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This is slightly tangential, but I really hate it when reputable news outlets use the term 'pot' in reporting. I'm not talking about the headline, where differe

This is slightly tangential, but I really hate it when reputable news outlets use the term 'pot' in reporting. I'm not talking about the headline, where different style rules apply, but further down in the article where they use the term 'pot' in a descriptive way. ('Pot wasn’t legal... ') Cannabis and marijuana are more neutral terms, whereas the connotation of slang terms like 'pot' is usually slightly derogatory. You rarely see the word 'booze' used the same way in similar news pieces - not that it never happens, but it's nowhere near as common.

fphhotchips 12y ago
I disagree. To me it's more like saying "Tylenol" instead of paracetamol.
Carrok 12y ago
Cannabis is a neutral term, yes. But 'marijuana'? Might want to do some research on that one. http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/07/14/201981025/the-mysterious-history-of-marijuana http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/07/14/201981025/the...
Stratoscope 12y ago
At least around here (SF Peninsula/Silicon Valley), "pot" isn't a derogatory term at all. It seems to be what most everyone calls it, users and non-users alike. Except for the kids. They call it "weed". Which is a bit confusing because "weed" used to mean the cheap stuff and "pot" the good stuff. A few people called it "dope" 25-30 years ago, but that didn't last. Before that it was "grass", but that really was the bad cheap stuff, ten dollars a lid (an ounce of leaves in a baggie with the flap sealed by spit) from Mexico. The dispensaries and producers seem to prefer "cannabis" - there's Buddy's Cannabis for example - or "medical marijuana", but never just "marijuana". In fact, the dispensaries never call it "pot" either. It's "medicine" or "flowers", or just referred to by the name of the specific strain.
- bobyley 12y ago
  so tell me about your site
  - Stratoscope 12y ago
    I'm sorry, what site are you referring to?
- thizzbuzz 12y ago
  Interesting. Slang like "pot", "dope" and "herb" sounds older to me. When I hear "dope" I usually think of heroin. Now the kids are calling it "weed", "tree", "dro", "bomb", "doja" (Southern), "piff" (NY), "gas" (Cali), "Keyshia" (Atlanta / mid West) and a million others. Worse stuff is usually called "mid" or "brick".

fphhotchips 12y ago

I disagree. To me it's more like saying "Tylenol" instead of paracetamol.

Carrok 12y ago

Cannabis is a neutral term, yes. But 'marijuana'? Might want to do some research on that one. http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/07/14/201981025/the-mysterious-history-of-marijuana http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/07/14/201981025/the...

Stratoscope 12y ago

At least around here (SF Peninsula/Silicon Valley), "pot" isn't a derogatory term at all. It seems to be what most everyone calls it, users and non-users alike. Except for the kids. They call it "weed". Which is a bit confusing because "weed" used to mean the cheap stuff and "pot" the good stuff. A few people called it "dope" 25-30 years ago, but that didn't last. Before that it was "grass", but that really was the bad cheap stuff, ten dollars a lid (an ounce of leaves in a baggie with the flap sealed by spit) from Mexico. The dispensaries and producers seem to prefer "cannabis" - there's Buddy's Cannabis for example - or "medical marijuana", but never just "marijuana". In fact, the dispensaries never call it "pot" either. It's "medicine" or "flowers", or just referred to by the name of the specific strain.

bobyley 12y ago
so tell me about your site
- Stratoscope 12y ago
  I'm sorry, what site are you referring to?
thizzbuzz 12y ago
Interesting. Slang like "pot", "dope" and "herb" sounds older to me. When I hear "dope" I usually think of heroin. Now the kids are calling it "weed", "tree", "dro", "bomb", "doja" (Southern), "piff" (NY), "gas" (Cali), "Keyshia" (Atlanta / mid West) and a million others. Worse stuff is usually called "mid" or "brick".