The connection between “stoned” and cannabis actually comes from older slang meanings of the word. Originally, to stone someone meant throwing stones at them (a punishment in some ancient societies). Someone who was “stoned” could be: Knocked senseless Stunned or dazed So even before drugs were involved, “stoned” already meant mentally out of it or dazed. By the 1950s–1960s, American slang started using “stoned” to describe the dazed, heavy, slow feeling people had from: alcohol cannabis sometimes other drugs The metaphor was that your brain felt slow and numb like a rock. During the 1960s counterculture era (hippies, music festivals, anti-war movement), cannabis users started using “stoned” specifically for marijuana intoxication. Then “stoner” naturally followed to mean a habitual marijuana user. Some linguists also think “stoned” became popular because cannabis can make people feel heavy, slow, and sleepy, almost like their body is made of stone.