Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. marijuana.

1930		J. Tully Shadows of Men 214: The Mexican convicts called it ‘Greefo.’ Hypo called it ‘muggles’.
1931		G. Milburn ‘Convicts’ Jargon’ in AS VI:6 438: griffa, n. Marijuana, a narcotic herb.
1935		A.J. Pollock Und. Speaks n.p.: Griffo, mariahuana [sic]: hashish.
1936		(ref. to 1920s) L. Duncan Over the Wall 102: Marijuana [...] called ‘griefo’ or ‘merry’ by addicts that use it, is a product of Mexican hemp.
1940		‘Jargon of Marihuana Addicts’ in AS XV:3 Oct. 336/2: The cigarettes are usually called reefers, but other names are: [...] greefas, greetas, grifas, grifos.
1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 93: The grefa they pushed around Detroit was like the scrapings off old wooden bridges.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 108: griffa [...] grifo Marihuana.
1952		Lannoy & Masterson ‘Teen-age Hophead Jargon’ AS XXVII:1 26: GREAPHA, n. Marijuana. [...] GRIEFO, n. Marijuana.
1953		‘William Lee’ Junkie (1966) 159: Weed, Tea, Gage, Grass, Greefa, Muggles, Hash . . . Marijuana, hashish.
1956		(con. 1940s) J. Resko Reprieve 236: The raw, fresh leaves of marijuana, gage, mota, gonga, griffo, tea, weed [...] are packed loosely in a small sized tobacco tin.
1958		E. Gilbert Vice Trap 102: They steer tourists into houses [...] or grow grifa.
1969		R.R. Lingeman Drugs from A to Z (1970) 105: grefa [...] grifa [...] griffo marijuana.
1971		E.E. Landy Underground Dict. (1972) 93: grefa [...] grifa [...] griffa [...] griffo [...] Marijuana.
1974		(con. 1945) M. Angelou Gather Together In My Name 52: ‘You like grifa?’ ‘Yes. I smoke.’.
1993		L. Rodríguez Always Running (1996) 63: We scored on cases of beer and some grifa.
2001		ONDCP Street Terms 11: Griefo [...] Griefs — Marijuana.

2. (US drugs) a regular user of marijuana.

1957

El Paso Herald (TX) 3 Oct. 17/4: A few examples of [...] ‘calo’ [...] greefo — an addict.