Reefer

Cannabis slang term often referring to a joint. Reefer was both popularized and stigmatized by the 1930s melodramatic propaganda film «Reefer Madness», in which cannabis leads consumers into a dangerous trap. In R. Gold's 1971 book «Cannabis Alchemy», he refers to «impregnated joints», or joints to which cannabis extract has been added, as reefers.

What does reefer mean?

The term «reefer», which means «weed» in slang, was first associated with cannabis cultivation in the 1930s. According to’Oxford English Dictionary, the term first appeared in 1931, when Time Magazine published an article stating that cannabis leaves could be dried, ground and then rolled into a «reefer» cigarette. These cigarettes «are sold as ‘muggles’, ‘reefer’ or ‘Mary Warners'», according to Time.

Etymologists aren't sure exactly how the term «reefer» became so closely associated with cannabis, but some, including OED, claim it's derived from the Spanish word for marijuana, «grifa». Others claim it was adopted from sailors« slang; in sailing, »reef« means to roll up the sail - in the same way as you roll up a joint - and a »reefer" is the sailor who does the rolling up.

«Reefer Madness.

The greatest claim to fame for the term reefer is, without doubt, the 1936 film «Reefer Madness».

The 1930s were marked by a huge surge in demand for our products. aimed at demonizing cannabis. An aggressive anti-cannabism campaign, led by Harry J. Anslinger, commissioner of the brand-new Federal Bureau of Narcotics, In the U.S., Anslinger and other anti-cannabis campaigners claimed that the plant made users violent. This anti-cannabis smear campaign was largely aimed at simultaneously demonizing Mexican immigrants, who used «marihuana» for both recreational and medicinal purposes.

One of the tactics used to scare the public and alert them to the «dangers» of cannabis were propaganda films - the most visible being «Reefer Madness». The film follows a group of high-school students who take part in «reefer parties» at the home of an unmarried couple - and get into all sorts of trouble in the process.

«Reefer Madness» was a melodramatic account of the dangers of cannabis, with no basis in fact or science. The film was poorly received on release, but thanks to its exaggerated nature, it enjoyed a resurgence in the 1960s as a cult classic.

Today, the film is regarded by the cannabis community as satire, and is frequently shown at midnight screenings across the country. The film was also satirized as a musical in «Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical», starring Kristen Bell, Christian Campbell, Alan Cumming, Neve Campbell and Ana Gasteyer.