The odd reason why 4/20 is an international cannabis holiday

For decades, cannabis consumers have gathered in basements, huddled in out-of-sight spaces and congregated loud and proud in parks around the world each April 20 to fete the plant and burn a big fat one.

But as the weed community transforms from stereotypical long-haired, glossy-eyed stoners to a wider, sometimes unexpected, cross section of the general population, how everyone celebrates 4/20 is changing, too.

 

 

Here on home soil, the 2019 4/20 festivities will be the first in the nation’s history where people can get high legally. What that celebration will look like is anyone’s guess. Will it be bigger and more joyous than ever? Or will gathering at Vancouver’s Sunset Beach or Toronto’s Woodbine Park to blaze with thousands of others not feel quite as liberating and cool now that recreational cannabis is legal and participants are no longer stickin’ it to the Man?

One thing is certain: the party is going full steam. Over on the west coast, not only are they celebrating legalization, but also the 25^th anniversary of the event in Vancouver. The self-described “protest, celebration and farmers market” will go down at Sunset Beach, though City News 1130 reports that police have warned of a crackdown on illegal cannabis.

Similarly, in Toronto, there’s a free gathering/toke-up at Woodbine Park and the well-known block party in Kensington Market, same as years previous. But with the new legislation looming overhead and just one legal pot shop in the city, will the energy be the same?

To understand the future of the holiday, let’s first take a look at its past

How did 4/20 evolve?

There are a few theories as to how 4/20 came to be known as the international weed holiday, although only one seems to hold water.

Some say it’s the number of active chemicals in cannabis; others believe it’s because it’s the same day Hitler was born (umm… yes to Apr. 20… but yikes) or Bob Marley’s birthday (warmer, except that’s actually Feb. 6). Another tall tale claims the date relates to the numbers in Bob Dylan’s song, Rainy Day Women #12 & 35—when multiplied, that makes 420 (so much math).

But the apparent real story comes out of California. A group of five high school teens who lived in San Francisco in the 1970s would meet after class every afternoon at 4:20 pm to smoke joints and hang out. They called their squad The Waldos, because they used to hang out by the wall behind the school. Creative.

Crowds gather for a cannabis-themed 420 gathering at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, Ont.

The group’s official website includes handwritten letters penned by some of its members in the 1970s, which serve as proof that The Waldos were the first to coin the term 4/20 in reference to smoking weed. There’s also a copy of their high school newspaper on the website, and in it, a mention of the term. Plus, there’s an image of a digitized 420 Flag, an original piece of artwork with a cannabis leaf and the numbers “420” beside it on a pink and red tie-dye background, another thing the group reports it created in the 1970s around the same time as the letters.

It sounds legit, and, frankly, who wouldn’t trust a group of now grown-ups who still refer to themselves as The Waldos?

The changing face of 4/20

While there will always be different types of cannabis users, including the stoner of lore (often spied loitering behind the school), the stereotype finally seems to be fading. Many modern cannabis brands, Canada’s government-licensed retailers included, are sleek, welcoming and well-presented, feeling more like Apple stores than pot shops. And the customers match.

Hopefully, the party that takes place this Apr. 20 doesn’t fade like the stereotype has. Because regardless of why everyone gets together on the special day, it’s still one of the best celebrations of the year. And we’ll smoke to that.