In 1971, five high school students in San Rafael, California, used the term "4:20" in connection with a plan to search for an abandoned cannabis crop, based on a treasure map made by the grower. Calling themselves the Waldos, because their typical hang-out spot "was a wall outside the school", the five students 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. The Waldos referred to this plan with the phrase "4:20 Louis". After several failed attempts to find the crop, the group eventually shortened their phrase to simply "4:20", which ultimately evolved into a code-word the teens used to refer to consuming cannabis. Steven Hager of High Times was responsible for popularizing the story of the Waldos. The first High Times mention of 4:20 smoking and a 4/20 holiday appeared in May 1991, and the connection to the Waldos appeared in December 1998. Hager attributed the early spread of the phrase to Grateful Dead followers – after "Waldo" Reddix became a roadie for the Dead's bassist, Phil Lesh – and called for 4:20 pm to be the socially accepted hour of the day to consume cannabis.
International day for cannabis-related protests and events
April 20 has become an international counterculture holiday, where people gather to celebrate and consume cannabis. Many such events have a political nature to them, advocating the liberalization / legalization of cannabis. Vivian McPeak, a founder of Seattle's Hempfest states that 4/20 is "half celebration and half call to action". Paul Birch calls it a global movement and suggests that one cannot stop events like these. On that day many marijuana users protest in civil disobedience by gathering in public to smoke at 4:20 pm. As marijuana continues to be decriminalized and legalized around the world, Steve DeAngelo, cannabis activist and founder of California's Harborside Health Center, notes that "even if our activist work were complete, 420 morphs from a statement of conscience to a celebration of acceptance, a celebration of victory, a celebration of our amazing connection with this plant" and that he thinks that "it will always be worthy of celebration".
"Who Are We Hurting?" – Sydney City: Kings Cross, NSW
Elsewhere
Events have also occurred in Hyde Park in London and Dunedin, New Zealand, at the University of Otago. In Ljubljana, Slovenia, the University of Ljubljana's student organization has carried out several annual cannabis-themed protests that have contributed to the debate on cannabis status in Slovenia and the subsequent legislation proposals in 2018 by gathering responses from various political parties in Slovenia and ranking them accordingly. In Northern Cyprus, known for strict drug laws and intolerance to cannabis consumption, the first 420 event was held in the capital city Lefkoşa in 2015. On April 20, 2017 a small group of protesters carried out an event near the parliament building and made a public statement, demanding the legalization of cannabis sale, consumption, and production with state regulations.
Other impacts
Traffic safety
Despite two studies reporting a supposed increase in the risk of fatal motor vehicle crashes on April 20, further investigation and analysis found the evidence did not support such claims.
Stolen signs
Signs bearing the number 420 have been frequently stolen. In Colorado, the Colorado Department of Transportation replaced the Mile Marker 420 sign on I-70 east of Denver with one reading 419.99 in an attempt to stop the thievery; however, the folklore of the 419.99 sign has caused it to be stolen, too, as well as becoming a tourist destination. As of August 2018, the sign was missing, presumed stolen. The Colorado DOT usually will not replace signs that are repeatedly taken, but began the practice of replacing further down the road after 69mile marker signs were frequently stolenthese were replaced with 68.5 mile ones. The Idaho Department of Transportation replaced the mile marker 420 sign on U.S. Highway 95, just south of Coeur d'Alene, with mile marker 419.9. The Washington State Department of Transportation implemented similar measures, but only replaced one of the two 420 signs in the state, with the remaining one being subsequently stolen. According to The Washington Post, there are eleven 420 mile markers in the US, after three replacements and one stolen and not replaced. In Goodhue County, Minnesota, officials have changed "420 St" street signs to "42x St". The mile marker 420 sign on U.S. Route 89, the only 420 marker in the state of Utah, is frequently stolen.
As the country dial-code of the Czech Republic is 420 and the rate of cannabis use there is one of the highest in the world, some foreign visitors think cannabis is legal in the Central European country; however, those smoking cannabis outdoors are fined and possessing more than 10 grams of marijuana is considered a crime. In 2016, Snoop Dogg displayed his knowledge of marijuana on the game show The $100,000 Pyramid. Snoop replied without delay that the country code for the Czech Republic is 420. He would later use the number as one of the dollar amounts in the "Face the Devil" bonus round of his 2017 reboot of the classic American TV game showThe Joker's Wild.
