The Unabridged History of 420
4/20 is in the books for 2023, but given this sacred time graces us twice on the daily, why not further indulge in the lore of its origin.
While the miraculous cannabis plant dates back as far as Asia 500 B.C., the culture around 420 is much more recent – not something you'd find on that Mayan calendar.
Rumors of the origin of 420 started in San Rafael, California in the late 1970s. Some said it started as a police code for “marijuana smoking in progress,” but that has all been debunked. Others believe 420 is the number of active chemicals in marijuana or is based on tea time in Holland. Some even say it's from Bob Dylan's lyric “Everybody Must Get Stoned” from the song Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 – 12 multiplied by 35 does equal 420. Then the conspiracies can be endless…
The most credible story can be traced back to a group of five Californians who used to hang out by a wall, gaining them the nickname “The Waldos.” In the fall of 1971, The Waldos learned of a Coast Guard member who had planted a cannabis plant and could no longer tend to the crop. Provided with a treasure map, some say by the plant's owner himself, the group would meet at least once a week to conduct a search. Their meeting time : 4:20 p.m.
They never did score the free bud, but perhaps they coined something far more lasting : The term 420. Later, members of the Waldos would find themselves hanging backstage with the Grateful Dead, and anytime a joint was passed, someone would declare, “Hey 420!” It's no coincidence that many years later in 1990, High Times reporter, Steve Bloom, was handed a flier at a Dead concert he was covering that read, “We are going to meet at 4:20 on 4/20 for 420-ing in Marin County at the Bolinas Ridge sunset spot on Mt. Tamalpais. The flyer also mentioned The Waldos.
So to these Waldos, wherever you are, thank you for the adventure. With this plant, there's certainly always an adventure to be had.
Want more reading? Check out Honestly Grown online!
This website is intended for use only by adults over the age of 21 who are legally allowed to purchase and consume cannabis products in the state they legally reside. The information provided on this website is for educational purposes only, and should not be construed as medical or legal advice. LEUNE does not make any medical claims about the benefits of cannabis, and any statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the FDA. LEUNE makes no guarantees about the effects of cannabis on individual users, and the effects may vary from person to person. Our brand complies with all applicable state laws regarding the sale and use of cannabis products in California, New Mexico, Missouri, Maine, and Arizona. While it has made a constant care to make sure that content is accurate on the date of publication, given the especially nascent and evolutionary nature of the cannabis industry, any facts contained in any materials published may change following the date of publication and Honestly Grown is not responsible for their accuracy thereafter. The views expressed in these blogs reflect the opinions of the authors and any interviewers or interviewees on an individual level and are not necessarily the views of the publisher, editor, or LEUNE. The cultivation, harvesting, manufacturing, production, marketing, commercialization, distribution, transfer, sale and/or possession of cannabis is illegal under u.s. federal law. Neither LEUNE nor its affiliates have made any representation to the contrary. Each reader assumes all risks associated with any cannabis activities in which it partakes irrespective of when such actions were taken with respect to such reader’s reading of any publications or its statements released by LEUNE, including risk of criminal prosecution.
Cannabis culture, History of 420, San Rafael, California, The Waldos, Bob Dylan, High Times, Grateful Dead, Cannabis myths and rumors