420 (cannabis culture)

Origins

Five high school students in San Rafael, California, coined the term as part of their 1971 search for an abandoned cannabis crop, based on a treasure map made by the grower. Calling themselves the Waldos, because their typical hang-out spot "was a wall outside the school", the five students—Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich—designated the Louis Pasteur statue on the grounds of San Rafael High School as their meeting place, and 4:20 p.m. as their meeting time. The Waldos referred to this plan with the phrase "4:20 Louis". After several failed attempts to find the crop, the group eventually shortened their phrase to "4:20", which ultimately evolved into a code-word the teens used to refer to consuming cannabis.

Steven Hager of High Times popularized the story of the Waldos. The first High Times mention of 4:20 smoking and a 4/20 holiday appeared in May 1991 and erroneously attributed the origin of the term to a police code; this and other spurious origin stories became common. The connection to the Waldos appeared in December 1998. Hager attributed the early spread of the phrase to Grateful Dead followers—after "Waldo" Reddix became a roadie for the Grateful Dead bassist, Phil Lesh—and called for 4:20 p.m. to be the socially accepted time of the day to consume cannabis.

Another San Rafael group claims to have originated the term before the Waldos.

International observance of April 20

April 20 has become an international counterculture holiday based on the celebration and consumption of cannabis. Events typically advocate for cannabis liberalization and legalization. Vivian McPeak, a founder of Seattle's Hempfest, states that 4/20 is "half celebration and half call to action". Paul Birch calls it a global movement and suggests that one cannot stop events like these.

Many marijuana users protest in civil disobedience by gathering in public to smoke at 4:20 p.m.

In 2017, while marijuana legalization was expanding rapidly in the US, cannabis activist Steve DeAngelo notes that "even if our activist work were complete, 420 morphs from a statement of conscience to a celebration of acceptance, a celebration of victory, a celebration of our amazing connection with this plant" which "will always be worthy of celebration".

Americas

North American observances have been held at many locations, including:

• New York City: Washington Square Park in Manhattan
• Boston: Boston Common
• San Francisco: "Hippie Hill" in Golden Gate Park near the Haight-Ashbury
• Santa Cruz: Porter College meadows at the University of California, Santa Cruz
• Washington, D.C.: National Mall, United States Capitol
• Vancouver: The Vancouver Art Gallery and Sunset Beach between 2016 and 2019.
• Montréal: Le Mont Royal George-Étienne Cartier Monument
• Denver: Civic Center Park
• Ottawa: Parliament Hill and Major's Hill Park
• Edmonton: The Alberta Legislature Building
• Boulder: campus of the University of Colorado Boulder
• Toronto: Nathan Phillips Square and Sankofa Square
• Berkeley: campus of the University of California, Berkeley on the Memorial Glade north of the Doe Memorial Library.
• Mexico City: Mexican Senate under the slogan Planton 420.
• Ann Arbor: Hash Bash
• St. Louis, Missouri: Loop 420 Fest at Delmar Loop (University City)

Europe

In the United Kingdom, events have been held in Hyde Park in London. Events have also been held in Brighton, Bristol, Durham, Glasgow, Leeds, and Plymouth. The Teesside Cannabis Club also holds an annual event.

In Ljubljana, Slovenia, the University of Ljubljana's student organization has carried out several annual cannabis-themed protests that have contributed to the debate on cannabis status in Slovenia and the subsequent legislation proposals in 2018 by gathering responses from various political parties in Slovenia and ranking them accordingly.

In Northern Cyprus, known for strict drug laws and intolerance to cannabis consumption, the first 420 event was held in the capital city Lefkoşa in 2015. On April 20, 2017, a small group of protesters carried out an event near the parliament building and made a public statement, demanding the legalization of cannabis sale, consumption, and production with state regulations.

Oceania

Australian observances have been held at many locations, over many years, including:

• "Who Are We Hurting?" – Sydney City: Martin Place, NSW (2019)
• 420 Picnic – Melbourne, VIC (2019)
• "Who Are We Hurting?" – Sydney, NSW (2018)
• "Who Are We Hurting?" – Sydney City: Kings Cross, NSW (2017)
• Happy Birthday Weed Craze Collective – Sydney, NSW (2016)
• 420 Protest at Sydney Town Hall by Jesse Willesee – 2015

Events have been held in Dunedin, New Zealand, at the University of Otago.

Other effects

Traffic safety

Despite two studies reporting a supposed increase in the risk of fatal motor vehicle crashes on April 20, further investigation and analysis found the evidence did not support such claims.

Stolen signs

In the US, signs bearing the number 420 have been frequently stolen. In Colorado, the Colorado Department of Transportation replaced the Mile Marker 420 sign on I-70 east of Denver with one reading 419.99 in an attempt to stop the thievery. The Idaho Department of Transportation (ITD) replaced the mile marker 420 sign on U.S. Highway 95, just south of Coeur d'Alene, with mile marker 419.9. The Washington State Department of Transportation implemented similar measures, but only replaced one of the two 420 signs in the state, with the remaining one being subsequently stolen. According to The Washington Post, there are eleven 420 mile markers in the US, after three replacements and one stolen and not replaced. In Goodhue County, Minnesota, officials have changed "420 St" street signs to "42x St". The mile marker 420 sign on U.S. Route 89, the only 420 marker in the state of Utah, is frequently stolen.

Legislation and other government recognition

In 2003, California Senate Bill 420 was introduced to regulate medical marijuana use. An unsuccessful 2010 bill to legalize cannabis in Guam was called Bill 420. A North Dakota bill to legalize cannabis was HB 1420, introduced in January 2021.

The Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act (which if enacted would decriminalize and deschedule cannabis in the United States) was announced by Senator and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) on April 20, 2018. On January 9, 2019, H.R. 420 was introduced into the 116th Congress by Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon), named the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, which is designed to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and return regulation to the states.

The State of Colorado auctioned off several cannabis-themed personalized license plates in 2021, with the bidding to be closed on April 20 (4/20). The highest bid shortly before the auction closed was over $6,500 for "ISIT420".

Following the success of Washington, D.C.'s Initiative 71 to legalize cannabis in 2014, Mayor Muriel Bowser granted license plate number 420 to the campaign's leader, Adam Eidinger.

Literature

Several books about cannabis have "420" in the title; examples include the cannabis cookbooks The 420 Cannabis Cookbook, published by Simon & Schuster, and The 420 Gourmet published in 2016 by HarperCollins.

Commerce

Some American restaurants offer "420" themed promotions to coincide with April 20.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted in 2018 about taking his company private at $420 a share. Musk testified during a trial that any associations with cannabis were coincidental; however, in the SEC filing, he admitted that he had recently discovered the number's importance within the cannabis culture and thought his girlfriend would find it funny.{{Cite news |last1=Hu |first1=Krystal |last2=Sen |first2=Anirban |date=2022-04-26 |title=From weed joke to agreed deal: Inside Musk's $44 bln Twitter buyout |language=en-GB |work=Reuters |url= https://www.reuters.com/business/weed-joke-agreed-deal-inside-musks-44-bln-twitter-buyout-2022-04-26 |access-date=2024-04-15 }} Musk purchased Twitter in 2022 at $54.20 per share and the financing documents were signed on April 20, acknowledging the reference to marijuana culture both in the last three digits of the price and in the date. Musk continued making 420 references in June 2025 when Tesla Robotaxi service was launched in Austin, Texas where a flat fee of $4.20 was introduced, regardless of the distance travelled.

References

References

1. (November 20, 1954). "Daily Independent Journal from San Rafael, California".
2. (1962). "The San Francisco Chronicle Reader". McGraw-Hill.
3. King, Matt. (April 24, 2007). "Thousands at UCSC burn one to mark cannabis holiday". [[Santa Cruz Sentinel]].
4. McCoy, Terrence. (2014-04-18). "The strange story of how the pot holiday '4/20' got its name". The Washington Post.
5. (April 20, 2000). "Stoner Chic Traces Origin To San Rafael – Snickering high schoolers brought '420' into lexicon". [[San Francisco Chronicle]].
6. McKinley, Jesse. (April 19, 2009). "Marijuana Advocates Point to Signs of Change". The New York Times.
7. Grim, Ryan. (April 20, 2010). "420 Meaning: The True Story Of How April 20 Became 'Weed Day'". The Huffington Post.
8. Alyssa Pereira. (April 20, 2016). "Local originators of term 420 solve 45-year-old mystery". San Francisco Chronicle.
9. High Times. (2012). "The Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook: More Than 50 Irresistible Recipes That Will Get You High". Chronicle Books.
10. (April 20, 2012). "High Expectations: Marketers Hope for Buzz on 4/20". The Wall Street Journal.
11. Grim, Ryan. (April 20, 2009). "What 420 Means: The True Story Behind Stoners' Favorite Number". [[The Huffington Post]].
12. Olivia B. Waxman. (April 19, 2017). "What the Guys Who Coined '420' Think About Their Place in Marijuana History".
13. "Louis Pasteur – 1940". New Deal Art Registry.
14. Edison, Mike. (2009). "I Have Fun Everywhere I Go: Savage Tales of Pot, Porn, Punk Rock, Pro Wrestling, Talking Apes, Evil Bosses, Dirty Blues, American Heroes, and the Most Notorious Magazines in the World". Faber & Faber.
15. [http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/First420story.jpg "Wake 'n' Bake!"]
16. (September 14, 2002). "The Origins of 420".
17. (August 2002). "Stoner Smart, or Stoner Stupid?". High Times.
18. Lester Black. (April 17, 2023). "The Bay Area origins of '420' are full of controversy". Hearst Communications.
19. (April 11, 2005). "The power of 420". High Times.
20. "420 event lists".
21. (April 20, 2017). "How marijuana's high holiday came to be". New York Post.
22. (April 19, 2015). "Thousands of cannabis users roll up in Hyde Park for annual 4/20 event". [[The Guardian]].
23. "Marijuana's big day is here: '420' celebrations ready to roll". USA Today.
24. (April 18, 2023). "The United States of Weed".
25. "Does 4/20 Still Matter?".
26. "Annual 420 pot rally will be more celebration than protest: Organizers". Toronto Sun.
27. Davies, Pete. (April 21, 2010). "Washington Square Gets Its Grit Back on 420 Day". [[Curbed]] NY.
28. Reed, Matt. (2018-04-20). "Boston celebrates 4/20".
29. (April 20, 2010). "A Huge Turn Out for 420 Day on Hippie Hill in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park " San Francisco Citizen". Sfcitizen.com.
30. (2019-04-21). "Students mark 420 at UC Santa Cruz".
31. Amanda del Castillo. (2019-04-20). "Pot enthusiasts in Santa Cruz prepare for 4/20 toker tradition".
32. Stein, Perry. (April 20, 2015). "D.C. residents and activists light up on the National Mall for 4/20". [[The Washington Post]].
33. Estepa, Jessica. (April 19, 2017). "D.C. activists to hand out joints near U.S. Capitol on 4/20". [[USA Today]].
34. (April 19, 2016). "Marijuana protest planned for the Vancouver Art Gallery despite 4/20 moving to Sunset Beach".
35. Hall, Neal. (May 2, 2009). "Thousands of marijuana smokers gather in Vancouver to celebrate "420"". [[The Vancouver Sun]].
36. Johnson, Lisa. (April 20, 2016). "4/20 pot rally draws tens of thousands in Vancouver". CBC News.
37. "420 Day – Cannabis Festival". samesun.com Samesun Nation Travel Blog.
38. "Canada's marijuana activists unite against American-style drug laws – 420 vote mobs to be held in over 10 cities across Canada on April 20th". newswire.ca CNW Group.
39. (March 8, 2018). "Denver's new Mile High 420 Festival announces all-star lineup " Denver Post". denverpost.com.
40. "Pot activists to light up on Hill". Cnews.canoe.ca.
41. (April 11, 2010). "Ottawa's Parliament Hill just one site for planned 4/20 protest". Digitaljournal.com.
42. (April 21, 2013). "Hundreds of Tokers Flood Alberta Legislature in Protest to Push for Legalization of Marijuana".
43. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080728060041/http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/apr/20/cus-420-pot-smoke-out-draws-10000/ CU's 4/20 pot smoke-out draws crowd of 10,000 : CU News].
44. (April 9, 2010). "Medical marijuana expected to give momentum to CU-Boulder 4/20 event – Boulder Daily Camera". Dailycamera.com.
45. (April 20, 2017). "How 4/20 ... grew ... into a 'holiday'".
46. (April 19, 2017). "Denver 420 event will be a mix of marijuana politics and celebration".
47. (April 20, 2018). "4/20 celebrations take place at Nathan Phillips Square without permit".
48. (April 20, 2017). "Thousands expected to attend Toronto 4/20 marijuana rally at Yonge-Dundas Square".
49. (April 21, 2016). "Photos: 100s turn up, chill out for 420 day on Cal campus".
50. (March 6, 2020). "#Plantón420 Has Been Camping Outside the Mexican Senate For a Month".
51. David Carson. (April 20, 2023). "Photos: St. Louis celebrates first '4/20 Day' since recreational marijuana became legal in Missouri". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
52. Gayle, Damien. (April 21, 2016). "Police make 20 arrests at cannabis picnic in London's Hyde Park".
53. Baldwin, Sian. (2025-04-17). "420 Day rally: Everything you need to know about the Hyde Park event".
54. Greg. (2025-04-08). "UK 4/20 Events Guide 2025".
55. "420 events 2025 – Where to celebrate cannabis in the UK".
56. (March 20, 2018). "Politični Semafor".
57. Ma, Al. (February 2, 2018). "Bo konoplja kmalu legalizirana?".
58. (June 29, 2015). "İşte KKTC'nin uyuşturucu raporu".
59. (April 20, 2017). "Meclis önünde 'Elini Otumdan Çek' eylemi".
60. (2019-04-19). "A Giant Cannabis Plant Was Put Up At Martin Place Overnight, Here's Why".
61. Collective, Craze. (2019-04-20). "A Giant Cannabis Plant Was Put Up At Martin Place Overnight, Here's Why".
62. (April 21, 2017). "Thousands gather for 'Weed Day' in Melbourne".
63. Dopamine. (2018-04-19). "Artists hide 'cannabis plants' around Sydney CBD for 420 protest".
64. Connellan, Shannon. (April 20, 2018). "Marijuana plants hidden in plain sight for 4/20 stunt".
65. (2018-04-20). "Happy 4/20: Activists Have Hidden Weed Plants All Around Sydney".
66. (2018-04-20). "These two weapons covered Sydney in 'cannabis plants' to celebrate 4/20".
67. (2017-04-20). "Some Blaze Lord Put A Hydroponic Weed Pop-Up In Sydney's Kings X For 4/20".
68. "A Public Cannabis Nursery Appears in Kings Cross".
69. (April 21, 2016). "Hyjak – Mother Natures Gift MUSIC VIDEO – #Superbong does 420 #Whoarewehurting?".
70. "420 Protest At Sydney Town Hall". PEDESTRIAN.TV.
71. Briana Domjen. (April 22, 2014). "Jesse Willesee joins the 420 pro-marijuana movement with a smoking session outside Parliament House". Daily Telegraph.
72. Porteous, Debbie. (June 12, 2008). "Police swoop on cannabis protest". [[Otago Daily Times]].
73. (February 22, 2008). "420 Protest". Channel 9 News Dunedin.
74. Porteous, Debbie. (July 11, 2008). "Campus arrests follow marijuana complaints (+ video)". [[Otago Daily Times]].
75. Rudd, Allison. (September 26, 2008). "Moore's appeal rejected". [[Otago Daily Times]].
76. Rudd, Allison. (July 22, 2008). "Lack of quorum foils cannabis vote". [[Otago Daily Times]].
77. Rudd, Allison. (September 20, 2008). "OUSA general meeting promises controversy". [[Otago Daily Times]].
78. (2018). "The April 20 Cannabis Celebration and Fatal Traffic Crashes in the United States". [[JAMA Internal Medicine]].
79. (July 2019). "The relative risk of motor vehicle collision on cannabis celebration day in Great Britain". Accident Analysis & Prevention.
80. (2019-01-29). "The annual cannabis holiday and fatal traffic crashes". Injury Prevention.
81. (1 November 2018). "Re-examining the Association Between '4/20' and Fatal Crashes—Doobie-ous Data?". JAMA Internal Medicine.
82. (1 March 2019). "Association Between April 20 Cannabis Celebration and Fatal Crashes". JAMA Internal Medicine.
83. (October 2019). "Crashes on cannabis celebration day". Injury Prevention.
84. "State alters 420 MM sign to thwart thieves". [[USA Today]].
85. "Idaho replaces mile marker 420 with 419.9 to thwart stoners". [[KTVB]].
86. Jacobs, Julia. (January 12, 2019). "Washington State Wants to Stop Theft of Mile 420 Signs. Its Solution? Mile 419.9.". The New York Times.
87. Keyser, Hannah. (August 20, 2015). "Stoners Keep Stealing 420 Mile Markers, So Some States Have Replaced Them With 419.9".
88. Ingraham, Christopher. (August 20, 2015). "A map of the remaining 420-mile markers in the U.S.". Washington Post.
89. (July 20, 2015). "County finds fix for missing 420 signs". [[Post-Bulletin]].
90. Kelly Keiter. (August 26, 2015). "Officials say theft of '420' road signs no laughing matter". [[KSTU]].
91. Only one shows up for pot bill. (July 15, 2010). "Only one shows up for pot bill". Mvguam.com.
92. "Bill Actions for HB 1420". North Dakota legislative branch.
93. Guild, Blair. (April 20, 2018). "On 4/20, Sen. Schumer introduces bill to decriminalize marijuana".
94. Gstalter, Morgan. (June 28, 2018). "Schumer unveils bill to decriminalize marijuana".
95. Tom Angell. (January 9, 2019). "New Congressional Marijuana Bill Is Actually Numbered H.R. 420". Marijuana Moment.
96. (April 13, 2021). "Colorado to auction off cannabis-themed license plates". Associated Press.
97. "D.C. mayor offers pot activist Tag 420 for his efforts". Washington Post.
98. Maggie GRISWOLD. (April 14, 2020). "The Best 4/20 Cookbooks for When You Have a Case of the Munchies". [[SHE Media]].
99. Naima Karp. (November 8, 2018). "Celebrate the High Holy Day With These Celebrated Marijuana Cookbooks". [[Penske Media]].
100. Jonathan Segura. (May 17, 2016). "Cookbooks Previews: June 2016". [[Publishers Weekly]].
101. (2023-02-03). "Jury sides with Elon Musk over 2018 tweets claiming he would take Tesla private". [[The Guardian]].
102. Anon. (28 January 2023). "The world this week". [[The Economist]].
103. "Elon Musk launches Tesla robotaxi service in Austin with $4.20 flat fee for customers".