Unless you’re both a canna-phile and an American Sign Language (ASL) student or speaker, you might not know that the vocabulary for cannabis-related signs is a fairly recent development. Sure, cannabis has been around for millennia, and ASL has been around since the early 17th century. But with all the new cannabis-derived merchandise (foods, plastics, construction materials and beauty products, to name but a few), slang and scientific reporting, ASL has had to catch up.
ASL was invented in the 1810s by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, who learned French Sign Language from Laurent Clerc to co-establish a dialect of Sign Language unique to the United States. Gallaudet’s motive was to help his neighbor’s deaf daughter, and he ended up co-founding, along with Clerc, the first American school for the Deaf.
Today, altruism continues to be a driving force in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community with respect to communication. As Head Magazine celebrates the International Day of Sign Languages (Sept. 23), we’re exploring how the cannabis subculture has bloomed among ASL speakers whose helping hands are inventing words.
Try out the signs using the images and videos in the article. Happy signing! And happy International Day of Sign Languages!
Marijuana American Sign Language ASL Love Weed 420 Deaf Gift Tank Top by Weed Trees by K
ASL for Cannabis Farming
Jared and Angela Panks, a couple who grows medical marijuana, have been developing their own signs for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing cannabis community for several years. Angela was born deaf, and Jared has studied ASL since he was a teenager. The two founded Deafining Cannabis, which you can engage with through the website (https://www.deafining.org/), on Instagram at @deafiningcannabis and on Facebook in the group Deafening Cannabis.
As Leaf Nation reports, the Panks have devoted their lives to educating the Deaf and Hard of Hearing about cannabis and regenerative agriculture. They host visitors from around the world at their farm, and they answer questions, offer advice and post educational videos online. Here are the signs they’ve shared for “endocannabinoid system,” “cannabinoid” and “terpene.”
Certification in Cannabis-Specific ASL
The eCS Therapy Center, a nonprofit organization, launched the Sign of the Times initiative in the late 2010s. The effort brought together interpreters and Deaf and Hard of Hearing professionals to create a video glossary devoted to cannabis-related terms. As reported by WPTV, the hope is to get the Sign Language Academy to add these terms to the official lexicon. In the meantime, to elevate the cannabis industry to the high standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act, Dr. Regina Nelson created a certification program based on that glossary. Her Cannacian® certification has three levels and an advanced course for Cannacian trainers.
Sign Language Finger Chart
ASL in the “High Council”
When you’re cozied up in a circle with ASL-speaking friends playing Puff Puff Pass, you’ll make an impression if you know the lingo. Jolanta Lapiak of the online ASL video-dictionary organization HandSpeak collaborated with Marie Veintrop, the mother of a Cannabis Life Network staff writer, to post looping GIFs with key words and phrases. Click here to learn to sign “pass the weed,” “cannabis cookie,” “pothead,” “pipe,” “dried cannabis flower,” “cannabis plants,” “medical cannabis” and “dab.”
ASL in a Cannabis Dispensary
Matt Maxey, an ASL hip hop artist, motivational speaker, ASL and minority advancement consultant, and budtender, was interviewed via video-chat by Cannabis Business Times about Deafinitely Dope. In this one-minute video, he demonstrates signs for greeting and assisting customers at his dispensary, as well as signs for describing the merchandise. He shows how to sign “sativa,” “indica” and “hybrid,” and how to describe the effects a customer can expect to have when consuming a certain strain.
Photo by cottonbro studio:/ pexels.com Photo for Illustrative Use Only
ASL Cannabis School
The class Sign Language for Cannabis is offered free of charge through Advocacy Revolution, part of the advocacy group Human Informed Culture. Working with Matt Maxey of Deafinitely Dope, their declared goal is to infuse Sign Language into more spaces. To join the waitlist for this class, click here! For now, check them out on Instagram at @AdvocacyRevolution and @DeafinitelyDope.
Sign On!
The International Day of Sign Languages, Sept. 23, was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness of the importance of sign languages in the full realization of the human rights of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The difficulty that a Deaf or Hard of Hearing person can encounter when shopping for cannabis is something that, until recently, hadn’t received sufficient attention. But, as you can see from the people and organizations above, that problem is being solved now. Go be part of that solution!
Kathleen Hearons is a writer, editor, linguist and voice over actor from Los Angeles. She specializes in creative writing and research-intensive analysis and reporting.
Sources and Suggested Reading
Allen, Jaclyn. “How do you sign ‘endocannabinoid’? When you’re hearing impaired, talking pot can be a problem.” WPTV. Last updated October 21, 2018. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://www.wptv.com/news/national/how-do-you-sign-endocannabinoid-when-you-re-hearing-impaired-talking-pot-can-be-a-problem.
Black, Bobby. “High Signs: Cannabis Sign Language.” Leaf Nation. June 2, 2023. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://leafmagazines.com/learn/high-signs-cannabis-sign-language/.
Deafining Cannabis. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://www.deafining.org/.
Deafinitely Dope. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://www.deafinitelydope.org/.
HandSpeak. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://www.handspeak.com/.
Hearons, Kathleen. “Cannabis’s Ancient Voyage West: How a Plant Native to China Found Its Way to Wherever You Are.” Head Magazine. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://headmagazine.com/cannabiss-ancient-voyage-west/.
International Day of Sign Languages: 23 September. United Nations. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://www.un.org/en/observances/sign-languages-day.
“marijuana.” SignASL.org. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://www.signasl.org/sign/marijuana.
Sandy, Eric. “ASL for Cannabis: How to Sign Key Terms in the Dispensary.” Cannabis Business Times. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/media/asl-american-sign-language-cannabis-dispensary/.
Sign Language for Cannabis. Advocacy Revolution, Human Informed Culture. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://advocacyrevolution.com/asl.
“Signs for CANNABIS.” HandSpeak. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://www.handspeak.com/word/1352/.
“Signs for MARIJUANA.” HandSpeak. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://www.handspeak.com/word/1353/.
The eCS Therapy Center. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://myecstherapy.org/.
“The Fascinating History of Sign Language.” Academy Hearing Centres. November 16, 2016. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://www.academyhearing.ca/blog/news/News/2016/11/16/50:the-fascinating-history-of-si%20gn-language.
Veintrop, Julia. “How to Say Popular Weed Words and Phrases in Sign Language.” Cannabis Life Network. May 19, 2020. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://cannabislifenetwork.com/weed-sign-language/.
West, Sidni. “Cannabis sign language.” Boulder Weekly. September 20, 2018. Accessed September 14, 2024. https://archives.boulderweekly.com/features/weed-between-the-lines/cannabis-sign-language/.
