420

4/20
Statue of Louis Pasteur, at San Rafael High School.
Observed by	Cannabis counterculture, medical patients, legal reformers, entheogenic spiritualists
Type	Secular
Date	April 20
Observances	Cannabis consumption

420, 4:20, or 4/20 (pronounced four-twenty) is primarily a term used in North America and refers to the consumption of cannabis and, by extension, a way to identify oneself with cannabis subculture. Observances based on the number include the time (4:20 pm) as well as the date (April 20).^[1]

Origins

The earliest use of the term began among a group of teenagers in San Rafael, California in 1971.^[2][3] Calling themselves the Waldos,^[4] because "their chosen hang-out spot was a wall outside the school,"^[5] the group first used the term in connection to a fall 1971 plan to search for an abandoned cannabis crop that they had learned about.^[4][6] The Waldos designated the Louis Pasteur statue on the grounds of San Rafael High School as their meeting place, and 4:20 pm as their meeting time.^[5] The Waldos referred to this plan with the phrase "4:20 Louis". Multiple failed attempts to find the crop eventually shortened their phrase to simply "4:20", which ultimately evolved into a codeword that the teens used to mean pot-smoking in general.^[6]

High Times editor Steven Hager wrote "Are You Stoner Smart or Stoner Stupid?" in which he called for 4:20 pm to be the socially accepted hour of the day to consume cannabis.^[7] He attributes the early spread of the phrase to Grateful Dead followers, who were also linked to the city of San Rafael.^[7]

April 20 observances

April 20 has evolved into a counterculture holiday in North America, where people gather to celebrate and consume cannabis.^[1] Some events have a political nature to them, advocating for the decriminalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States.

Students and others gather to smoke cannabis at a meadow near Porter College on April 20, 2012 — "420 Day".

Observances have been held in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park near the Haight-Ashbury district,^[8] the University of Colorado's Boulder campus,^[3][9][10] Ottawa, Ontario, at Parliament Hill and Major's Hill^[11][12] Montréal, Québec at Mount Royal monument^[13][14] Vancouver, British Columbia at the Vancouver Art Gallery ^[15] Auckland, New Zealand at the Daktory.^{[16][unreliable source?]} and Dunedin, New Zealand, at University of Otago.^{[17][18][19][20][21][22]}

Students and others gather to smoke cannabis at a meadow near Porter College on April 20, 2007—"420 Day".

See also

• Legality of cannabis by country
• Religious and spiritual use of cannabis
• Cannabis legalization in Canada
• Cannabis in the United Kingdom
• Cannabis in the United States
• Drug subculture
• Hash Bash at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• "420," Family Guy episode

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 420 (cannabis culture)

• What 420 Means: The True Story Behind Stoners' Favorite Number by Ryan Grim, The Huffington Post, April 20, 2009
• Mom and Dad now know about '4/20' by Gevevieve Bookwalter, Santa Cruz Sentinel, April 7, 2009

v t e Recreational drug use Major recreational drugs Opioids Buprenorphine (Subutex * Suboxone) Codeine Dextropropoxyphene (Darvon * Darvocet) Diamorphine (heroin) / Morphine (Opium) Hydrocodone Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) Methadone Mitragyna speciosa (Kratom) Oxycodone Depressants Barbiturates Benzodiazepines Ethanol (Alcoholic beverages) GHB Kava Nonbenzodiazepines Stimulants Amphetamine Arecoline (Areca) Betel Caffeine (Coffee Tea) Cathinone (Khat) Cocaine (Coca) Ephedrine (Ephedra) Mephedrone Methamphetamine Methylphenidate Nicotine (Tobacco) Theobromine (Cocoa) Entactogens MDA MDMA (Ecstasy) Hallucinogens Psychedelics Bufotenin ( Psychoactive toads Vilca Yopo) DMT (Ayahuasca) LSA LSD-25 Mescaline (Peruvian Torch Peyote San Pedro) Psilocybin / Psilocin (Psilocybin mushrooms) Dissociatives DXM Inhalants (Nitrous oxide alkyl nitrites – poppers, such as amyl nitrite) Ketamine MXE Muscimol (Amanita muscaria) PCP Salvinorin A (Salvia divinorum) Deliriants Atropine and Scopolamine (Datura Deadly Nightshade Henbane Mandrake) Dimenhydrinate Diphenhydramine Cannabinoids JWH-018 THC (Cannabis Hashish Hash oil) Oneirogens Calea zacatechichi Silene capensis Drug culture Cannabis 420 Cannabis cultivation Cannabis smoking Legal history of cannabis in the United States Legality of cannabis Marijuana Policy Project Medical cannabis NORML Religious and spiritual use of cannabis Stoner film Psychedelic Art Drug Experience Literature Music Other Club drug Counterculture of the 1960s Dance party Drug paraphernalia Drug tourism Entheogen Hippie Party and play Poly drug use Rave Self-medication Sex and drugs Problems with drug use Abuse Dependence (Prevention Opioid replacement therapy Rehabilitation Responsible use) Drug-related crime Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder Illegal drug trade Long-term effects of cannabis Neurotoxicity Overdose Date-rape drug Passive smoking (of tobacco or other substances) Legality of drug use International 1961 Narcotic Drugs 1971 Psychotropic Substances 1988 Drug Trafficking Cannabis reform at the international level State level Drug policy (Decriminalization Prohibition Supply reduction) Policy reform (Demand reduction Drug Policy Alliance Harm reduction Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Liberalization Students for Sensible Drug Policy Transform Drug Policy Foundation) Drug policy by country Australia Canada Germany India Netherlands Portugal Sweden Switzerland Soviet Union United States (Just Say No Office of National Drug Control Policy School district drug policies California Colorado Maryland Virginia) Other Arguments for and against drug prohibition Capital punishment for drug trafficking Designer drug Drug court Drug possession Drug test Hard and soft drugs Illegal drug trade in Colombia Mexican Drug War Narc Opium production in Afghanistan Politics of drug abuse War on Drugs Zero tolerance Lists of countries by... Alcohol consumption Cannabis legality (Annual use Lifetime use) Cigarette consumption Cocaine use Opiates use