If youโre new to weed or even consider yourself an expert you might not know the details about the high holiday of 4/20. Weโve got the dope on the special number so youโll be in the know.
A Few Not-True Things About 420
Have you ever heard these things about 420?
Bob Marley was born or died on April 20.
The popular reggae musician was born in February and died in May.
Weโve heard that 420 was the California police code for marijuana possession or smoking back in the day before legalization. Thatโs wrongโthe 420 code number is for homicide.
For those good at math, the Bob Dylan song Rainy Day Woman #12 & #35 multiplied equals 420, but thatโs not how 420 phenomena got moving.
Itโs said that 4/20 is the best day to start your cannabis planting, but if you live here in Michigan and doing that outdoors, youโre likely to encounter frostโwhich equals dead plants.
Enough Guessing! The Truth About 420
Like most good weed stuff, the story of 420 begins in California and involves the Grateful Dead.
Back in the early 1970s in Marin County, near San Francisco, a group of friends nicknamed The Waldos were students at San Rafael High School. The Waldos heard rumors about a patch of hidden cannabis growing at Point Reyes and it was their mission to find and smoke that weed!
The Waldos started using โ420 Louieโ as code to meet near a statue of scientist Louis Pasteur on school property after sports practiceโwhich was around 4:20 PM. From there they would drive off and search for the goods.
Eventually, the code was shortened to 420 and it stuck and spreadโthanks to group use and one of the Waldos having a pretty cool big brother and parental connections to the Grateful Deadโitโs believed that members of the Dead used the number and like a good joint it kept getting passed on.
Now 420 is used all over the globe when talking about smoking weed or being weed-friendly.
Why 420 Lives On
420 is a reason to come together as a cannabis community and celebrate. Stoners gather where cannabis is legal and enjoy it and in places where cannabis is still illegal, people gather for legalization rallies. 420 is a big day for anyone in the world who enjoys weed, sees benefits in its consumption and wants it to be legal everywhere.
The term 420-friendly can refer to a person or place. For example, a 420-friendly hotel or Airbnb will allow cannabis consumption on their property. If youโre going to someoneโs house for the first time and they tell you that theyโre โ420-friendly,โ you can come to visit and consume cannabis while youโre there. In places where cannabis is legal, like Amsterdam or Spain, a cafรฉ or a bar can also be 420-friendly, which means you can buy and consume cannabis at the same place.
So, 420 is not just a random number. It is a cultural phenomenon that unites people from all around the world. The 20th of April is now a global cannabis day.
To celebrate 4/20 Pharmhouse is offering a bunch of specials and a live comedy show from 3-5 PMโand thereโs more to come as we get closer to the day.
Check our specials page for all the 4/20 deals.