Today, 420 is almost synonymous with cannabis culture. But like many mysterious monikers, the term’s origins are shrouded in a haze of smoke. Some believe – incorrectly – that 420 represents the penal code used by California police officers to refer to cannabis use. Others believe it’s the number of active ingredients in cannabis, or that it’s a reference to a Bob Dylan song. So where did these numbers actually come from? Like so many other terms popularized to cult status, the term 420 originated with a group of high school students.
In 1971, five California teenagers began consistently meeting at 4:20pm outside of their high school. They’d heard of a secret plot of cannabis plants that were allegedly growing near Point Reyes Peninsula Coast Guard Station, and wanted to find it. Gathering after school next to their campus’ statue of Louis Pasteur, the group would embark on regular treasure hunts for the cannabis plants. And while they never did find anything, the numbers soon became a code for communicating amongst each other.
Later, one of the teenagers worked as a roadie for the band Grateful Dead, who popularized the numbers to new levels. When former reporter for High Times magazine Steve Bloom came across the term, he published it in the May 1991 issue. Subsequently, the publication began incorporating 420 into everything – including the World Hemp Expo Extravaganza and the Cannabis Cup. The rest, you might say, was history.
Since then April 20th (or 4/20) has become a day dedicated to celebrating cannabis culture. On 4/20 people gather across the world with a two-fold aim: to celebrate the legalization of cannabis and to work towards ending prohibition. The festivities span from San Francisco to London to Dunedin to Amsterdam to many more.
On our end, Aurora is kicking off 420 with an Illumination Summer Concert Series beginning in Vancouver on – you guessed it – April 20th, 2018. Click here to find out more about this exciting, massive concert series that will be travelling across Canada and featuring 20 amazing artists. All tickets are free and will be given away via a draw, so be sure to enter the contest and to follow us on social media for updates.
We hope to see many of your faces as we come together in celebration, and as a call to action for recreational cannabis legalization around the world. Happy 420 to all.
