Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US drugs) marijuana, cannabis.

1928		Daily Express 11 Oct. 2/7: What is Marijuana? [...] A deadly Mexican drug, more familiarly known as ‘Mary Jane’, which produces wild hilarity when either smoked or eaten.
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.
1943		Time 19 July 54: Marijuana may be called [...] Mary Jane.
1952		Lannoy & Masterson ‘Teen-age Hophead Jargon’ AS XXVII:1 28: MARY, n. Marijuana.
1963		J. Rechy City of Night 104: The unmistakable odour of maryjane hovering over us.
1968		A. Burgess Enderby Outside in Complete Enderby (2002) 319: Marijuana (Mary Jane, that meant: a mere kitchenmaid of narcotics).
1970		Manchester Guardian Weekly 20 June 6: The young solider was saying that here in Vietnam cannabis, pot, the weed, giggle-smoke, grass, Mary Jane, call it what you will, is readily available.
1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 169: [Marijuana’s] immense popularity is reflected in the striking number of terms used to identify it – juana, maryjane, boo, shit, pot.
1983		J. Byrell (con. 1959) Up the Cross 93: ‘Hemp. Grass. Tea. Mary Jane. Pot. Marijuana, Call it what you like’.
1997		‘Danger Overhead Junkie’ [poem] at cgsng.com 🌐 Girlfriend as well / I think is only on ‘mary jane’, but it’s still hell.
1999		Africa News Service 29 Nov. 🌐 It was only a matter of time before he too began experimenting with ‘Mary J’ (Mary Jane, slang for marijuana), LSD, speed and anything else he was offered.
2001		J. Stahl Plainclothes Naked (2002) 127: He knocked on Manny’s door to tell his parents their son had been smoking ‘that maryjane.’.
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 114/1: Mary Jane n. marijuana [...] MJ abbr. = Mary Jane.
2001		ONDCP Street Terms 14: Mary — Marijuana [...] Mary Jonas — Marijuana.
2004		Guerilla Black ‘Sunrise’ 🎵 Pop the champagne, then blaze the mary j.
2005		A. Lovejoy Acid Alex xvi: Roll some nice ... smelly ... sticky ... hairy – Mary Jane.
2009		Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) 24 Sept. 🌐 You’re gonna have a sweet time time puffin’ on the sweet Mary-Jane.
2013		Mail & Guardian (SA) 30 May 🌐 Some of your friends were in [prison] for a little Mary-Jane.
2014		N. Kolicki ‘Poachers’ in ThugLit Sept. [ebook] [Y]ou wouldn't know if he ran Mary Jane dispensaries or if he was headed to a club.
2014		C. Eble (ed.) UNC-CH Campus Sl. Spring 2014 10: MARY — See LOUD [i.e. marijuana].
2015		Guardian CiF 4 June 🌐 Make the stuff a lot harder to get hold of, maybe the kids will stick to maryjane, which just makes them go really slowly.
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 34: A bag of maryjane primed with his prints.

2. cocaine.

2001

K. Waterhouse Soho 50: Mary Jane, that’s what they called the stuff now, so Selby had told him. In Leeds it was known as Bolivian marching powder.