# marijuana/cannabis and corn/maize

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-cannabis-and-corn-maize/113667>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 12, 2002, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-cannabis-and-corn-maize/113667 "2002-06-12T16:54:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-cannabis-and-corn-maize/113667/1 "2002-06-12T16:54:04Z")

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I’ve noticed that U.K. news media often use the term “cannabis” (in formal writing and speech) when an American would use “marijuana.” Similarly, it seems that the British say “maize” when Americans would say “corn.”

Am I right in my perception? Do Brits think if “marijuana” as an “American” word?

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**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-cannabis-and-corn-maize/113667/2 "2002-06-12T17:05:03Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Similarly, it seems that the British say “maize” when Americans would say “corn.”

This part is true, anyway. In British English, “corn” means the edible kernel of any grain-type plant—wheat, barley, whatever—while “maize” is what we Amurkins call “corn.”

I don’t know about the cannabis/marijuana thing.

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**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-cannabis-and-corn-maize/113667/3 "2002-06-12T18:49:53Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by acsenray \*  
> \*\*I’ve noticed that U.K. news media often use the term “cannabis” (in formal writing and speech) when an American would use “marijuana.” …Am I right in my perception? Do Brits think if “marijuana” as an “American” word? \*\*

It’s true that it is more often referred to as “cannabis” here, although I’d think of “marijuana” as a Spanish word really. Isn’t the botanical name “cannabis sativa” and the active constituent “tetrahydracannabinol”?

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2002, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-cannabis-and-corn-maize/113667/4 "2002-06-12T21:22:30Z")

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I generally say ‘maize’ only when I’m specifically referring to maize as opposed to sweetcorn, which I call corn or sweetcorn; I’ll happily refer to a field of ripe wheat as a cornfield, but I seldom describe wheat, barley, rye or oats as corn unless I’m wanting to be very generic (maybe if I was saying ‘they used these stones to grind their corn’ when I really had little idea what grain would be involved, but in that case, I’m just as likely to refer to it as ‘grain’).

See, it’s simple.