Happy 420 Day: The Surprising History Behind The Global Cannabis Celebration

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Thursday, April 20 marks the annual cannabis celebration 420. With fans of the drug in North America and around to world set to celebrate en masse, there is still confusion over the meaning of the celebration, and theories on where the term originated abound.

While some claim the term comes from the police code 420 meaning marijuana smoking in progress, others have linked the name to dictator Adolf Hitlers birthday, which was on April 20. The most widely accepted theory, more plausibly, stems from the notoriously eclectic band The Grateful Dead.

Marijuana fans the world over are set to celebrate 420 on Thursday. [Image by Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Images]

Legend has it, Dave Reddix, a roadie for the band, coined the term during high school in the 1970s when he would regularly meet up with several of his friends after school at 4:20 to smoke marijuana. Reddix and his friends would reportedly use the code 420 to each other throughout the day to make plans for that afternoon. After Reddixs brother helped him get a job with the band, the term quickly caught on through the circle of Grateful Dead fans, or, Deadheads, a group that has long been synonymous with the drug.

The name really took off in 1990 when the band released a flyer inviting fans to smoke 420 with them at 4:20 P.M on April 20. A flyer reportedly found its way to Steve Bloom, a reporter from weed-centric publication High Times who published the flyer in the magazine and continued to use 420 to reference the drug.

TIME tracked down Reddix and interviewed him on the eve of the celebration. When asked about the significance of the time 4:20, Reddix had a surprisingly simple answer. He explained that school finished at 3 p.m., with sports practice immediately after, so by the time Reddix and his friends were finished with their daily commitments, it was around 4:20 p.m.

Reddix went on to explain the factors that lead to the creation of their cannabis club.

We got tired of the Friday-night football scene with all of the jocks. We were the guys sitting under the stands smoking a doobie, wondering what we were doing there.

Around the country and the world, stoners and marijuana enthusiast alike get ready to celebrate the annual event on Thursday, April 20. While in the past this may have meant mayhem and chaos for police, the growing acceptance of marijuana across North America and parts of the world mean the majority of those celebrating run little risk of punishment or arrest.

USA Today report that the sheer size of the crowds that gather on College Campuses and public spaces to observe the celebration mean that even those states that have not yet legalized the recreational consumption of weed are likely to turn a blind eye come Thursday.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced plans to decriminalize recreational use of marijuana in the country. [Image by Richard Drew/AP Images]

With numerous states across the US and all of Canada reducing or abolishing penalties for recreational use of the drug, large numbers of green tourists are reportedly arriving in more relaxed states ready to celebrate on Thursday. Speaking to self-proclaimed bud tender Jason Coleman, USAToday report that many Denver, Colorado area marijuana dispensaries are preparing for record sales. Coleman, a worker at popular Denver dispensary Medicine Man said he expected the store to double their normal sales in the days leading up to 420.

South Carolina tourist Catherine Heelan described the mood in Colorado compared to her home state.

For people like me, its mind blowing. Theres no shame. The stigma and shame is gone here. No one looks down on you.

Meanwhile, political activists are also using the occasion to protest federal government interference with state-level legislation regarding the legalization of marijuana for medical uses. The demonstration aims to hand out 1,000 joints to workers on Capitol Hill before holding a mass smoke-in on the Capitol steps next Monday.

[Featured Image by Brennan Lindsley/AP Images]

Source: http://www.inquisitr.com/4159640/happy-420-day-the-surprising-history-behind-the-global-cannabis-celebration/

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Happy 420: What is 420? The meaning behind the marijuana celebration day

HAPPY 420!!!!!!!!!!!
Where did 420 actually come from? (Picture: Getty)

Rejoice, smokers of weed (or just continue to comfortably sit and marathon-watch Netflix with a bucketload of snacks). Today is 4/20, AKA the only worldwide holiday in celebration of the joy of marijuana.

But whatis4/20? Why do we celebrate it? And what do these specific numbers have to do with weed?

Happy 420: History of cannabis and how the plant spread across the world

First off, the easy bit. 4/20 refers to April 20, written the American way with the month first and the day second. Its widely considered to be an annual day of marijuana joy, marked by weed-themed festivals, brands doing food offers with a weed-themed twist, and plenty of smoking.

Now, on to the history of 4/20. Buckle your seatbelts.

People think 4/20 refers to a secret police code(Picture: Getty)

Ill be real. This is EXACTLY what I always thought 4/20 referred to, and it seems to be what most cannabis fans believe when it comes to the day.

People claim that 420 is the radio code used by police to describe catching anyone smoking weed. And so, weed-smokers took over the code for their own reference and made 4/20 their special weed-smoking day.

But actually, the 420 code is actually used for homicide. Dark.

People also think 420 is the number of chemical compounds in cannabis(Picture: Getty)

This is not true.

There are also theories that 420 comes from a Bob Dylan song(Picture: Getty)

Yep, some geniuses have noted that 12 x 35 equals 420. And 12 and 35 happen to be the numbers referenced in Bob Dylans song Rainy Day Women #12 & 35. Whaaaa.

Bob Dylan also chants everybody must get stoned! in the song, which adds to this theorys power.

But heres the truth (as far as we know): 4/20 is all down to a group of students(Picture: Getty)

This, according to the internet, is the most credible story out there on the origins of 4/20 as told in its entirety to the Huffington Post.

Back in 1971, five students at San Rafael High School in California would meet at 4.20pm right after doing their after-school sports by the schools statue of Louis Pasteur to toke up.

It became a tradition, and the group, who called themselves The Waldos, began using 420 as a shorthand for smoking weed.

This spread, 4.20pm became known as the perfect time for smoking weed, and the number 420 became synonymous with marijuana. Whoa.

How do you celebrate 4/20?(Picture: Getty)

Simple. Smoke some weed on April 20 at 4.20pm. You can also just smoke weed (as long as youre living somewhere where its legal, obviously) at 4.20pm on any other day.

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Or at any other time, according to the popular stoner bro phrase: Its 4.20 somewhere.

Theres also a pro-cannabis legalisation rally in Hyde Park on April 20, if you fancy attending.

MORE: This pizza box turns into a weed pipe to fulfill all your stoner dreams

Source: http://metro.co.uk/2016/04/20/what-is-420-the-meaning-behind-the-marijuana-celebration-day-5828449/

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