It’s that time of the year when all the stoners get to let their freak flag fly.
April 20, or 4/20, has cemented itself as a universally celebrated weed holiday, thanks to a group of young friends back in the 1970s.
For years it was widely—and erroneously—believed that 420 was some sort of police code for possession of cannabis. The true origin is nearly unbelievable, considering the group of high school buddies in northern California, who called themselves the Waldos, added significance to those three numbers decades before the internet was widely used. The short version of the story is that the Waldos would gather after their extracurricular activities, which happened to be 4:20pm, with the intention of finding a patch of marijuana plants using a map passed down to them through a friend. Eventually their inside joke spread and the rest is history.
At the risk of aging myself, I remember the times when throngs of smokers would gather at Roosevelt Park on April 20 in defiance of the anti-weed laws that were still in place. There was always the palpable feeling that we could all get busted, but the simultaneous realization of the power of numbers.
“They won’t arrest us all,” was a common sentiment in those days.
It’s easy to forget about the risks of smoking in public at that time and thus fondly reminisce about the salad days of cannabis, especially considering the capitalist nature of weed culture these days. As our cannabis reporter Josh Lee writes this week, the days of grass roots smoke sessions on April 20 have mostly been replaced with dispensary sales and promotions. But that shift is also a welcome reminder that we don’t have to worry about getting arrested for holding. Just remember, toking up in public is still not allowed, so maybe hit up your neighborhood weed lounge or organize a private celebration at home. Or, have a look at our calendar to find several 4/20-friendly events happening around town.
But if 4/20 sales are your thing, keep in mind that THC percentages are not the only thing to look for. This issue includes a helpful reminder from Wylie Atherton about seeking out that perfect smoke.
Of course, not everything is rainbows and sunshine in this post-legalization world. An update on U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents confiscating weed from state-sanctioned companies when trying to get product through internal checkpoints, is a harsh reminder that the stuff is still federally illegal.
That bummer of a story aside, it’s still 4/20 week and there is still plenty to celebrate: Smoking weed is not a crime, the stigma of enjoying pot is melting away and 4/20 is on a Saturday this year.
So go forth, smoke and be merry—responsibly of course.