Soon it will be the twentieth of April, or 4/20. The marijuana industry all around the world is gearing up to promote the hell out of this date as if it were a national holiday, with sales and promotions galore. Cannabis aficionados and marijuana enthusiasts all around the globe are stocking up on weed and polishing their favorite glass pieces in readiness. But why? What does this date have to do with smoking marijuana?
Slow Emergence
It seems that the phrase first started to gain currency in the mid-’70s as the idea spread among drug users that “420” was the police code for a marijuana arrest in progress. It never was, but pot smokers aren’t always known for their detailed research. The primary vector for the spread of the phrase seems to have been Grateful Dead concerts, where it appeared on fliers along with the notion that it was a police code and that by using it as a code word for the act of smoking marijuana the number was in some way being reclaimed.
The Waldos
The true story is that the phrase originally started in 1971, with a group of high school students from San Rafael High School in Marin County, California who called themselves the “Waldos”. After school, the five students would meet up at 4:20 pm to look for a mythical patch of weed they believed to be growing somewhere in the vicinity – they even had a treasure map! This time was chosen simply because it happened to dovetail with all their schedules – the perfect moment when they had some free time and nobody expected them to be anywhere.
Over time, the phrase “four twenty” became used within the group as shorthand for anything to do with cannabis. And as time passed, this phrase began to spread throughout their circle of friends and eventually spread outside of San Rafael High School. Some of the Waldos became Deadheads (the Grateful Dead came out of San Rafael during the same period) and spread the phrase through that culture, although apparently without explaining it!
Really?
You may think it unlikely that a random phrase referring to a time that emerged from the chaos of multiple high school students’ schedules overlapping should spread to become so ubiquitous, but I refer you to Margaret Mead:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
Wider Spread
It wasn’t until the 1990s that 420 began to take on a life of its own, thanks to the efforts of a couple of other Deadheads, Steve Bloom and John Angelico. In 1991, Bloom wrote an article for the marijuana-focused news outlet High Times magazine about the Waldos and their famous 4:20 rituals. This piece of journalism is widely credited as being responsible for bringing 420 into public awareness.
While the story spread quickly throughout the cannabis subculture, it wasn’t until 2003 that it became mainstream when High Times published its 25th anniversary issue which featured a timeline of cannabis history including the story of 420 and the Waldos. This was followed by a feature film in 2005 called “The Union: The Business Behind Getting High“, which further promoted 420’s connection with cannabis.
Complete Cultural Saturation
Over time, more people became aware of this number and began using it to refer to cannabis use around April 20th every year. There are now numerous 4/20 festivals held around the world celebrating cannabis and its users. There are even some cities in North America that have declared April 20th an official “weed holiday”.
Today, 4/20 is widely recognized as an unofficial holiday by tens of thousands of marijuana enthusiasts for celebrating cannabis culture around the world. Cannabis businesses promote special discounts and deals on April 20th as well as create unique promotions and events that last throughout the entire day. In many parts of North America, you can find large public gatherings where thousands of people come together to smoke and celebrate weed culture on this special day.
It’s Cannabis Time!
It’s true that the phrase never had anything to do with the date of April 20th, but why should we let that bother us? I mean, what else are you going to be celebrating then? Hitler’s birthday? I think not!
Whether you’re planning on toking up on 4/20 or not, it’s still interesting to learn the history of this term so you can appreciate the culture that has grown out of such an innocuous meeting time. With its rich history, there’s no doubt about it: 4/20 is here to stay!
(It’s also Harold Lloyd’s birthday!)
