Reefer

What is Reefer?

Reefer is an old-fashioned slang term for a marijuana cigarette or joint. The word originated in the early 1900s amidst marijuana’s growing association with jazz music and counterculture movements.

Reefer became a commonplace word alongside terms like pot, weed, grass, and Mary Jane.

Its exact etymology is unclear, but reefer likely derives from the Spanish word “grifo,” meaning cannabis leaves or marijuana.

The term grew more mainstream during the 1930s “Reefer Madness” era when propaganda films demonized the drug.

This led to reefer taking on a disapproving tone and association with dangerous, crazy, or immoral behavior after smoking marijuana.

History of reefer

References to reefer date back over a hundred years to the early 20th century when marijuana first entered American consciousness.

Recreational reefer smoking gained popularity in the 1910s and 1920s due largely to Mexican immigration after the Mexican Revolution.

Along with Mexican immigrants came traditional cannabis customs, which spread among soldiers, field workers and artists, especially jazz musicians.

Early nicknames like reefer, jive, and muggles emerged via the black jazz community, according to cannabis historian Isaac Campos.

By the 1930s, reefer had cemented itself in the American lexicon, though now bearing a more ominous connotation because of increasing moral panic.

The 1936 propaganda film Reefer Madness portrayed young people descending into madness and violence after consuming what was then called “the demon weed.”

This cemented Reefer’s reputation as a corruptive, dangerous intoxicant associated with crime, addiction, and delinquency.

Despite its initial decline, reefer lingered on as a familiar slang term for cannabis, especially among older generations.

The term reefer sees less common usage today, having largely been replaced by more neutral and scientific words like marijuana, weed, cannabis, and joint.

Reefer retains an old-fashioned, outdated feel compared to modern slang.

However, its long history reflects how cannabis terminology has evolved across different eras as attitudes and laws surrounding the plant change.

While less prominent than in the past, reefer remains an enduring remnant of vintage marijuana slang.