Pot is a common slang term for cannabis or marijuana. It is also a term to used a growing container, such as a smart pot or regular pot. Using the word “pot” to describe marijuana is said to derive from the Spanish word for marijuana, potiguaya. This word itself comes from the potación de guaya, which is a wine or brandy drink made steeped with marijuana leaves and buds. It literally translates to “the drink of grief.”
The first use of this to refer to marijuana in print goes to African-American writer Chester Himes in his short story "The Way We Live Now" (1938), where it was written “She made him smoke pot and when he got jagged [high]…she put him on the street." Many smokers think it refers to the growing container, but the historical usage of it traces back to the Spanish term. You also see the term “pot head” to refer to a frequent cannabis user
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