Last year, we spent a bit of ink detailing the history of the term 420, debunking some myths along the way and revealing its 1971 origin–how a group of marijuana-minded high school students from San Raphael and their decision to meet up at a very specific time in a quest for marijuana ended up providing our culture with both a name, a code––and an identity.
So, what was the moral of the story? Pretty simple, actually: People who use marijuana can change the world. And changed it–for the better–we have since last year’s 420.
Our MMJ family got bigger recently after voters in Arizona approved Proposition 203 this past November. Now-former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger approved decrim for possession in the Golden State. In Colorado, new regulations for dispensaries are expected to take effect in June.
But imagine a world without 420. I’m not talking about cutting a day from our calendar or putting the kibosh on our cannabis-themed celebrations. What I’m saying is that 420 is no mere excuse for the marijuana-minded to party.
We need to consider April 20 as a true holiday.
I mean, if we didn’t have Christmas, well, the month of December would sure seem pretty sad. Without the Fourth of July, your Independence Day weekend would simply be a day with burnt hot dogs and heartburn. Things just wouldn’t feel the same.
We need 420. The MMJ community is here. It’s us. 420 is our Christmas, our Hanukkah, our Independence Day. It’s a celebration. It’s the Big Event. It’s a coming out. It’s our day.
We need 420 because it’s the one time of year when we are all as one. And I mean all of us; suits and blue collars, young and older, black and white, men and women, straight or gay, rockers and hippies, patients and caregivers.
420 does the same thing all the big holidays do: It brings friends and family together for a common purpose. It declares our presence to the world: we’re here and we ain’t going anywhere but up.
So sure, it sucks that 420 falls on a Wednesday this year (you did tell your boss you were rolling in late Thursday morning, right?)–but that’s just bad calendar luck.
And while all the other holidays have been secularized and made accessible to anyone and everyone (I’ve got Jewish friends that send Christmas cards, Muslim friends that go to Easter parties), 420 is only about us and for us and what we do every day, 365 days a year.
The medical marijuana community is our family. 420 is our reunion . . . and this is our lifestyle.
Happy 420, everyone!
Article from Culture Magazine
