Mythical origins of 420
By Myrrdin
@Myrrdin (3599)
Canada
April 20, 2007 7:53am CST
420, 4:20, 4/20, or however you want to write it has infiltrated the english language as slang for Marijuana, more accurately for using marijuana, so much so that April 20th is practically a holiday for stoners, I know at my place of employment even the most conservative of people are discussing marijuana in a postive light. So what are the origins of this phrase? Does anyone really know, there are alot of theories, but nothing is 100% confirmed.
Theory #1: The police code for drug use
Theory #2: Many famous herb friendly musicians died due to drug related reasons, some even believe many of them died actually on April 20th
Theory #3: Students in California used to meet at 4:20pm every day to smoke up, spawning the question "Are you going to 4:20 today?" Which of course led to the current status.
What do you think the real root is, or do you know other theories?
6 people like this
8 responses
@whywiki (6066)
• Canada
20 Apr 07
I always believed it was the police code, I'd never heard any of the other explanations. It is funny how stories circulate. I think today should be a national holiday. Maybe when they legalize they will recognize. I always find it strange that when most people I talk to that don't smoke it say they think it is stupid to be against the law. So who is it that keeps it against the law? I got pulled over by an older cop one time when I had been smoking. He let me go because he couldn't be bothered filling out the paperwork. He just told me to drive straight home after I dropped off my video. Times are a changing, maybe it is just a matter of time.
@Myrrdin (3599)
• Canada
20 Apr 07
LOL oh ok then... From the story I thought you were driving. Yes I actually know of a guy who had 10 plants growing in his house the cops came and raided his house, the only thing they did about it was tell him to destroy the plants, nothing more.
1 person likes this
@visitorinvasion (7709)
• United States
20 Apr 07
Theory #3: Students in California used to meet at 4:20pm every day to smoke up, spawning the question "Are you going to 4:20 today?" Which of course led to the current status.
That's the one that went around in the 80s...
2 people like this
@visitorinvasion (7709)
• United States
21 Apr 07
the answer just came to me via MySpace:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_6FKdld1rs&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbulletin%2Emyspace%2Ecom%2Findex%2Ecfm%3Ffuseaction%3Dbulletin%2Eread%26messageID%3D3309382281%26Mytoken%3D564D8B38%2DF144%2D4F49%2DA14
2 people like this
@xfallenxlostx (2074)
• United States
21 Apr 07
420 is also Hitler's birthday or someting like that, but that end of it has nothing todo with mary jane. This day menas nothing ot me as i do not smoke or consume pot, but it IS a holiday for my beloved. i know he will always be smoing up on 420, and there really is no use trying to tell him not to. It really doesn't bother me as much as it used to. It NEVER bothered me that his friends and father smoke, but it really used to get to me when he did it. i still want him to regulate his usage, but am no longer telling him he can't do it at all...not like he ever listened to me in the first place. i told him i would do it with him once to see what it was like. That REALLY got him excited.
@cloud_kicker_32 (4635)
• United States
22 Apr 07
it wasnt the date of his day.,.,it was the hour..just to let ya know:)
1 person likes this
@psychomom (42)
• United States
20 Apr 07
Actually,the term 420 comes from the 70's and it was a form of measurement. A baggie was filled looselly with 4 fingers(lenghtwise) of pot and thet would cost you 20.00. As for April 20th, I'm not sure.
• United States
30 Apr 07
Its because...its weed. The majority of the people glamourize it.
1 person likes this
• United States
30 Apr 07
The only theory I've heard of is the musicians dying on 4/20 and also I've heard it was Hitlers birthday, was Hitler a pothead? I don't see how that relates to half the country getting stoned on 4/20. Well, I had fun on 4/20...We rolled a 42 gram blunt, It lasted 2 hours.
1 person likes this
@maildumpster (3815)
• United States
21 Apr 07
I believe that the origin is in fact the police code. I am not 100% positive but pretty dang sure.
Hope you had a nice 4/20!
1 person likes this
@LAWise520 (275)
• United States
15 Jul 07
Heck, why don't we start asking to cops if 420 is an actual police code? They would know if that one was true or not.
