Reefer
- May 7, 2024
- Cannabutter Digest
According to the Oxford English Dictionary and some etymologists, the term “reefer” might be from the Spanish word grifa, which refers to marijuana. Other people also believe that reefer comes from sailor slang, “to reef,” which means to roll up the sail, the same as what people do with a joint.
In 1931, Time Magazine featured an article about marijuana leaves and used the term “reefer cigarette” for the first time in print. Furthermore, around the same decade, the term became popular and stigmatized through the film “Reefer Madness.” The propaganda film portrayed that cannabis use could lead to violence, insanity, and death.
The author of “Cannabis Alchemy,” R. Gold, also used the term to allude to joints with cannabis extract in 1971. Since the 1930s, there have been many pop culture references to reefer, particularly in music.
