It's 4:20, don't bogart that Straight Dope!

Factual Questions
1

In honor of it being April 20th, can anyone get away from their Cheetohs long enough to explain whence the term “4:20” came up to signify the best time to partake in recreational smokables?

Disclaimers:

  1. I tried to search to see if this came up, but “4:20” is too short and there were way too many hits for “marijuana” to sift through on my crappy dial-up connection (you people take the name of this place to heart, it seems).

  2. I am also not advocating that anyone actually partake unless they have a prescription from a licensed physician which makes it quite legal.

  3. If in spite of my best efforts, this post is horribly wrong, well, it’s my first time. Be gentle with me.

-Hertz

2

Snopes is your friend.

One big urban legend is that “420” refers to the police code for marijuana use (just like how “187” refers to murder). Merely a legend, however… according to the article, it started with a bunch of kids in San Rafael, CA, who just happened to get in the ritual of lighting up at 4:20 PM.

Kind of an unspectacular origin, really. I was expecting something with a little bit more action, adventure, and romance.

3

You expect action and adventure from potheads!?

What have you been smoking, man?

4

I’ve got this uhh friend and he uhh knows about this subject somehow and I uhh asked him and he said SPOOFE is right about the group of San Rafael high school students. Anyways, happy uhh Easter.

5

What were we talking about?

6

there’s also about 420 chemicals in cannabis i think.
in the Grey Area of amsterdam they have a clock where its always 4:20… :0

7

Maybe because 4:20 is snack time??

8

Bogart?

Bob

9
10

Bogart: the term originated due to the many movies in which Humphrey Bogart would be seen holding a cigarrette, but not actually smoking. Not something you want your freinds to do when yer all sitting around on the beanbag chairs.

Also, there was a song, I disremember who by:

Don’t Bogart that joint, my freind
Just pass it around…

11

From http://www.420times.com/420times/420school/420/index.shtml:

12

It’s called “Don’t Bogart Me”, by the Fraternity of Man. It appears on the Easy Rider soundtrack.

13

[hijack] my dad (an old hippie) used to sing that about my first son:

don’t bogart that baby my friend,
pass him over to me…
[/hijack]
well, if hs kids can make up 4:20, i want credit for beer-thirty (beer:30):

after working on home projects for most of the day, it is beer:30. doesn’t matter what time of day, just as long as someone asks ‘what time is it’ , you can respond ‘beer:30’, put down the rake, and grab a beer!

14

[hijack] my dad (an old hippie) used to sing that about my first son:

don’t bogart that baby my friend,
pass him over to me…
[/hijack]
well, if hs kids can make up 4:20, i want credit for beer-thirty (beer:30):

after working on home projects for most of the day, it is beer:30. doesn’t matter what time of day, just as long as someone asks ‘what time is it’ , you can respond ‘beer:30’, put down the rake, and grab a beer!

15

Dude, High Times has the answers you need!

http://www.hightimes.com/htsite/lounge/content.php?page=lounge_02080718&tpage=1&cmnt=