Why do people celebrate 420

Kenny Gould. Currently Drinking: Dancing Gnome Pounce. Kenny Gould graduated from Duke University with a degree in English. In -- the same year he founded Hop Culture -- he received his M. He recently published The Brewing Cloud, a collection of fictional short stories about the beer industry.

Load More. This one's a shut and closed case, too. Although it has been stated that there are "more than chemical compounds" in a cannabis plant, no one ever clearly stated that that number is There are a couple of theories having to do with the police and Congress, too. The first, referring to what police would utter over the radio should they see you buying a baggie, is incorrect. Unfortunately that radio code is for homicide. The one about Congress? Well, it's not that the two aren't related.

There is a bill in the California Senate numbered , but it's named for the staple of cannabis culture, not because of it. The bill, which went through in , was crucial to the birth of medical marijuana in California.

The remaining theories around are so wild we might as well not even go into detail. Some think it's named after the day Bob Marley died, but he died on May Some think it has something to do with Adolf Hitler's birthday, but why the hell would that mean anything? In , the group, who called themselves The Waldos, began using as a shorthand for smoking weed. Reportedly another of the group members, Dave Reddix, became friends with the bassist of The Grateful Dead — the band is said to have popularised the date.

In , the pro-cannabis rally saw more than 50 people arrested, Evening Standard reported. Cannais is a Class B drug and remains illegal to possess, grow, distribute, sell or grow in the UK. If you are caught with cannabis it comes with a maximum of five years in prison, an unlimited fine or both. This is when you must get the day off work or school," it continues. The Waldos' website has multiple examples of how the number was an inside joke among their friends and at San Rafael High School.

There are postmarked letters — to each other, to friends and to members of the Grateful Dead — that make reference to the code.

There's a tie-dye flag with "" made in their art class. There's a school newspaper, with a student simply stating "" when asked what he'd say in front of his class. And in , the Waldos tracked down retired U. He confirmed drawing up the "treasure map" that sparked the legend. Facebook Twitter Email. What does mean? Inside the treasure hunt that launched April 20 marijuana 'holiday'. Mike Davis Asbury Park Press. Watch: Meet the guys who invented the global stoner holiday.

Meet the Waldos, the guys who claim to have invented the term "," a common code for marijuana.