Celebrated in every corner of the world, on 4/20 (or April 20) is considered the international marijuana holiday.
However, very few I know the real story behind this date, which has become an undisputed symbol in the cannabis community.
In fact, its origins date back more than half a century ago. To a group of college ganja lovers, who almost by mistake coined a real one secret code, which then spread like wildfire throughout the world.
But no more chatter. Today, on the greenest day of the year, we are here to reveal the true meaning of 420. Let's go.
What does 420 mean? The real story (that you absolutely need to know)
It's 1971. In California, at San Rafael High School, a group of kids known as the "Waldos" learn that a Coast Guard officer had grown a marijuana plantation near Point Reyes.
Fervent explorers and cannabis lovers, the five friends have no doubts about it: they want to get their hands on the precious loot like flowers and with astonishing powers.
They meet at the end of the lessons, precisely at 4:20 under the statue of Louise Pasteur: the 19th century French chemist. And so, equipped with a map and joints filled with ganja, they began their search for the forbidden garden.
The birth of a code that has become legend
Week after week, day after day, the group met again always at the same time and in the same place. They would hop into their old 1966 Chevrolet Impala, and puff marijuana all the way and set off toward Point Reyes.
Unfortunately, the treasure hunt never yielded the desired results. But the Waldos, completely inadvertently, had coined a real code, now an integral part of their conversations.
In fact, in order not to use terms such as marijuana or cannabis in public, which at that time was strictly prohibited in California, they preferred to limit themselves to a sonorous "420": a seemingly harmless number full of hidden meanings.
"I could tell one of my friends, 'I'm going to smoke 420,' and he would understand me instantly - one of the Waldos told the Huffington Post - He knew what I meant. 'Hey, do you want to smoke some?'. Or: 'Do you have some?' Or, 'Are you high right now?'"
It was kind of encrypted message so as not to be understood. "We could use it freely. Our teachers, as well as our parents, didn't know what we were talking about."
But from a circle of California stoners to the whole world, how it spread this term, and again, to what does it owe its international success? We will explain it to you in the next lines.
The 420 Boom: How It Became the World's Marijuana Party
The worldwide fame of this code is due (in part) to the older brother of Dave Reddix, a member of the Waldos, who was a friend of Phil Lesh, the bassist of the American rock band the "Grateful Dead".
Thanks to this bond, in fact, the boys often circulated in the rehearsal room of the band, which was located right on Front Street in San Rafael, California.
And between a guitar solo and a round of drums, a few joints certainly couldn't be missing, accompanied by the classic "Hey, 420", repeated continuously by the Waldos.
Almost spontaneously, the Grateful Dead in turn learned this code and brought it for 35 years around the world. Code which thus reached the pinnacle of success and ended up on everyone's lips, first in the musical environment and then among stoners, who began to use it up to the present day.
Today as then, however, the 420 is much more than just a day. It's a symbol of freedom. It's community. It is a celebration of the diversity and unity that cannabis brings with it.
How 420 is celebrated today and how you can celebrate it in Italy
If 50 years ago cannabis was seen as the devil's drug, and smokers had to meet in secret to celebrate 420. Today, the growing acceptance of this plant has allowed real parties in the sunlight.
In fact, since 2018, the year in which California legalized the recreational use of marijuana, was born on "4/20 at Hippie Hill": A San Francisco tradition that brings together tens of thousands of people "to celebrate the right to use cannabis."
And like every year, this year too the event will be held Saturday 20 April 2024 from 10am to 5pm, in the Sharon Meadows area of Golden Gate Park. Where all participants will be able to celebrate by puffing marijuana in time to the music, rest on the lawn and enjoy the dedicated food and drink stands. In short, paradise.
But if you don't live in California, how can you best celebrate marijuana holiday also in Italy, without having problems with the police?
If you have your own space, perhaps with a garden, you could use as a cannabis theme, complete with references to the 4th and 20th. Then call your circle of friends, put on some music and start the celebrations.
Finally, instead of cannabis with THC, still illegal here in Italy, you can opt for some very good cannabis light. It will be perfect for recreating the perfect atmosphere. Have fun!
* Photo (background) by Cambridge Jenkins IV on Unsplash
