Cannabis Culture
420, 4:20, or 4/20 (pronounced four-twenty) is slang in cannabis culture for the consumption of cannabis, especially smoking cannabis around the time 4:20 PM and also refers to cannabis-oriented celebrations that take place annually on April 20 (which is 4/20 in U.S. form).
In 1971, five high school students – Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich – in San Rafael, California, calling themselves the Waldos because "their chosen hang-out spot was a wall outside the school," used the term in connection with a plan to search for an abandoned cannabis crop that they had learned about, based on a treasure map made by the grower. The Waldos designated Beniamino Bufano's 1940 Louis Pasteur statue on the grounds of San Rafael High School as their meeting place, and 4:20 PM as their meeting time. The Waldos referred to this plan with the phrase "4:20 Louis". After several failed attempts to find the crop, the group eventually shortened their phrase to simply "4:20," which ultimately evolved into a code-word that the teens used to mean consuming cannabis.
Mike Edison says that Steven Hager of High Times was responsible for taking the story about the Waldos to "mind-boggling, cult-like extremes" and "suppressing" all other stories about the origin of the term. Hager wrote "Stoner Smart or Stoner Stupid?", in which he attributed the early spread of the phrase to Grateful Dead followers – after Reddix became a roadie for the Dead's bassist, Phil Lesh – and called for 4:20 PM to be the socially accepted hour of the day to consume cannabis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(cannabis_culture)
The reason for posting this history is to explain the cultural importance of the end of April for people invested in cannabis companies. 420 is a celebration of the marijuana smoking culture, and therefor is not affiliated in any way with the medical cannabis industry . Legally, medical cannabis is derived from hemp, and thus has little meaning for any medical cannabis company. This could change if or when the United States adopts full legalization. Also, some individuals and some companies are experimenting with strains of marijuana that contain low values of THC. If low THC plants are eventually cultivated, then laws will need to be changed to accommodate marijuana derived medications.
420, 4:20, or 4/20 (pronounced four-twenty) is slang in cannabis culture for the consumption of cannabis, especially smoking cannabis around the time 4:20 PM and also refers to cannabis-oriented celebrations that take place annually on April 20 (which is 4/20 in U.S. form).
In 1971, five high school students – Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich – in San Rafael, California, calling themselves the Waldos because "their chosen hang-out spot was a wall outside the school," used the term in connection with a plan to search for an abandoned cannabis crop that they had learned about, based on a treasure map made by the grower. The Waldos designated Beniamino Bufano's 1940 Louis Pasteur statue on the grounds of San Rafael High School as their meeting place, and 4:20 PM as their meeting time. The Waldos referred to this plan with the phrase "4:20 Louis". After several failed attempts to find the crop, the group eventually shortened their phrase to simply "4:20," which ultimately evolved into a code-word that the teens used to mean consuming cannabis.
Mike Edison says that Steven Hager of High Times was responsible for taking the story about the Waldos to "mind-boggling, cult-like extremes" and "suppressing" all other stories about the origin of the term. Hager wrote "Stoner Smart or Stoner Stupid?", in which he attributed the early spread of the phrase to Grateful Dead followers – after Reddix became a roadie for the Dead's bassist, Phil Lesh – and called for 4:20 PM to be the socially accepted hour of the day to consume cannabis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(cannabis_culture)
The reason for posting this history is to explain the cultural importance of the end of April for people invested in cannabis companies. 420 is a celebration of the marijuana smoking culture, and therefor is not affiliated in any way with the medical cannabis industry . Legally, medical cannabis is derived from hemp, and thus has little meaning for any medical cannabis company. This could change if or when the United States adopts full legalization. Also, some individuals and some companies are experimenting with strains of marijuana that contain low values of THC. If low THC plants are eventually cultivated, then laws will need to be changed to accommodate marijuana derived medications.
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