Ask ten people where "420" comes from and you'll hear ten answers. Most are wrong. The real story is better.
1971, San Rafael, California
A group of five students at San Rafael High School called themselves "the Waldos," because they hung out by a wall. One of them got a hand-drawn map, supposedly from someone who could no longer tend a patch of cannabis growing near the Point Reyes Coast Guard station.
The Waldos agreed to meet after practice at 4:20 p.m. at the statue of chemist Louis Pasteur on campus, then drive out to search. They reminded each other in the hallways with a quick "4:20 Louis." They never found the crop, but "420" stuck as their code word for smoking.
How it went worldwide
The Waldos had connections to the Grateful Dead's circle, and the phrase spread through the Deadhead scene. In 1990, Deadheads in Oakland handed out flyers inviting people to smoke "420" on April 20 at 4:20 p.m. One landed with a High Times reporter, the magazine printed it, and the rest is history.
Myths that aren't true
- "It's a police radio code." No such standard code exists.
- "There are 420 chemicals in cannabis." The real number is different and keeps changing as research continues.
- "It's Bob Marley's death date." He died on May 11.
- "It's tea time in Holland." It's not.
How the Waldos proved it
The Waldos kept their receipts: old letters and a flag from the era, stored in a bank vault, with postmarks that predate every rival claim. Even the Oxford English Dictionary cites their story.
Celebrate the right way this 4/20: pick a piece in a minute with mrb0ng's Bong Finder quiz.
