Weed

Weed is a casual slang term for any kind of cannabis. The word originated as an everyday term for the U.S. cannabis prohibition in the late 1920s and early 1930s, along with words like “pot” and “grass.” Language was often used to confound authorities or outsiders in the underground cannabis trade at that time. The word “weed” became popular in the 1990s and early aughts, adopted by a younger generation. Whereas previous generations may have used the word “dope,” Generation X and younger millennials opted for the word “weed.”

As a blanket term, weed can refer to any form of cannabis — low or high quality, cheap or premium, flower or concentrate. Saying “weed” does not communicate particular details about the type of cannabis, its quality, cannabinoid content, etc. Weed can simply mean any cannabis in a casual, generic sense. As marijuana gains widespread legalization and popularity around the world, “weed” continues to be a popular catch-all for cannabis in music, film and pop culture at large.