What is «420»?

The «four twenty», or 420, is the talk of the town these days, especially in the United States, and very few in France. Normal, this day, April 20, celebrates cannabis consumption.

The origins of the term are unclear. The most likely hypothesis refers to a group of five American teenagers who met at 4:20 p.m. to smoke together. Leaning against a wall, they called themselves the «Waldos», Groucho-style: Waldo Dave, Waldo Steve, Waldo Jeff, Waldo Larry and Waldo Mark.

The story goes that every day, in pursuit of a local legend and using a map they'd been given, they'd set off in search of an abandoned weed plantation in Point Reyes, by a customs officer, but never found anything.

The term was popularized by Waldo Dave's older brother, who knew Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, and used it on tour to refer to their weed consumption.

So how do we know their true origins? For a long time, Waldos tried to hide their true identity. But with the various rumors surrounding the origin of the term 420 (the birthday of Bob Marley, the code used by the police to designate drug-related offences, etc...), they decided to reveal the real reason: the time of their smoking break, and the code name they had created to hide it from those around them.

The 420 is now the occasion for a nod to the Waldos, the occasion for which stoners in countries where cannabis is legalized gather and commune by smoking their heads off. We've seen huge gatherings in major US cities, and 500 recalcitrant Anglo-Saxons attempted to celebrate the day in Hyde Park, but were quickly arrested.

From now on, the term 420 also refers to everything to do with cannabis.

And as a counter-cultural element, all the clocks in Pulp Fiction read 4:20. Wink or coincidence?

If you don't know the 420, don't hesitate to discover the 710 !