these things. By doing that we’re actually increasing the amount of understanding and interest in history,” Cleary said in an interview Thursday.

“These are teaching moments. They are opportunities for us to go and learn stuff and to find out more about the history of the world around us.”

His tweets have prompted a social media firestorm.

“Only in Canada could you smoke it but not say it,” fellow Councillor Matt Whitman said on Twitter after a Halifax radio station tweeted a poll question: “Should we stop using the word marijuana?”

Barinder Rasode, CEO of the National Institute for Cannabis Health and Education, said cannabis is a more “progressive” term and one that should be used as Canada moves toward legalization next July.