Creation Myths: Why 420?

In high school, I was always told by my weed-smoking buddies that 420 (April 20^th) was the day when pot was legalized in Amsterdam, and that’s why we commemorate it every year. Was this stupid? It seemed feasible to me back then, when I nodded my head, blew out smoke and responded, “Cool, man”.

Turns out it was stupid though, because I recently heard elsewhere that the term really comes from a time of day when some group of California potheads met up after school to search for a secret crop of marijuana they’d heard about. This can’t be true either though: how many potheads do you know who went to school in the afternoon?

In any case, today is that 420 day, that day when people feel comfortable smoking a joint in front of police, even though the penalty for such a crime on any given day is negligible, relegated to a simple fine (at least in Canada). It’s too bad that this day is often used by teenagers as an excuse to look tough in public, blowing smoke in the faces of police officers and such. But then, I’m a guy who was severely disappointed when the Noogie (or Monkey Scrub) lost its rightful position as a tool of discipline all those years ago. What’s happened to us, people?

In any case, it’s a pleasant thought that the term at least brings people together. And it’s nice that western society is currently in a place where archaic anti-marijuana propaganda can be recognized for what it is: foolish, a waste of time that could be spent on more important issues. In a precarious age, this is one facet of society that seems to be improving. Cool, man.