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420 (cannabis culture)

This is thelatest accepted revision,reviewedon13 February 2025.

420,4:20or4/20(pronouncedfour-twenty) iscannabis cultureslang formarijuana and hashish consumption,especiallysmokingaround the time 4:20 p.m. (16:20). It also refers tocannabis-oriented celebrations that take place annually on April 20 (4/20 inU.S.date form).[3][4]

420
originally "4:20 Louis"
Statue ofLouis PasteuratSan Rafael High School,byBenny Bufano(1940),[1][2]site of the earliest 4:20 gatherings in 1971
Observed byCannabiscounterculture,legal reformers,entheogenic spiritualists,and general users of cannabis
TypeSecular
SignificanceTime/date to celebrate cannabis
ObservancesCannabis consumption,traditionallycannabis smoking,dispensarydiscounts
Date4:20 p.m./April 20
FrequencyDaily, annually

Origins

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Five high school students inSan Rafael, California,[5][6]coined the term as part of their 1971 search for an abandoned cannabis crop, based on atreasure mapmade by the grower.[7][8]Calling themselves the Waldos,[9][10]because their typical hang-out spot "was a wall outside the school",[11]the five students—Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich[12]—designated theLouis Pasteurstatue[13]on the grounds ofSan Rafael High Schoolas their meeting place, and 4:20 p.m. as their meeting time.[11]The Waldos referred to this plan with the phrase "4:20 Louis". After several failed attempts to find the crop, the group eventually shortened their phrase to "4:20", which ultimately evolved into a code-word the teens used to refer to consuming cannabis.[7]

Steven HagerofHigh Timespopularized the story of the Waldos.[14]The firstHigh Timesmention of 4:20 smoking and a 4/20 holiday appeared in May 1991[15]and erroneously attributed the origin of the term to a police code; this and other spurious incorrect origin stories became common.[16]The connection to the Waldos appeared in December 1998. Hager attributed the early spread of the phrase toGrateful Dead followers[17]—after "Waldo" Reddix became aroadiefor theGrateful Deadbassist,Phil Lesh[12]—and called for 4:20 p.m. to be the socially accepted time of the day to consume cannabis.[17]

Another San Rafael group claims to have originated the term before the Waldos.[18]

International observance of April 20

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Vancouver, April 20, 2012

April 20has become an internationalcountercultureholidaybased on the celebration and consumption of cannabis.[3][19][20]Events typically advocate for cannabisliberalizationandlegalization.Vivian McPeak,a founder of Seattle'sHempfest,states that 4/20 is "half celebration and half call to action".[21]Paul Birch calls it a global movement and suggests that one cannot stop events like these.[22]

Many marijuana users protest incivil disobediencebygathering in public to smokeat 4:20 p.m.[23]

As marijuana continues to be decriminalized and legalized around the world, cannabis activistSteve DeAngelonotes that "even if our activist work were complete, 420 morphs from a statement of conscience to a celebration of acceptance, a celebration of victory, a celebration of our amazing connection with this plant" which "will always be worthy of celebration".[24][25]

In North America

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North American observances have been held at many locations, including:

In Australia

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Australian observances have been held at many locations, over many years, including:

Elsewhere

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Events have also been held inHyde ParkinLondon[63]andDunedin,New Zealand, at theUniversity of Otago.[64][65][66][67][68][69]

InLjubljana,Slovenia,the University of Ljubljana's student organization has carried out several annual cannabis-themed protests that have contributed to the debate on cannabis status in Slovenia and the subsequent legislation proposals in 2018 by gathering responses from various political parties in Slovenia and ranking them accordingly.[70][71]

InNorthern Cyprus,known for strict drug laws and intolerance to cannabis consumption,[72]the first 420 event was held in the capital cityLefkoşain 2015. On April 20, 2017, a small group of protesters carried out an event near the parliament building and made a public statement, demanding the legalization of cannabis sale, consumption, and production with state regulations.[73]

Other effects

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Traffic safety

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Despite two studies reporting a supposed increase in the risk offatal motor vehicle crasheson April 20,[74][75]further investigation and analysis found the evidence did not support such claims.[76][77][78][79]

Stolen signs

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Further information:Street sign theft

In the US, signs bearing the number 420 have been frequently stolen. In Colorado, theColorado Department of Transportationreplaced the Mile Marker 420 sign onI-70east of Denver with one reading 419.99 in an attempt to stop the thievery.[80]The Colorado DOT usually will not replace signs that are repeatedly taken, but began the practice of replacing further down the road after "69"mile marker signs were frequently stolen—these were replaced with" 68.5 mile "ones.[81]TheIdaho Department of Transportation(ITD) replaced the mile marker 420 sign onU.S. Highway 95,just south ofCoeur d'Alene,with mile marker 419.9.[82]TheWashington State Department of Transportationimplemented similar measures,[83]but only replaced one of the two 420 signs in the state, with the remaining one being subsequently stolen.[81]According toThe Washington Post,there are eleven 420 mile markers in the US, after three replacements and one stolen and not replaced.[84]InGoodhue County, Minnesota,officials have changed "420 St" street signs to "42x St".[85]The mile marker 420 sign onU.S. Route 89,the only 420 marker in the state ofUtah,is frequently stolen.[86]

Legislation and other government recognition

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In 2003,California Senate Bill 420was introduced to regulate medical marijuana use. An unsuccessful 2010 bill to legalizecannabis in Guamwas called Bill 420.[87]A North Dakota bill to legalize cannabis was HB 1420, introduced in January 2021.[88]

The Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act (which if enacted woulddecriminalizeand deschedule cannabis in the United States) was announced by Senator andSenate Minority LeaderChuck Schumer(D-New York) on April 20, 2018.[89][90]On January 9, 2019, H.R. 420 was introduced into the116th Congressby RepresentativeEarl Blumenauer(D-Oregon), named the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, which is designed to removecannabisfrom theControlled Substances Actand return regulation to the states.[91]

The State of Colorado auctioned off several cannabis-themed personalized license plates in 2021, with the bidding to be closed on April 20 (4/20). The highest bid shortly before the auction closed was over $6,500 for "ISIT420".[92]

Following the success of Washington, D.C.'sInitiative 71to legalize cannabis in 2014, MayorMuriel Bowsergrantedlicense platenumber 420 to the campaign's leader,Adam Eidinger.[93]

Literature

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Severalbooks about cannabishave "420" in the title, including thecannabis cookbooksThe 420 Cannabis Cookbook,published bySimon & Schuster,[94]andThe 420 Gourmetpublished in 2016 byHarperCollins.[95][96]

Commerce

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Some American restaurants offer"420" themed promotionsto coincide with April 20.

TeslaCEOElon Musktweeted in 2018 about taking his company private at $420 a share. Musk testified during the trial that any associations with cannabis were coincidental[97][98]but in the SEC filing he admitted that he had recently discovered the number's importance within the cannabis culture and thought his girlfriend would find it funny.[99]Musk purchased Twitter in 2022 at $54.20 per share and the financing documents were signed on April 20, acknowledging the reference to marijuana culture.[99]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Daily Independent Journal from San Rafael, California".November 20, 1954.RetrievedApril 22,2017.
  2. ^Chronicle, San Francisco (1962).The San Francisco Chronicle Reader.McGraw-Hill.RetrievedApril 22,2017.
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  6. ^abMcKinley, Jesse (April 19, 2009)."Marijuana Advocates Point to Signs of Change".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on December 18, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 23,2011.
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