Mary Jane

Per the OED, an alteration of marijuana after the female forename, produced by folk-etymological reading of Mexican Spanish marihuana as María-Juana. Cannabis sense attested by the mid-1920s; American Speech listed "Mary Janes" in 1940. Functioned as prohibition-era code to evade police. Reinforced in popular music by Janis Joplin (1965), Rick James (1978), and Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance" (1993). ⚠️ The origin of marihuana itself is disputed — proposed Nahuatl, Chinese ma ren hua, and Semitic marjoram derivations remain unresolved.