Question about 420

[xkasx12]

nice story

[SLiC112]

just goes to show you... you learn something new everyday ....

[JFisher]

It's both. It's pretty much a holiday on april 20th, but 4:20 pm is also smoke a bowl time. I wonder what time zone it originated in. Maybe 4:20 here should actually be 11:20 somewhere else. It would make more sense if everyone united in their ganja praising. I say we start a 4:20 in one time zone, and have everyone change the time according to time zone. Hmmm...

[stonerboy40k]

GMT

[Day Dreamin Faze]

THINK YOU KNOW THE CHRONIC?
The Real Dope on Dope

. I was under the impression that Marijuana Day, if such a thing exists, occurred around late April - the calendar manifestation of the international pot-smoking code 420.

Four-twenty, in case you were wondering, has mythical origins. Popular belief claimed it was derived from police code for dope-smoking; in fact, nowhere in the United States is 420 a code for marijuana. Other theories attributed 420 to the number of chemicals in tetrahydrocannabinol ( wrong, there are only about 315 of them ) or the date of Hitler's birthday ( right, because I always associate weed and Hitler ). In fact, it is believed the true beginnings of the three digits that took a generation by storm began with a group of California stoners in the early 1970s who called themselves The Waldos. Unbeknownst to the history they were making, they designated 4:20 as their time to gather at the foot of a statue of Louis Pasteur and toke up after school. They employed the term "420" as a secret code to discuss herb in front of their unknowing parents.

In case you were wondering. Now what was I talking about again? Oh yes. If you've read this far, you're probably interested in the history behind the counterculture's beloved pet cause/mascot. Marijuana has been around for thousands of years; used throughout history to treat ailments and alter mood, perception and consciousness. Its ability to heighten the senses and provoke mystical experiences has garnered dope a place in history, religion and medicine as far back as 4000 B.C., when the Chinese used it as an anesthetic.

It was downhill from there. For millenia marijuana has been used in religious ceremonies in South America, Africa and India, where it was once prescribed by shamans and even today is used to cure ills from muscle spasms and pain to indigestion.

Marijuana and hemp have also been used for a myriad of other functions. Assyrians used it as incense in the ninth century; hemp fibers have been found in archaeological dig sites dating as far back as 3000 B.C. Greek scholar Galen wrote about hemp being given to dinner guests to promote a good time. Thus began the tradition of party favors, perhaps?

In 1611, hemp was cultivated for fiber in Jamestown, Va.; 20 years later the Pilgrims brought the motherland marijuana over to New England. That's right. You heard me. Those Pilgrims were smokin' the cheebah too. Fast forward a few centuries to when Mexican laborers introduced recreational weed-smoking to the United States. The trend spread to - where else? - 1920s New Orleans. Since then, Mary Jane found her niche with artists and writers seeking a catalyst for creativity, which would later fuel literary and political movements that would mark American history ( the Beat generation, hippies ).

Marijuana was outlawed in 1937 when drug czar Henry Anslinger's Reefer Madness propaganda campaign claimed that weed provoked murderous rampages and adulterous behavior, pinning the blame on immigrants and minorities. It was then briefly re-legalized in 1969 in a court case championed by Timothy Leary; this achievement was short-lived when the Controlled Substance Act was passed in 1970.

Today the debate over the legality of marijuana continues.

[Day Dreamin Faze]

http://www.hightimes.com/ht/lounge/c...bid=313&aid=24

April 20 at 4:20 PM is the "pot-smokers' holiday," also variously described as the "hippie New Year," "national smoke time," "national pot-smoking day," "the holiday," "pot appreciation day," "the ultimate session," or "a day of tribute to the scene." One enthusiastic smoker reported: "Every group has its holidays, and pot-smokers are no exception. April 20th is the day of worship observed by smokers around the world," Another said: "It's comforting to know that hundreds of thousands of other people are lighting up with me on 4/20. It's about the community identity of marijuana-smokers."

Most pot-smokers would probably accept as fact that 420 originated in San Rafael, California with Steve Waldo, who used the expression "420 Louie" in high school. Waldo used it as a secret code to remind friends to meet for smoking sessions at the Louis Pasteur statue, 70 minutes after the 3:10 dismissal. However, whether or not the smokers I talked with actually knew of the veracity of Waldo's claim, it made little difference in their indifference to determining 420's true origin. One expressed the typical view: "The actual meaning of 420, or where it came from, seems unimportant to me compared to the feeling of 420. That is the true meaning." Another was of a similar opinion: "Most people do not desire to know where 420 came from, but rather enjoy it for its cultural importance." A third explained, after reviewing a number of possible theories: "While some of these reports are more believable than others, they all represent how important the number is to the marijuana community." Emphasizing the value of learning from talking about 420, a fourth smoker expressed the general point: "I think the most valid meaning of 420 origins is the underlying things you learn."

[Solistus]

kushman32 - wow, that's awesome! Just think - millions of people around the world celebrate your birthday in the best way I can imagine!

[Fan o KmK]

what is exactly 420? a strain? i heard about this number but not sure about his meaning

hahaha. nah man its code for stoners or weed. long definition of how it got there, but thats what it is today.