Ganja

Etymology

Ganja is borrowed from Hindi hi (, IPA: [ɡaːɲd͡ʒaː]), a name for cannabis in the Indo-Aryan language that descended from an early form of Vedic Sanskrit. The Sanskrit sa refers to a "powerful preparation from Cannabis sativa". 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.

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 call for indentured Indians to come to the Caribbean to strengthen the workforce on sugar plantations. They brought with them elements of their culture, including ganja.

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

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

In 1913, Jamaica banned cannabis with the Ganja Law.

Contemporary use of the term ''ganja''

English use

Ganja is the most common term for marijuana in the Caribbean brought by the Indian indentured laborers.

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". 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".

In other languages

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

References

References

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7. "Origins and Modern Use of Ganja - RQS Blog".
8. (16 Jul 2021). "Large-scale whole-genome resequencing unravels the domestication history of Cannabis sativa". Science Advances.
9. (1999). "Home Away from Home: 150 Years of Indian Presence in Jamaica, 1845-1995". I. Randle Publishers.
10. Lisa Rough. (14 May 2015). "Jamaica's Cannabis Roots: The History of Ganja on the Island". [[Leafly]].
11. Linder, Courtney. (19 April 2015). "Pot patois: A comprehensive etymology of marijuana".
12. (2013-12-02). "The ganja law of 1913: 100 years of oppressive injustice - Columns". JamaicaObserver.com.
13. Courtwright, David T.. (2009). "Forces of Habit". [[Harvard University Press]].
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16. [https://ausil.org.au/Dictionary/Tiwi/lexicon/main.htm Dictionary] AuSIL {{Webarchive. link. (3 March 2023)