Four. Freaking. Twenty. 420 is a cultural phenomenon that has become the honorary celebration of all things cannabis, complete with a controversial history. The date of the major celebration is, of course, April 20th, but the time 4:20 AM and 4:20 PM has also become recognized as the consumer’s call to combust and partake in their own personal cannabis celebration. There are several prevalent theories as to why 420 became the standardized time to take part, and on this highest of holidays, we wanted to check these theories out.
The Answer is Blowing in the Wind
One more unusual 420 origin myth is its’ relation to iconic songwriter Bob Dylan. The song “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” was released on March 22, 1966, only two weeks after it was recorded. The song has the hook, ‘I would not feel so all alone / Everybody must get stoned,’ a cheerful calling card to get high from Dylan himself. The song feels like a smokey late night with instrumentals layering over themselves only to give way to Dylan singing a tongue-in-cheek tune about getting stoned. The tie-in to 420 comes in the way of a math problem. 12 x 35 = 420, and somehow that takes this song and turns it into April 20th becomes when everybody must get stoned. While Dylan allegedly denied these allegations, his intention has certainly not aligned with the song’s cultural impact. This myth has some credibility, but it’s a stretch.
Police Code for Marijuana Use
A heavily referenced rumor is that ‘420’ is the police code for cannabis use in progress. However, that myth has been busted. As app.com reported, “while there are some standards, police codes differ by state, county and local department and not all of them use code no. 420.” They note that police in Las Vegas use code ‘420’ to reference a homicide (the opposite of cannabis use), and in San Francisco, ‘420’ relates to juvenile disturbance.
Hitler’s Birthday
While April 20th, unfortunately, is the birthday of Adolf Hitler, that has nothing to do with cannabis. Nobody is celebrating Hitler, let alone celebrating him by smoking cannabis. April 20th is also the birthday of George Takei, a wonderful public figure from Star Trek. While this perhaps has been used to vilify cannabis users, the connection between his birthday and celebration of any sort is preposterous. This myth is effectively and thoughtfully busted as a pure coincidence.
The ‘Waldos’
Our friends behind Ancient Aliens at the History Channel reported on this theory, citing a group of high school boys in the 70s with connecting 420 to cannabis. This theory may be the earliest documentation of 420 and is allegedly connected to their afterschool sesh. These teens would meet up to scour the Northern California wildlife to find an allegedly abandoned cannabis plant that they wanted to rescue and restore to its’ former glory. And then smoke it. They would also smoke flower they found by other means together before the hunt began. From there, it evolved into 420 being synonymous with smoking and all things cannabis. They allegedly never did find this elusive plant, but they did start a wave of 420 being dubious. This myth does have some historical evidence as cited by the group and their surrounding social circle. They now host a website with documented proof of their claim to 420. This myth is confirmed, with hard evidence to boot!
The Grateful Dead
The legacy of the ‘Waldo’ boys doesn’t end in the parking lot, though- eventually, one of the Waldos ended up working with one of the most notorious bands in the cannabis culture scene- The Grateful Dead. Dave Reddix remained in Northern California after high school and was eventually hired as a roadie for Phil Lesh, the jam band’s bassist. From his affiliation with the band, he ended up dropping the ‘420’ reference to cannabis, which apparently stuck from there. Time Magazine reported that in 1990, “a group of Deadheads in Oakland handed out flyers that invited people to smoke “420” on April 20 at 4:20 p.m.” The band openly accepted and celebrated 420 as the time to light up and was even encouraging their fans. This signal boost was huge for the 420 movements and began to ripple out into other areas of media. This myth is confirmed by social and physical proof in the aforementioned flyers.
The Rise of 420
Following The Grateful Dead, 420 has become synonymous with cannabis use. Merry Jade even declared ‘420’ as “the cannabis equivalent of the Kardashians.” Celebrations spread worldwide every April, resulting in concerts, cultural festivals, and a cloud of smoke in every major city. Even non-cannabis retailers like Fatburger and Jack in the Box have gotten in on the celebration with 420 special deals. The term ‘420 friendly’ has become common terminology in everything from dating apps to roommate postings online. The aptly named California Senate Bill 420 became the Medical Marijuana Program Act, signed by the governor in 2003 and established the state’s medical use program. From heresy to history, 420’s mythology became larger than anyone could have anticipated, becoming the regular highest sales-grossing day in the regulated industry.
