4/20 is Coming Up. Why is it a Thing?

We’re all familiar with 4:20 in the afternoon being the universal time to smoke weed, and of course April 20 of each year has become a marijuana holiday. And this year, the whole month of April is 4/20! As the Chicago Tribune reports, the history of 4:20 goes all the way back to the early 1970’s. According to the Tribune’s article, the origins of 4:20 stem from a group of high school students in San Rafael, California.

The theory detailed in the article is that the legend started with a group of five high schoolers attending San Rafael High School in 1971. The group was known as the Waldos for their ritual of gathering by the wall of the school each day at 4:20 p.m. As the group and their daily habit became more well-known, 420 became code for smoking weed. Probably because of their association with the band The Grateful Dead, the term spread far and wide, and today April 20 is a worldwide weed holiday!