Happy 420, Everyone!

By David Woods on April 20th, 2010

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Happy April 20th, AKA 4/20 AKA National Weed day, everyone!

Those of you who are truly dedicated will have already indulged (with a 4:20 a.m. wake and bake, of course). The rest of you shouldn’t feel the need to delay the fun any longer, although there is something truly magical about waiting until 4:20 on 4/20 to spark up for the first time. Either way, just make sure that you do everything you can to make this day a memorable one for you and everyone you care about. Remember to be smart, be safe and, most importantly, be very stoned. For some of you (i.e., Californians), this might be the last 4/20 before weed is legalized (so go spark up in front of a cop while it’s still a thrill to do so, or something).

4/20 Facts and Myths

It doesn’t matter where the idea of 4/20 came from. What matters is that there’s a time and a day to celebrate the gift of cannabis. That said, some people have some pretty crazy ideas about what 4/20 means. Thanks to the urban legend-busting website Snopes, we’re able to clear up a few common misconceptions about 4/20:

• 420 is not the penal code section for marijuana use. Not in California (as is often claimed) and not anywhere else.
• 420 is not the police radio code for marijuana use in progress. It’s not the police radio code for anything, anywhere.
• 420 is not the number of chemicals in marijuana. There are actually 315 chemical compounds.
• April 20th is not the best time to plant marijuana. There’s no “best time” because the climate is very different in different parts of the country (and besides, many people grow their pot indoors in a climate-controlled environment). We’d argue that the best time to plant marijuana is “right now.”
• 420 has nothing to do with Hitler or the Columbine High School massacre. Yes, Hitler was born on April 20th, 1889. Yes, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold attacked Columbine on April 20, 1999. These are simply coincidences and they have nothing at all to do with the enjoyment of marijuana.