What the heck is 4/20?
Stoners around the world reference “420.” Sometimes they are referring to April 20th and sometimes 4:20 pm. As a cannabis newbie, I feel so out of the loop… What does it actually mean? Any why is it such a huge part of cannabis culture? Turns out, most people have no idea where it came from, so we did a little digging to get to the truth.
Each year on the 20th of April marijuana advocates around the world, from Amsterdam to California, celebrate cannabis. This date has become the unofficial holiday of marijuana, particularly in the growing number of countries where cannabis has been permitted for recreational use. Last year more than 1,000 people gathered in London’s Hyde Park to mark 4/20, smoking together at the specified time while calling for cannabis to be legalised.
The history of 4/20 has been disputed for many years, some claim it was the penal code in the state of California used by police officers to call in crimes involving marijuana use. But actually, the term was coined in 1971 by 5 high school students from San Rafael High School in California!
The friends heard about a potential plot of cannabis plants growing near the Point Reyes Peninsula Coast Guard Station so they agreed to meet after school, at 4:20 pm, to search the area. They made several attempts, always meeting up at 4:20 pm, but they never found the illusive garden of cannabis plants. What they did discover was that “420” was a useful secret code for them to meet up and smoke.
But how did these 5 friends create an unofficial global holiday?
The group consisted of Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich. And Dave Reddix later got a job working for Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh as a roadie. Legend has it that the band helped popularize the term “420” from there.
Now you are ready to impress all your friends with your trivia knowledge on 4/20!
Looking for a place to celebrate 4/20 in person, here are some locations where previous celebrations have been held:
United States
New York City: Washington Square Park in Manhattan
San Francisco: "Hippie Hill" in Golden Gate Park near the Haight-Ashbury
Denver: Civic Center Park
Boulder: campus of the University of Colorado Boulder
Canada
Ottawa: Parliament Hill and Major's Hill Park
Edmonton: The Alberta Legislature Building
Vancouver: The Vancouver Art Gallery and Sunset Beach as of 2016
Montreal: the Mount Royal monument
Australia
Sydney: Victoria Park
Melbourne: Flagstaff Gardens
London
London: Hyde Park
New Zealand
Dunedin: University of Otago