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Myths of the “Holy Day”

Holy hemp-huffin’ hippies… Friday is 4/20, the official day to get stoned. I know what you might be thinking—it’s stupid to recognize a holiday for stoners who already get stoned all the time to sit around and get stoned some more. But consider this: We have lots of alcoholidays, such as New Year’s Eve, Cinco de Mayo, and St. Patrick’s Day for drinkers to get drunker. And they’re awesome. So let the stoners have their fun.

If you’re one of them, please take note as we correct a few myths about 420:

Myth #1: “The term ‘420’ originated from some police code for ‘pot smoking in progress.’”

Fact: That’s totally bullshit, just like these other half-baked theories. The real answer is that 420 started in the ’70s when a bunch of high-schoolers in San Rafael started referring to getting high as “Four-Twenty Louie.” Boring but true.

Myth #2: “420 is only celebrated by hippies who crawl into moldy basements and wallow in their own filth while passing around greasy chillums.”

Fact: You don’t need to be a basement hippie to wallow in your own filth (gone to the Comet lately?) or to hit the hobbit leaf. In fact, millions of fastidious soccer-mom types smoke pot just so they can chill the fuck out. Keep it up, filthy hipsters and stony neat freaks!

Myth #3: “An underground Nazi police force named April 20th a holiday so they could take over the free world on Hilter’s birthday, when we’re all too incapacitated to resist.”

Fact: That’s fucking insane, you paranoid hippie.

Myth #4: “The best place to celebrate is in the City Attorney’s Office at City Hall, because Tom Carr is totes into your funky junk.”

Fact: Not so much.

Myth #5: “The 4/20 munchies can only be cured by consuming megadoses of Cheetos and strawberry Fanta.”

Fact: Pot could make dog shit delicious, but you’ll still feel like crap after eating it. Best to prepare in advance by ordering pizza. Please note, über-stoners that have to get stoned at 4:20 on 4/20, Hot Mama’s won’t deliver before 5:00 p.m. Harsh toke, I know.

Now go forth, informed readers, and enjoy your pot holiday however you see fit—as longs as you do so safely and responsibly.

Originally posted on 4/18, moved up to 4/20 for all the obvious reasons.

Comments (18)

1

My wife listens to KUOW religiously, and apparently they say "it's 4:20" pretty much every day (at the appropriate time). Also, Jack Walters at KEXP is fond of announcing when it's 4:20. Me, I could care less, but it's all good clean fun.

Posted by Levislade | April 18, 2007 2:28 PM
2

4/20 is my birthday!

Posted by Dianna | April 18, 2007 2:36 PM
3

Th G4 cable network is doing a special on the history of 420 on April 20.

More importantly, anyone know where I can score some weed?

Posted by elswinger | April 18, 2007 2:44 PM
4

I will be celebrating by firing up the volcano and watching 9 to 5...

Judy: "this is... really great... pot... what'd you say it was called again?"

Violet: "Maui, wowee."

Judy: "well I love it."

Posted by monkey | April 18, 2007 2:50 PM
5

do i have to wait until 4;20 pm to get ripped or can i ring the alarm at 4:30 am and do it then ?. ... or should i wait until i awake at 6:15am when my man gets up for work ?..
what to do ? what to do ?

Posted by riz | April 18, 2007 2:52 PM
6

What's Mudede up to on Friday?

Posted by jackie treehorn | April 18, 2007 3:15 PM
7

its always 4:20 somewhere.

Posted by Max Solomon | April 18, 2007 3:28 PM
8

@#6: CALLING IN STONED.

Posted by jbomb | April 18, 2007 3:32 PM
9

#7 That is not true. It only occurs 48 times a day, somewhere.

Posted by elswinger | April 18, 2007 4:06 PM
10

Personally, I like to plan my next trip up to Canada.

Much more effective.

Posted by Will in Seattle | April 18, 2007 4:43 PM
11

Anyone who buys or drinks Fanta should have to listen to the Fanta movie ads uninterrupted for five days.

Posted by Noink | April 18, 2007 11:50 PM
12

Well, it is Hitler's birthday...I've always found that disturbing.
And, if you want an excuse to get stoned, just go get stoned. I don't need holidays to get buzzed/fucked up, etc., I just go do it.
The whole "4:20, DUUUUUUUUDE!!" crap has annoyed me for years.

Posted by Matt | April 19, 2007 1:08 AM
13

It will also be the anniversary of Columbine.

Posted by elswinger | April 19, 2007 2:30 PM
14

Re: link from Myth 4

Nice to know that 1.4 ounces (40 grams) is considered a small amount of pot. If I ever find a seller again I'll switch from buying an eight to buying one and half Zs.

Posted by elswinger | April 20, 2007 9:51 AM
15

The Comet is great! You're nuts. I saw All Time High there last week. Awesome show and the atmosphere was cleaner than your new bong.

@14 Zzzzzzzzzzz

Posted by bonehead's girlfriend | April 20, 2007 10:10 AM
16

Nicely observed, elswinger, though your number is a wee low since there are a few countries staggered a half-hour off.

Posted by Ben | April 20, 2007 10:16 AM
17

So strange you say that ben, the opening band at The Comet had a funny song called America is a Cuntry

Posted by bonehead's girlfriend | April 20, 2007 10:19 AM
18

From Wikipedia:

Origins and observances

It is widely accepted that in 1971, a group of teenagers at San Rafael High School in San Rafael, California, calling themselves "The Waldos", used to meet every day after school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke marijuana at the Louis Pasteur statue. [2] [3] The term became part of their group's salute, "420 Louis,"[4] and it eventually caught on more widely. Many cannabis users continue to observe 4:20 as a time to smoke communally. By extension April 20 ("4/20" in U.S. dating shorthand) has evolved into a counterculture holiday, where people gather to celebrate and consume cannabis.[5] [6]

There are also many apocryphal urban legends attempting to explain the origin of the term. Two of the most common of these are that 420 refers to the number of active ingredients in cannabis, or that it is police dispatch code for cannabis.[7] In actual fact there are around 315 active chemicals in cannabis, varying depending on the exact plant used, and 420 has never been verified as the police dispatch code for anything in any locale.[8]

Posted by NaFun | April 20, 2007 2:16 PM

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