Article content

HALIFAX — A Halifax councillor says he will no longer use the term “marijuana” because it is racist, sparking a social media debate over the well-used synonym for cannabis.

Coun. Shawn Cleary said a police officer he works with on a cannabis legalization task force recently brought it to his attention that the term has a racist history.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or A Halifax councillor will now refuse to use the word 'marijuana' because he says it's racist against Mexicans Back to video

Cleary said in the early 1900s during the criminalization of cannabis in the U.S., “marijuana” was used to demonize marginalized communities, namely Mexicans.

He said after doing some of his own research on the term’s origins, he decided to stop using it, saying earlier this week on Twitter: “Let’s do what we can to not perpetuate racism.”

Photo by halifax.ca

“We need to actually have conversations, have dialogue, and talk about these things. By doing that we’re actually increasing the amount of understanding and interest in history,” said Cleary in an interview Thursday.

“These are teaching moments. They are opportunities for us to go and learn stuff and to find out more about the history of the world around us.”

His tweets have prompted a social media firestorm — including comments from a fellow councillor denouncing the issue.

“Only in Canada could you smoke it but not say it,” Coun. Matt Whitman said on Twitter in response to a poll from a local Halifax radio station, which tweeted: “Should we stop using the word marijuana?”

Some Twitter users said they were unaware of the word’s racist history and thanked Cleary for informing them, while others questioned the validity of his comments.