Where does this term come from?

[msc75]

In regards to marijuana, where does the term 4:20 come from?

I've used it for years, but have no idea of the origin of it.

[dietrologia]

I heard an interview on a local (San Francisco) radio station with the guy that claims was among the group of high-school students who first started using this term back in the mid- to late-seventies

From what I recall (I heard this about 3-5 months ago):

This guy was among a group of kids at a Bay Area High School who, after school, would get together and smoke a little reefer.

On one particular day they agreed that they would meet at 4:20 pm after school to smoke. Throughout the day they kept repeating to each other "4:20"... "4:20"... to remind each other. After a while, "4:20" became a catch-all code among this group to represent "extra-curricular activities."

After a while the code spread and IIRC, High Times did a piece regarding the group and their code. It kind of went from there.

I know this sounds real sketchy and "urban legend-ish", but I really did hear this described on the radio. I just don't know the minute details (like how the leap from high-school code to an article in a magazine happened).

Perhaps someone else in the San Fran area heard this interview?

[Gozu Tashoya]

IIRC, it's something to do with April 20th. I forget why, though. Maybe it's the day God invented pot or something....

[ngol]

I always heard it was a police code for drugs.
As in "We've got a 420 bust by some 5-0's."

[Bob Scene]

California penal code numbers have been slang for other things, like 187 for murder and 502 for drunk driving. If you search for 420 marijuana criminal code on Google you'll get a lot of hits for sites that say "420" is also from the California penal code. But phish.net (who would know more about marijuana?) begs to differ. Here's what they say:


Conventions are legends: 420 is not police radio code for anything, anywhere. Checks of criminal codes (including those of the City of San Francisco, the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, the State of California, and the federal penal code) suggest that the origin is neither Californian nor federal (the two best guesses). For instance, California Penal Code 420 defines as a misdemeanor the hindrance of use ("obstructing entry") of public lands, (<flipside@u.washington.edu>) and California Family Code 420 defines what constitutes a wedding ceremony (<marco@unidirect.com>). One state does come close: "The Illinois Department of Revenue classifies the Alcoholic Liquor Act under Part 420, and the Cannabis and Controlled Substances Tax Act are next, under Part 428." (RB 5/19/99)

Further research is called for.

[ThisYearsGirl]

Here's some more information
http://www.420.com/origin/index.tpl
Basically, it says that dietrologia is right, and gives more background information. There's also an essay on why the police code theory is wrong, but I can't find it. . .

[Bob Scene]

This site lets you search the California penal code:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov

If you search for marijuana you get the following sections, none of which are 420:
1. PENAL CODE SECTION 1000.12-1000.17
2. PENAL CODE SECTION 13860-13864
3. PENAL CODE SECTION 1000-1000.8
4. PENAL CODE SECTION 830-832.16

And here's section 420, which doesn't mention marijuana:

420. Every person who unlawfully prevents, hinders, or obstructs any person from peaceably entering upon or establishing a settlement or residence on any tract of public land of the United States within the State of California, subject to settlement or entry under any of the public land laws of the United States; or who unlawfully hinders, prevents, or obstructs free passage over or through the public lands of the United States within the State of California, for the purpose of entry, settlement, or residence, as aforesaid, is guilty of a
misdemeanor.

[Amedeus]

Strange, I found this
site (http://www.420republic.org/420.htm)...
Wonder if there is any connection. :)

[msc75]

Originally posted by Amedeus
Strange, I found this
site (http://www.420republic.org/420.htm)...
Wonder if there is any connection. :)

Heh. I wonder if they have any idea.