Four-Twenty is a slang term used in the Cannabis culture referring to the consumption of Cannabis, particularly at 4:20 each day and on April 20 each year. The same is true for Seven-Ten, but instead of celebrating only dried Cannabis this time and day celebrates consuming Cannabis concentrates and is considered to be the day for dabber.
This idea of 420 may have originated in the early 1970’s from a group of five students in California who designated a standard meeting place at school with 4:20 pm as their meeting time. This eventually became common lingo in the culture for those planning a smoke ‘sesh’ with friends. Steven Hager of High Times considers 4:20 pm to be the “socially accepted hour of the day to consume Cannabis”.
Activists all over the world have developed April 20 into a day of protests, becoming a coordinated public act of civil disobedience by gathering in public to light up at 4:20 pm. The objective is to create social change and to lessen the stigma associated with Cannabis, promoting legalization worldwide.
420 is also the dial-code for the Czech Republic and by some strange coincidence, this country also has one of the highest rates of Cannabis use in the world – seems appropriate. Another myth surrounding 420 is that it is the police dispatch code for Cannabis offences, but this simply isn’t true.
There are also several 420 references in mainstream pop culture, in movies such as Pulp Fiction and Hot Tub Time Machine. Many Cannabis resource centres, social media channels, and all kinds of apparel and paraphernalia use this reference too.
Four-twenty is the biggest, single-day celebration of Cannabis and with legalization in Canada happening later this summer this celebration will become more mainstream. It will be interesting to see how this counterculture holiday changes into a more corporate one.
No matter how you celebrate 420, do so safely and responsibly.
References:
Wikipedia, Independent, Vox, Time, and Zenpype.