The number 420 debunked: Why is April 20 observed as The National Weed Day?
Q: Why is a large population
trying to "get high"
on April 20,
precisely at 16:20 hours?
A: 'Coz, April 20 can be written as 4/20
and 16:20 hours as 4:20 pm.
So, what is it about the mystical number 420?
* * *
Myths
A recent Google search for "420" brought up 913 million hits. However, the thoughts behind the number's origination and the sudden upsurge in counter-culture remain as obscured as the clouds emanating from the red-eyed "tokers".
Let us get some myths about the number 420 up in smoke:
* Bob Marley did not die or born on April 20 (4/20). Yes, he smoked weed as a sacrament, piously - thanks to The Rastafarian weed connection!
* Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 - but other than the date, he is never associated with cannabis usage - sad?
* 420 isn't the number of chemical compounds in cannabis. It is reportedly around 315.
* 420 isn't a police radio code or penal code for marijuana in America.
* Bob Dylan in "Rainy Day Woman #12 and 35," repeatedly chants, "Everybody must get stoned!". Now, although, 12 multiplied by 35 equals 420, that is not how the number got associated with The Stoner's Day!
The Real Deal!
Q: So if the number 420 isn't credited to Bob Marley or Bob Dylan, who do we acclaim ?
* It’s however, likely that the number 420 would have buried deep, except that Waldo Dave’s older brother was a friend of Phil Lesh, bassist for the Grateful Dead.
* Learning the phrase from underground counter-culture, Lesh, and the Dead spent the next four decades touring the globe and passively popularizing the association between the number 420 and the consumption of pot!
 |
| The original "420" call by The High Times. (Source: High Times, May 1991) |
* In 1990, Steve Bloom, an editor at High Times, saw 420 explained on a Grateful Dead concert flyer and the staff started using it, gradually popularising it in mainstream culture too.
* Fast-forwarding to the present years: 420 is as big a holiday, at least as unofficial ones go.
* Several 420 events are being organized across the globe to mobilize and carry forward the legacy of 4/20, what started as a minuscule level of get-together by five youths in front of a random statue in a random college park.
Take a bow!
 |
| Statue of Louis Pasteur at San Rafael High School, said to be the site of the original 4:20 gatherings. (Source: Wikipedia) |
* * *
So, now that you know where the 4/20 originated from, are you going to go up in smoke at 16:20 hours, with a renewed sense of understanding and meaningfulness?
And just in case you miss out the perfect number, remember:
 |
| Isn't it? |
May the force be with you!
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