"Marijuana" or "Marihuana"? It’s All Weed to the DEA

"Marijuana" or "Marihuana"? It’s All Weed to the DEA
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File

The Drug Enforcement Administration published a rule in the Federal Register Wednesday clarifying that certain marijuana extracts — notably cannabidiol, or CBD — are indeed Schedule 1 controlled substances and just as illegal under federal law as whole-plant marijuana itself.

DEA spokesman Russell Baer says it is an administrative measure to help with record-keeping, but the rule drew attention for its use of the archaic spelling of “marihuana" -- with an “H” instead of a “J.” The rule is entitled “Establishment of a New Code for Marihuana Extract,” and uses the H spelling throughout.

Some marijuana legalization advocates speculated that this spelling was used to be sneaky, “so the article wouldn't pop up under any searches for changes in marijuana policy.” Others asked“when the DEA will step into the 21st century and stop using the archaic version of the word 'marihuana.'”



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