How it came to be: 4/20

420’s Origin and How it Came To Be

Since the legalization of Marijuana throughout many different states in the US, the term ‘420’ has gained some popularity but where did it actually originate?

A lot of people within the pot smoking community seem to believe that ‘420’ began as a law enforcement scanner code. (Eg: 10-4 - Understood; 240 - Assault, ect). Some even connect ‘420’ with Adolf Hitler's D.O.B, April the 20th, 1889 but more recently - it has been discovered that neither of these claims and conspiracies are even remotely true.

Instead, the real truth behind ‘420’ all begins with a group of Californian high schoolers during fall, 1971. It’s rumoured that a friend’s brother had a patch of cannabis in the Point Reyes forest which he no longer wanted due to fears of getting caught.

The group of high schoolers were determined to find this mystical patch off marijuana; meeting at 4:20 p.m every day after school. It’s also suggested that the friend’s brother drew out a map for them and agreed that they could tend to the crop. He’s also rumored to have drawn the group a map to assist them in their search.

The group, which eventually agreed on the name ‘The Waldos’ would head to the Forest which just happened to be fairly close to the campus in search of their ‘treasure’. The premise of going to the forest every day at 4:20 p.m to not only search, but also smoke meant that at some point, people were going to start connecting ‘420’ to the act of smoking weed. It caught on because it was a way to speak about cannabis without actually giving away the fact that you smoke it. This meant parents were oblivious so ‘420’ was free to spread from person to person.

So, it all started with some teenagers in 1970’s California and for anybody wondering; they never did discover the abandoned patch. They did however make a contribution to stoner culture which is impressive considering they were just a bunch of kids that made up a word to keep out of trouble.

That leaves us where we are today. We’re more aware and connected than ever. A few years ago, innocent people were being incarcerated for simply enjoying their favourite strain. This could be you, this could be someone close to you. It can happen to anyone. Now nearly 55 million US citizens stand together in hopes of spreading their knowledge of the beneficial properties of cannabis. We hope for the legalization of marijuana use to spread even further, so that those people that are stuck in prison where cannabis is still criminalized get to go home to their families, friends and life.

In conclusion - we’ve come so very far. So let’s appreciate how far we’ve come and wish each other a very happy and enjoyable 4/20 celebration!