Something is in the air today. You may have noticed.

In some groups, April 20, or 4/20, is known as "Weed Day" since the date matches a number code for marijuana.

Yes, it appears to be arbitrary. So, do you know how did the number 420 come to symbolize marijuana smoking?

First, let's clear up certain falsehoods and rumours:

The California penal code legend

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Some suggest the figure is derived from the California criminal codes used to punish marijuana use or distribution. However, the state's 420 statute applies to impeding entry on public land. So, no, not entirely.

However, the rumour sounds a lot like it. The lore around the police radio code

Neither the LAPD nor the NYPD has a code 420. The San Francisco Police Department has one, but it is for a "juvenile disturbance." So forget about that theory. And then there's. The Dylan song's legend

It refers to Bob Dylan's song "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" and its phrase, "Everybody must get stoned." 12 multiplied by 35 equals 420. It is a bit of a stretch. And Dylan has never confirmed any connection. The story that is the most credible is.

According to Chris Conrad, director of the Oaksterdam Cannabis Museum in Oakland, California, 420 began as a secret code among high school buddies in the early 1970s.


A group of pals at San Rafael High School in Marin County, California, known as "the Waldos," would frequently meet at 4:20 p.m. to get high.

It was an excellent time for them: they were out of school, but their parents were still away, allowing them a window of unsupervised freedom. They met at that time every day beside a statue of Louis Pasteur, the scientist who pioneered pasteurization.

The 4:20 hour became a code for them to employ in front of their unaware parents, and 420 rapidly spread from there - probably through Grateful Dead fans - across California and beyond. Even the number of a Senate bill in California established the state's medical marijuana program.

What was slang for a group of buddies is now found on T-shirts and in modern culture.

Of course, it's on the calendar every April.