420 Day: The Real Story Behind the Popular Cannabis Celebration

A different story shines out as the most plausible and credible one

420 Day: The Real Story Behind the Popular Cannabis Celebration
The Big Lebowski

Both non-smokers and Marijuana enthusiasts know about 4/20. 20th April is a national holiday in the Marijuana scene. However, many people do not know how 420 Day came to be. According to some people, 420 is a code that police officers used to suggest “marijuana smoking in progress”.

 

However, that sounds more like a profound joke. According to other people, 420 simply refers to Hitler’s birthday. At the same time, many people attribute the 420 day to Bob Dylan, due to his song called “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35”. If you are wondering why 12 x 35 is equal to 420.

 

420 Day explained

Let be realistic here, all these stories about 420 Day are false. Instead, a different story shines out as the most plausible and credible one. This goes back to 1971, in Marin County. At exactly 4:20 PM every day, some San Rafael High School students used to meet up near the Louis Pasteur statue on their campus.

At this time, all extra-curricular activities were already concluded, and hence, they could easily partake in their hobby. All 5 students would later set 420 as the code word for Marijuana/Cannabis smoking.

 

The members of this group included Dave Reddix, Larry Schwartz, Mark Gravich, Jeffrey Noel, and Steve Capper. In 2017, Reddix stated, “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.”

This is how 420 Day came to be. After 4:20 PM, the members of the group used to find different challenges to do under Marijuana’s influence, something that they used to refer to as “safaris”.

 

Later on, Reddix ended up working with Phil Lesh, who was a bassist at a band. According to most people, it was due to this band that 420 Day became popularized. This is because of a public invitation that the band sent out to smoke up at 4:20 PM on 420 Day. From there, the trend began.

Since 420 Day is a national cannabis holiday now, Marijuana enthusiasts will probably continue to celebrate it for decades to come.

 

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