LiveScience published an article Thursday that attempted to determine the origins of cannabis-smokers favorite holiday, 4/20.
April 20 and the numbers 4/20 are synonymous with pot smokers around the world, despite many of them having no idea why, LiveScience described. One story popular amongst stoners is that “420” is the police code for cannabis arrests in progress, but apparently this is a myth.
Other stories of its origin include a 1990 Grateful Dead concert in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum where fliers for the show urge users to celebrate 4/20 as “the grandmaster of holidays,” according to LiveScience. Publisher of CelebStoner Steve Bloom apparently claimed that he wrote about the flier for High Times magazine, and the concept of smoking pot on 4/20 and at 4:20pm in the afternoons of every other day took off from there.
The Marshall Project Says Biden’s Marijuana Pardon Won’t Let Anyone Out Of Jail https://t.co/xbRNkFqzfJ
— El_Grillo (@El_Grillo1) October 20, 2022
But not everyone was convinced by Bloom’s claim to fame. “A few years later a few other people got in touch with High Times claiming they were the rightful owners of 420,” Bloom said of the situation.
Apparently we can thank a group of men who call themselves the Waldos for creating 4/20 culture, LiveScience continued. As the legend goes, the Waldos learned of a local coastguard to their home in San Rafael, California, who was too scared to go and harvest a cannabis crop he’d planted near Point Reyes.
So the Waldos decided to hunt for it themselves, and agreed to meet to start the search at 4:20pm. The Waldos still claim ownership of “420” today, according to their official website. (RELATED: CEO Eats A Mike Tyson, Ear-Shaped Weed Gummy Live On-Air)
I don’t think we’ll ever know the true origin of 4/20. And even if the stoners did figure it out, would they even remember the next day?