The term “marijuana” was once the name predominantly used to describe the plant. Yet as the business legitimizes, it is shifting toward “cannabis” for a number of reasons.

Many in the industry don’t believe that marijuana will or should go away. Yet in a shifting landscape, the term is trending down in usage while cannabis surges.

Shanel Lindsay, founder and president of cannabis decarboxylation company Ardent, also said cannabis is the word used by the science community. “They want it to be a scientific term because cannabis has been so stigmatized as not being scientific.”

The term marijuana, a slang term for the plant used by Mexicans, became demonized and synonymous with racist sentiments toward people of color.

While both marijuana and cannabis are in use as the industry evolves, some believe there is no place for the former word at all in 2019.

The debate is far from over, and it’s one that involves people who are reclaiming a word that hurt them, said Ardent’s Lindsay.

“It’s a nuanced and evolving discussion for sure,” she said. “But understanding that people of color and disenfranchised groups have been the victims of the war on drugs and overenforcement is important. When they choose to use the word marijuana over cannabis, that should absolutely be respected by anybody.”