Everyone has that friend that insists they know the secret meaning behind 420. In a way, the stories about where it comes from have themselves become legendary, like the theory that it comes from Bob Dylan’s song, “Rainy Day Women No. 12 & 35.”
The numbers in the song title happen to equal 420 when multiplied, and he proclaims “Everybody must get stoned.” (Can’t argue with the logic. There’s a reason it’s a popular explanation!)
Even with its true origins readily available online, if you walked up to people on the street and asked what it meant and where it came from, you’d probably get a lot of different answers.
THE WALDOS
The real origin actually sounds like a movie. It has nothing to do with Bob Dylan, the chemical structure of the plant, or police codes, to name a few things people attribute it to. 420's backstory is almost like a cannabis-fueled Goonies or Stranger Things.
It all started with a few teenagers in California. They called themselves “the Waldos.” The Waldos would meet at least once a week at a statue outside their high school at 4:20 pm. They’d get stoned and look for a rumored marijuana plant. (They even had a treasure map that was supposed to lead them to the alleged plant!)
They never found it, but the Waldos did discover an effective code word during their meetups. It allowed them to talk about smoking pot without others knowing what they were discussing.
DEAD TIMES
So how did it make the leap from a few teens to global phenomenon? A bit of chance and crazy coincidence. The Waldos had multiple connections to the band The Grateful Dead and would go backstage at a place called Winterland a lot, all the while using the term 420, according to Waldo member Steve Capper. This is how 420 became bigger than the Waldos.
Then in 1990, a High Times reporter named Steven Bloom was walking through a crowd outside of a Dead concert when a Deadhead handed him a flyer. It said, “We are going to meet at 4:20 on 4/20 for 420-ing in Marin County at the Bolinas Ridge sunset spot on Mt. Tamalpais.” He of course took this to the magazine, and the rest is history. Once it became a staple term for High Times, it grew over time into the unofficial holiday it is today.
WHY WE CELEBRATE
If all of this is new to you, you may be wondering why a hemp company celebrates 420. Well, simple: Hemp is cannabis. Unlike its psychoactive sibling, it contains .3% or less Delta-9 THC and is federally legal under the Farm Bill, but it is still the same plant.
Join us in enjoying and honoring the incredible cannabis plant this 420 with a BOGO sale of your favorite hemp products. You can get a free product of equal or lesser value with every item you buy! That’s right. Buy one get one free storewide now until 4/21/2022 at 11:59 pm PST.
