In Cannabis culture, the number 420 (pronounced four-twenty) relates to the consumption of cannabis and elements of its associated culture. The exact origin of the term is unknown. Marijuana users gather on April 20 ("4/20" in U.S. dating shorthand) every year to celebrate and consume marijuana. 4:20pm is also a popular time to consume cannabis.[1]
Origin
The origin of the term "420" is the subject of some dispute and much speculation, and so no theory can be said conclusively to be correct, but the term seems to have first come into popular usage in the early 1970s.
Commonly accepted origin
- Snopes.com, High Times magazine, The Marijuana-Logues, and The Straight Dope claim that in the early 1970s, a group of teenagers at San Rafael High School in San Rafael, California, used to meet every day after school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke marijuana at the Louis Pasteur statue. One piece of evidence supporting an origin of the term from the time 4:20 is the fact that the number is always said "four twenty". This theory is also the most cited and the most widely accepted.[2]
Other possible origins
- The term could have possibly come from H. P. Lovecraft's short story, In the Walls of Eryx, which contains the line, "My route must have been far from straight, for it seemed hours before I was free of the mirage-plant's pervasive influence... When I did get wholly clear I looked at my watch and was astonished to find that the time was only 4:20." This theory for the origin of 4:20 was first postulated on the official website for the band Tool.[3]
- The second line of the first stanza in the children's nursery rhyme 'Sing a Song of Sixpence' reads: "Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie". This theory probably arose because "Baked" is also a common euphemism for being under the influence of cannabis.Vorlage:Fact
- 4.20pm was the time of Albert Hofmann's first LSD usage. In Albert Hofmann's published report about his accidental discovery of the psychedelic drug LSD his journal entry describes that his first deliberate consumption of LSD occurred at 4:20PM on April 19th, 1943 (Hofmann 1979). This date is known today as Bicycle Day. Hofmann's psychedelic journey lasted through the night and he finished his journal entry on April 21st.[4]
- The Bob Dylan song "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35". The song, initially released in 1966 on the album Blonde on Blonde, features the prominent refrain "everybody must get stoned". This is repeated twelve times throughout the song. Since twelve multiplied by thirty-five equals 420, it has been suggested that this song is the original source of the term 420 in cannabis culture.Vorlage:Fact
April 20th events and traditions
Many North American cities and colleges hold pro-marijuana rallies, or at least celebratory marijuana gatherings, on April 20. Many famous landmarks are also targeted for public marijuana use, such as Parliament Hill in Canada. The city of Norwalk, Ohio, located near the intersection of Ohio state route 4 and U.S. route 20, is also thought to hold some sort of April 20th celebration. The authorities' reaction to these gatherings varies from place to place, as shown by prominent examples.
University of California, Santa Cruz
The annual congregation of UCSC students on April 20th gathers thousands each year, with an estimated 3,000 students gathering at the Porter College Meadow in 2006. The gathering attracts marijuana smokers and non-smokers alike; many people visit the field at or around 4:20 PM just to witness the "fog" of marijuana smoke that hovers over the crowd. Generally, these gatherings are peaceful, with bands or DJ's playing live music and students running food-stands under canopies. Authority figures seem to be nonexistent.
University of Colorado
The largest known celebration of this kind has been held annually for the past decade at Farrand Field, Boulder, Colorado, part of the University of Colorado campus, where protestors gather at 4:20 p.m. to smoke cannabis. In 2005, responding to negative press that year, University Police made their first attempt to disperse the gathering. They posted signs saying students were not allowed on the field that afternoon. After the field was overrun by an estimated 2000 or more students, police declined to issue any citations, as with past years. They did, however, turn the sprinklers on in an attempt to disperse the crowd. In another attempt to stop the celebration in 2006, the University put up signs telling students Farrand Field was closed for the afternoon, and even hired event staff to keep students from going onto the field. This, however, was a failed attempt, as thousands gathered around the field, only to storm it at around 4pm . In response, the university videotaped the gathering and are looking to prosecute students who attended it for trespassing. The university has posted pictures on the web in the hope that other students will identify other students in exchange for a $50 reward for each person caught. Following publication of this notice on pro 420 websites such as College Humour many false 'I.D.'s' were submitted, undermining the effectiveness of the University's attempt to catch those involved.
University of Vermont
It was a tradition for many years at the University of Vermont for a very large number of people to gather on the campus green and smoke openly in protest of marijuana prohibition laws. The protest was traditionally tolerated by the police, who would merely observe to ensure the safety of participants and bystanders. On April 20, 2002, however, incoming University President Daniel Fogel ordered campus police to maintain a more strict presence on the campus green. Students were not allowed to stay on the green for any reason and students who attempted to do so were ID'd, searched and detained. Fogel has stated multiple times before and since that he was trying to clean up the "reputation" of the University.Vorlage:Fact Since then, police wearing bullet-proof vests and armed with shotguns have been a staple of 4/20 celebrations on the green; the protest has gone forward on a much smaller scale, though police now arrest any marijuana smokers.
References in pop culture
Occurrences in music
- Rap artist Afroman released an album called "4RO20" and his website runs under the slogan "Where it's always 4RO20". Also, he changed the label on his "Colt 45" bottle to say "Cult 420", as seen on his website. Also, the clock shown on his website is stopped at 4:20.
- The song "Smokin" by Boston has a duration of 4:20.
- The Album Royal Highness by the Kottonmouth Kings lists all song durations as 4:20; actual song times vary. They also have a song called "4-2-0".
- The song "Take Me to Your Leader" by Incubus contains the lyric, "What if my watch read four dot dot two oh every hour, every day, you could bet your dollar I'd be happy!"
- The song "Trouble in 421" by Incubus has the subject of the song living in apartment "420 G," and contains the lyrics, "his pupil was wide open...it was indubitably dose derived," and, "I beg my common sense to keep my neighbor out away from my front door until I find a way to hide myself from those in 4-2-1...one away from the good one." There are also themes of paranoia throughout the song.
- The song "Stoned Part I" (from the album Stoned by Lewis Taylor) was also released in a "420 Mix" by HackTone Records, with a duration of 4:20.
- The Megadeth song "Mary Jane," from their third album So Far, So Good...So What!, has its last beat stop at exactly four minutes and twenty seconds, even though the total running time is 4:24.
Occurrences in film & television
- In the colorized version of the 1936 anti-marijuana/exploitation classic Reefer Madness, there is a brief subliminal flash showing 4:20 with a marijuana leaf in the background, 20 minutes and 24 seconds into the film. The colorized DVD was originally released on April 20, 2004, another reference to the slang term.
- In an episode of the show Futurama called The Farnsworth Parabox, an alternate universe where everyone is a hippie, is numbered as Universe 420.
- The number is also prominently featured in the 2005 made-for-television musical version of Reefer Madness, which is based on the Reefer Madness stage show, which itself is based on the aforementioned 1936 film.
- In Fat Albert, Doris (Kyla Pratt) is seen wearing a shirt reading, "PHILA 4:20"
- In Trailer Park Boys, Ricky's hockey jersey number is 420.
Occurrences on the radio
verify Note: All times are P.M. unless otherwise specified.
- Many FM and some AM radio stations in the United States play a Bob Marley track daily at 4:20 p.m., a tradition usually known as Mandatory Marley.
- KZRR 94 Rock in Albuquerque, New Mexico, plays a Pink Floyd song every day at 4:20, which they refer to as the "4:20 Floyd Fix".
- 94.1 KPFA in Berkeley, California, airs "The 420 Report", hosted by Ed Rosenthal, typically on the last Friday of each month at noon. The hour includes cannabis-related news, as well as call-in advice for growers, patients, and people with legal troubles.
- 96.1 The Beat In Colorado Springs Colorado every day has the 4:20 bong hit of the day were they release an unreleased song
- 97.7 Hitz FM in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada airs a cannabis-related song at 4:20 daily, known as the "420 Funny".
- 99.7 the fox, a classic rock radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina has the 420 smoke break every day at 4:20 pm where they play songs by artists who are known marijuana users.
- 100.7 WZXL in New Jersey does a segment called "getting stoned on the ride home" at 4:20 on weekdays, during which a set of Rolling Stones tracks is played.
- DC 101 in Manassas, Virginia plays "Smoke 2 Joints" and asks callers to do bong hits on the air.
- 102.1 The Edge in Toronto, Canada has interesting discussions during 'The 420 Thought', on topics such as "Where is the best place to 420?"
- KMAD 102.5 in Sherman, Texas, plays the track "Mary Jane's Last Dance" by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers at 4:20 on weekdays.
- 104.1 WMRQ in Hartford, CT, would host the "4:20 Brownie" every weekday, during which a cannabis related tune or popular stoner anthem was played, until they changed formats in September of 2003.
- Classic Rock 104.5 KPUS[5] in Corpus Christi, Texas, listeners have the ability to "roll their own everyday at 4:20." At this time each day, one listener gets to pick three songs to play at 4:20. Bong bubbles are heard in the background between songs.
- 104.9 The Monkey in Seattle, Washington, radio station encourages listeners to call in and do bong rips over the phone at 4:20.
- 105.9 The Rock in Nashville, Tennessee, airs a segment every weekday at 4:20 called the "4:20 Smokebreak." Host Joe Elvis tells listeners, "Smoke 'em if you got 'em." The segment often plays songs related to marijuana.
- KROCK in Edmonton, Canada, does a "Roll Your Own" request segment every day at 4:20.
- The XM Radio station "The Boneyard" reminds everyone that it is 'bong time' at 4:20.
- The radio show 4:20 Drug War News, a short talk segment which promotes legalization of certain drugs, is usually aired at 4:20.
- The Tom Leykis Show has several callers take bong hits simultaneously on the air at 4:20 on April 20.
Other pop culture occurrences
- A cannabis coffeeshop located at Oude Brugsteeg 27 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands is named the "420 Cafe".
- The number 420 is common in classified ads describing housing or individuals which permit or encourage marijuana use ("420 OK"). This practice is common in socially progressive communities such as Craigslist. One such "Housing to share" listing, from the Santa Cruz Sentinel in 1994, read:
- Rm avail Veggie household. 420. No pets M prefVorlage:Fact
- In the game Kingdom of Loathing, eating 420 herb brownies earns you the "Bouquet of Hippies" trophy.
- A chain of head shops in Japan are all named 4:20.
- NORML launches a daily podcast entitled "AudioStash" daily at 4:20.
- 42 Degrees is the name of a U.S. head shop operation, with locations in Ann Arbor, Athens, and Atlanta. When written out with the symbol for temperature degrees, 42° is an obvious play on 420.
- In the old Extreme Championship Wrestling, fans commonly held up signs saying "RVD 4:20". This was a play on World Wrestling Entertainment's "Austin 3:16". RVD 4:20 or Rob Van Dam 4:20 means "I just smoked your a$$", a reference to marijuana.
External links
See also
References
- Hofmann, A. "LSD My Problem Child". J.P. Tarcher, Inc. 1979. ISBN 0-87477-256-7