7 minute read
420 - The International Code for Cannabis
Pot. Kush. Zaza. Weed. Ganja. Herb. Dope. Sticky Icky. Reefer. Hash. Mary Jane. The Devil’s Lettuce. Marijuana. We have hundreds of names for cannabis, but 420 is the most universal code name so far. However, most of us don’t even know where 420 came from. Some reasons have floated around among smokers, like “smoking in progress” between police officers, or some say it’s from Bob Dylan’s song “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” because 12 multiplied by 35 equals 420. That last one sounds the most far-fetched, but I love the intention behind it, even if it’s not true. The cannabis conspiracy theories have run wild and rampant. Before we get to the truth, let’s take a look at some of the more modern instances that 420 has been used. As we all know, April 20th is the unofficial holiday that all cannabis users know of and celebrate. It’s so well known that in 2009, History reported that “officials at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of California, Santa Cruz, attempted to push back on the growing popularity of the festivities among their students.” The schools practically begged the students to at least not participate as heavily, but it likely only encouraged it. Who knows how many other schools have had students get together to celebrate 420; I’d put money on at least 85%. Many of my college friends gathered together to celebrate the holiday.
Larry, Dave, Steve, Mark and Jeff Waldo at the Louis Pasteur statue where 420 started., (Photo Credits) High Times Dec 1998 issue
One of our 420 parties actually made for some great memories, and probably the funniest moments our group has ever gone through together. Movies, TV shows, and other popular media have all featured a 420 or two. One of the more well known movies that 420 has appeared in is cult classic “Pulp Fiction,” where many of the clocks throughout the movie are set to 4:20. A less well known moment is in “10 Things I Hate About You;” at 4 minutes and 20 seconds into the movie two “stoner type” men are seen kissing in the foreground. 420 has also been known to appear in video games too, like Hitman 3 or Kittens Game. The final reference I will mention is that the TV show “Workaholics” did have an entire episode dedicated to 420 and how to celebrate it. All these references aren’t exactly new, but they’re still fun. (I didn’t really want to mention this but even children’s TV shows had One of our 420 parties actually made for some great memories, and probably the funniest moments our group has ever gone through together. Movies, TV shows, and other popular media have all featured a 420 or two. One of the more well known movies that 420 has appeared in is cult classic “Pulp Fiction,” where many of the clocks throughout the movie are set to 4:20. A less well known moment is in “10 Things I Hate About You;” at 4 minutes and 20 seconds into the movie two “stoner type” men are seen kissing in the foreground. 420 has also been known to appear in video games too, like Hitman 3 or Kittens Game. The final reference I will mention is that the TV show “Workaholics” did have an entire episode dedicated to 420 and how to celebrate it. All these references aren’t exactly new, but they’re still fun. (I didn’t really want to mention this but even children’s TV shows had
of that nature. Irreverent TV shows like South Park or Family Guy probably have more 420 moments, but they’re not the same as aforementioned shows and have more leeway with how they speak and what their characters can do since they are animated. In reality, the story behind 420 dates back to California 1971 at San Rafael High School with a group of five teenage boys, Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich, who called themselves the “Waldos”. According to History, “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) supposedly leading to the abandoned product, the group would meet at the Louis Pasteur statue outside their high school at least once a week to conduct a search. Their meeting time? 4:20 p.m, after practice (they all played sports). The Waldos would pile into a car, smoke some pot and scour the nearby Point Reyes Forest for the elusive, free herb.” The group never did find the hidden cannabis treasure, but they did begin the code of 420 that would sweep the school and the nation. But, how could the Waldos have influenced the nation like this when they’re just a bunch of kids? That we can attribute to one of the most well known cannabis loving bands of all time, the Grateful Dead.
This is where the story get’s cooler... one of the Waldos’ fathers, Gravich, worked with and actually managed the Dead’s real estate. Another’s older brother, Reddix, was good friends with Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh. Due to these connections, they all were able to hang out backstage at a place called Winterland and, of course, they were always using the term they had invented. It wasn’t long until 420 had spread through not only the band, but all the “Deadheads” (fans of the Grateful Dead) as well.After the 420 craze had become common among the Deadheads, a reporter for High Times, Steven Bloom, heard the phrase for the first time during “Christmas week at a Grateful Dead concert in Oakland, California, in 1990.Bloom was wandering through the congregation of hippies that would gather before Dead concerts, and one of them handed him a flier that said, “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.” Bloom found the old flier and sent it to Huffington Post as proof. The flier told the history of 420, referencing the Waldos of San Rafael. Once “High Times” latched on to the story, the magazine helped launch the word globally,” reported History. The group even has the most legitimate proof that they are the true origins of 420. “ Kept safely tucked away in a vault in a San Francisco bank is their original 420 tie-dyed flag, a newspaper clipping where one of the members discusses wanting to just say “420” for his high school graduation speech and postmarked letters between the group filled with 420 references.” The Waldos should be one of the more well-known groups in the cannabis world. The world has loved to use 420 in lew of cannabis or marijuana for as long as most of us can remember. Learning the true history of anything is important, but when you have a real passion for something, it can stick with you much longer. Now we can all use the true story of 420 as an interesting story to tell at a party. Hopefully, we can spread the origin correctly from now on and give the Waldos credit where credit is due. There is even a possibility that the truth will spread the same way 420 did, with word of mouth and a couple of articles written about it. (Not to toot my own horn or whatever.) So as 420 comes around this year, remember why we even celebrate the holiday. Invite some friends over, roll a huge joint (something absurd, like the giant 6-inch cones you can find at head shops), and light up at 4:20 pm in honor of the Waldos. Always celebrate responsibly, don’t get high and drive.
