April 20th, or 4/20, marks a significant day in cannabis culture. Across the United States and increasingly globally, this date is recognized as a high holiday for marijuana enthusiasts. From music festivals filled with smoky haze to restaurants offering tempting “munchies” deals and dispensaries rolling out special discounts in states where cannabis is legal, 4/20 is a time of widespread celebration and community.
However, beyond the festivities, this annual event also serves as a moment for cannabis activists and advocates to reflect on the remarkable progress of their movement. With recreational cannabis now legal in 21 states and Washington D.C., the holiday provides an opportunity to assess how far cannabis legalization has come, even as federal progress lags behind state-level reforms.
But What Is 4/20 really, and how did it become such a prominent date in the cannabis world? Let’s delve into the intriguing history behind this now-iconic number and its journey to becoming a global cannabis celebration.
The Mysterious Origins of “420”
For years, the true origins of the term “420” and its association with cannabis culture remained shrouded in mystery. Various theories circulated, some claiming it was a police code for marijuana possession, while others linked it to Bob Dylan’s song “Rainy Day Women No. 12 & 35,” suggesting a numerical connection through multiplication (12 times 35 equals 420) and the song’s famous line, “Everybody must get stoned.”
Alt text: Large crowd gathers at Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, celebrating 420 cannabis holiday.
However, a more credible and widely accepted story emerged, tracing the term back to a group of high school friends in San Rafael, California, who called themselves “the Waldos.” According to their account, the story began in 1971 when a friend’s brother, fearing legal repercussions, shared a map with the Waldos. This map supposedly pinpointed a patch of cannabis growing in the woods of Point Reyes and gave the teens permission to harvest it.
During the fall of 1971, these friends, bonded by bell-bottoms and a sense of adventure, would meet at 4:20 p.m. This time, just after school ended and football practice wrapped up, became their designated rendezvous. Their meeting spot was the statue of chemist Louis Pasteur on the grounds of San Rafael High School. There, they would share a joint and then embark on their quest to find the hidden cannabis crop. While the Waldos never actually located the elusive weed patch, their chosen meeting time, “420 Louie,” and eventually just “420,” evolved into a code word among them, a private lexicon that would unknowingly spread far beyond their circle.
To solidify their claim and document the term’s early usage, the Waldos diligently saved postmarked letters and various artifacts from the 1970s that contained references to “420.” These items were later stored in a bank vault, providing tangible evidence of the term’s origins. When the Oxford English Dictionary officially added “420” to its lexicon in 2017, it cited some of these very documents as the earliest recorded examples of the term in use, lending further credence to the Waldos’ story.
How “420” Went Mainstream
The transition of “420” from a small group’s inside joke to a global phenomenon is a fascinating example of how slang can permeate culture. A key link in this spread was the Grateful Dead. As confirmed by Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh in an interview with the Huffington Post, the brother of one of the Waldos was a close friend of his. This connection led to the Waldos spending time with the band and their entourage, introducing their “420” slang into a much wider social circle.
Alt text: Image of a vintage flyer advertising a 420 gathering in Marin County, showcasing early use of 420 in cannabis culture.
The term gained further momentum in the early 1990s. Steve Bloom, a reporter for the cannabis magazine High Times, attended a Grateful Dead concert and was handed a flyer. This flyer invited people to “meet at 4:20 on 4/20 for 420-ing in Marin County at the Bolinas Ridge sunset spot on Mt. Tamalpais.” High Times, a magazine with a significant reach within the cannabis community, subsequently published the flyer, significantly amplifying the term’s visibility and solidifying the connection between 4/20 and cannabis culture in the public consciousness.
Reflecting on the term’s unexpected longevity, Waldo Steve Capper once remarked, “It’s a phenomenon. Most things die within a couple years, but this just goes on and on. It’s not like someday somebody’s going to say, ‘OK, Cannabis New Year’s is on June 23rd now.’” Capper himself went on to a successful career as a chief executive at a payroll financing company in San Francisco, a testament to the diverse paths taken by the originators of this cultural touchstone.
Steve Bloom, who later became editor in chief of Freedom Leaf Magazine, highlighted an interesting point in a 2017 interview: while the Waldos coined the term “420,” the individuals responsible for creating the flyer – the ones who effectively transformed 4/20 into a holiday – remain unknown, adding another layer of mystery to the 4/20 legend.
Celebrating 4/20: From Hippie Hill to Pot Shop Deals
The most common way to celebrate 4/20 is, unsurprisingly, with cannabis itself. Celebrations range in scale, from small gatherings to massive public events. Hippie Hill in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, for example, is a traditional epicenter, drawing thousands of people annually for a large-scale 4/20 gathering.
In cities across the US and beyond, various events cater to cannabis enthusiasts. In Seattle, for instance, a movie theater offered a “dank double feature” on 4/20, screening Cheech and Chong’s classic stoner comedy “Up In Smoke” alongside the hilariously cautionary 1930s anti-marijuana film “Reefer Madness” (also known as “Assassin of Youth”). For a more creative celebration, a pottery party in Boston offered participants the chance to craft their own pipes.
Alt text: Customers browse cannabis products at a dispensary during 420 sales, highlighting retail aspect of the cannabis holiday.
Retail also plays a significant role in 4/20 celebrations. Cannabis dispensaries in legal states typically offer special discounts and promotions on 4/20, attracting both regular customers and those new to cannabis. Beyond retail, music festivals are a popular way to mark the occasion. For example, the Smokey River Entertainment District in Missouri, which recently launched recreational cannabis sales in February, hosted a 4/20 festival, blending music and cannabis culture.
Even the brewing industry has joined in on the 4/20 spirit. Several breweries produce 4/20-themed beers. SweetWater Brewing in Atlanta, whose founders have connections to the University of Colorado at Boulder (a campus once known for its large 4/20 gatherings before authorities restricted access), is one example. Lagunitas Brewing in Petaluma, California, releases its “Waldos’ Special Ale” annually on April 20th, directly honoring the Waldos and their contribution to cannabis culture.
4/20 and the Politics of Cannabis Legalization
The rise of 4/20 as a cultural phenomenon has paralleled the growing movement for cannabis legalization. Since 2012, when Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize recreational cannabis for adults, there has been a significant expansion of legal cannabis across the United States. Currently, 21 states have legalized recreational use, and 38 states, most recently Kentucky, have approved medical marijuana programs. New markets are also emerging, with sales just beginning in Missouri and expected to commence in Maryland in July. New Mexico’s recreational cannabis program, for example, generated $300 million in sales in its first year alone, demonstrating the economic impact of legalization.
Despite this state-level progress, federal cannabis policy has lagged considerably. Political gridlock in Congress has hindered even modest reforms, such as allowing state-licensed cannabis businesses to deduct business expenses on their taxes or easing banking restrictions that force many cannabis businesses to operate primarily in cash, making them vulnerable to robberies and hindering their financial operations.
President Joe Biden took some executive action in October, issuing full pardons for prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession and urging governors to follow suit at the state level. The Justice Department is also currently conducting a review of federal cannabis policy. Attorney General Merrick Garland indicated to senators last month that the new federal policy would likely align with the “Cole Memorandum” of 2013. This memo signaled a federal non-interference approach to state-regulated cannabis markets as long as certain federal law enforcement priorities were met. However, it’s important to note that the Trump administration rescinded the Cole Memorandum, highlighting the fluctuating and sometimes uncertain nature of federal cannabis policy.
Cannabis activists continue to advocate for more substantial federal reforms. This week, they urged the Biden administration to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act altogether and to take further steps to address the lasting harms of the War on Drugs, particularly on communities of color. Their demands include directing federal agencies to stop using state-level marijuana convictions to deny federal benefits or trigger deportation, seeking to rectify the broader social and economic consequences of past cannabis prohibition policies.
In conclusion, what is 4/20? It’s far more than just a date on the calendar. It’s a cultural touchstone, a celebration, and a reminder of both the long and evolving history of cannabis and the ongoing movement for its broader acceptance and legalization. From its humble, almost accidental origins with a group of California high schoolers to its current status as a globally recognized cannabis holiday, 4/20 embodies the spirit of cannabis culture and the continued push for reform.
