Four-twenty designates cannabis culture’s favorite number to purport activities around the plant. Like alcohol has happy hour, cannabis also has its trusted hour of the day to consume. People can celebrate the number synonymous with marijuana at 4:20 PM from across the globe. But each year, on April 20th, it is twenty-four hours of round-the-clock tribute to all things cannabis. 

Over the years, the 4/20 celebrations have become a global holiday where consumption meets the call to action for advocacy and legalization. 

In this article, we look at the plant and discover the history of 420. Then we add some creative celebration ideas. 

What is Cannabis?

The CDC states marijuana is the dried flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant. 

Allow us to break the plant down further. The cannabis sativa plant retains substances called cannabinoids. Two cannabinoids known best to most people are tetrahydrocannabinol. THC for short. And cannabidiol. Affectionately referred to as CBD. Both compounds cooperate with the body endocannabinoid system but, they have very different influences.

THC or marijuana is the psychoactive cannabinoid that dispenses a euphoric or high response. Nevertheless, THC carries health benefits such as nausea relief. CBD is the nonintoxicating cannabinoid utilized in products like oils to confer a response of relaxation and stillness. CBD additionally helps lessen swelling and discomfort in joints. Authorized hemp must contain 0.3 percent THC or less. 

Both CBD and THC are available in oils, flowers, gummies, capsules, and so much more.

420 History

420 originated in 1971 with five San Rafael, California high school classmates (Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich) known as the Waldos. They adopted 4:20 in their 4:20 Louis plan as the time to converge at the Louis Pasteur statue on the school’s campus. Their plan? To go on a treasure hunt in hopes of discovering an abandoned cannabis crop. 

After numerous fruitless endeavors, the boys presently reduced their name to 4:20. From there, the number resulted in a social codeword to consume cannabis among teenagers.

The editor-in-chief of High Times, Steven Hager, is regarded as being responsible for blowing up the term. In 1991, the magazine first introduced 4:20 smoking and a 4/20 holiday in the May edition. Then, in December of 1998, Waldo Capper sent an email to High Times uniting the group to the 420 origins.

Hagar credited the early expanse of the phrase from Deadheads – followers of The Grateful Dead – after Waldo Reddix became a roadie for the band’s bass guitarist.  

Creative 420 Activities 

You do not need to look far to find 420 happenings in your area. There are 420 events, 420-themed specials, and discounts at dispensaries and shops, and 420 songs to celebrate the holiday wherever you are. 

Celebrate with Me, Myself and I

4:20 is the best time to get some me-time. If kicking back by yourself in the man cave or she-shed with a jay is the way to pay homage, here is a playlist of 420 songs so you can get your psychedelic groove on.

1. Afroman – Because I Got High
2. Rick James – Mary Jane
3. The Joker – The Steve Miller Band
4. Kid Cudi – Nite and Day
5. Cab Calloway – Reefer Man
6. Ray Charles – Let’s Go Get Stoned
7. Dr. Dre – The Chronic
8. Luniz – I Got 5 On It
9. Hank Williams Jr. – Whisky, Weed, and Women
10. Snoop Dog – Gin and Juice 

Celebrating 420 While Social Distancing

Despite stay-at-home orders and mask restrictions lifting, many still choose to social distance. A great alternative is to face-to-face groups is meeting up with friends via FaceTime or visiting a 4/20 virtual event while taking a commemorative toke. 

420 World Record, an online event in 2020 hosted by Tony Diepenbrock and Herb.co granted its proceeds to the Last Prisoners Project, a California-based initiative to release individuals jailed for nonviolent marijuana offenses.

Take a Tour of Local Dispensaries or CBD Shops 

Just ask Google “Dispensaries near me” for shops in your area. Then map them out, mask up, and grab some fellow advocates for a day of exploring. Throughout the week of 4/20, many if not all dispensaries present holiday-related specials. Browse their stores online to take advantage of curbside pickup or rather pop in to chat with staff and get up-close with their 420 friendly goodies. 

Escape to Celebrate

For those ready for an out-of-country adventure, multicultural festivals, conventions, and expos are the places to be. Spannabis Mile High 420 Festival and The Cannabis Expo are destination ideas worth a slow drag. 

Spannabis happens October 8th – October 10th, 2021, in Barcelona, Spain. They will be honoring eighteen years of cultural innovation in the cannabis community. 

2021’s Cannabis Expo happening in Mexico, Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town is a 420 friendly marketplace for medical health professionals, agricultural providers and lifestyle brands, and businesses serving the cannabis space. 

More than 50,000 people make the pilgrimage from around the country to attend Denver’s annual Mile High 420 Festival. Mainly it is because Colorado became the first state of two to legalize recreational cannabis. 

Voila! There is everything you need to know to get your 420 celebration lit. What started with an adventurous group with a cannabis treasure map has budded into an international tribute to the plant and legalization calls to action. 

Resources:

A Quick Take on Cannabis and Its Effects. (n.d.). Www.Healthline.Com. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-cannabis#components

FlyHi 420 Festival | Denver, CO Mile High | April 20th, 2021. (n.d.). Flyhi 420 Festival | Denver, CO 4–20-2018. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from https://flyhi420festival.com/

Griffin, G. (2020, April 17). Here’s how to celebrate 4/20 while social distancing. BostonGlobe.Com. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/17/arts/heres-how-celebrate-420-while-social-distancing/

Spannabis Feria Del Canamo. (n.d.). Spannabis Feria Del Canamo. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from http://spannabis.com/barcelona/en

The Cannabis Expo – South Africa. (n.d.). The Cannabis Expo. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from https://www.thecannabisexpo.co.za/

The Real History of 420. (n.d.). Www.Verilife.Com. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from https://www.verilife.com/blog/real-history-420#

What is marijuana? (2018, March 7). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/faqs/what-is-marijuana.html

Wikipedia contributors. (2002, November 10). 420 (cannabis culture). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(cannabis_culture)#:%7E:text=3.4%20Honors-,Origins,map%20made%20by%20the%20grower