History of 420 and Marijuana’s Impact on America

Posted on April 20, 2023 by Dr. Christine Grimaldi

Have you ever wondered why the day April 20th is important? That’s because that day of the year is known as 420 or “National Marijuana Day”. At 4:20 p.m. on that day, groups of people often smoke cannabis or marijuana, hence the term 420 which describes normally smoking weed This drug is commonly known in urban slang as “weed” and they “get high” as a result of inhaling large amounts of THC. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive component of cannabis which causes addiction in the people who smoke it through a variety of methods, whether they be bongs, reefers. or smoking weed cigarettes. There are many different strains of weed, especially the relaxing indica (which makes hash) and the energizing sativa. However, let’s look into the origins of “420”.

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In 1971, five high schoolers in San Rafael, California, Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich, all known as “The Waldos” used 420 as part of a plan to look for a rumored cannabis crop with a treasure map made by the crop’s grower. They would meet at 4:20 pm every afternoon by the Louis Pasteur stature on the grounds of their school, hence their phrase “4:20 Louis”. Although they did not find the crop, they shortened their catchphrase to “4:20” which became codeword for smoking cannabis. The Waldos would not become popular until two decades later, when Steven Hager popularized their story in his magazine High Times. Thus the “holiday” 4:20 was born.

Weed has become an immense part of drug use and culture in the USA. Mall retail stores such as Spencer’s have weed-related paraphernalia such as ash trays and incense as well as cannabis related portraits, pictures, and clothing. California is known for producing great weed crops and being one of the first states to legalize marijuana and Denver, Colorado has been one of the prominent weed hotspots in the country. Rap music has also been influenced by weed, with musicians in that genre such as rap legend Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa regularly referencing different strains and usage in their lyrics. Weed has also had a great impact on underground rap, especially with the now broken-up duo Potluck referencing it in every song because they are from Humboldt County, which is the cannabis capital of California. I recently started listening to horrorcore music and have heard many rappers reference smoking the drug in their songs, especially Twiztid (they have an EP dedicated to one thing only: marijuana released around 420 2021! and the song “Get High”), Gibby Stites (“Rain Rain”), Lyte (“Lyte It Up”), and Hex Rated(“Optimo” ft. Razakel). The number 420 has really sparked a revolution across the US because of five teens’ failure to find a crop which has sparked many friendships and groups dedicated to smoking weed.