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On this 420 as you light up for good, we offer you a kickass scoop on the origins of the yearly stoner fest that this day marks. There are plenty of theories about where the most recognisable stoner code was first coined. Some say it’s Bob Marley’s death anniversary or Hitler’s birthday, a reference to the California Police Department’s code for a marijuana bust, or even a reference to ‘teatime’ in Amsterdam, the undisputed weed capital of the world. All of these are intriguing, and you’re welcome to believe whatever floats your boat, but since it’s 4/20 we thought we’d set the record straight.
As the legend goes, it was the Fall of 1971 when ‘Waldo’ Steve of San Rafael High School was given a map to an abandoned weed patch on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Northern California. He and his five friends, known together as The Waldos, agreed to meet at 4:20 near the statue of Louis Pasteur and begin their treasure hunt. Now, since they commenced every mission with a doob, (or two...or three) actually finding the hidden patch took a bit longer than they expected. Eventually it became a daily ritual, and as they passed each other in the hall they’d whisper the code ‘420 Louis’ to confirm their meeting. They later dropped the ‘Louis’ and 420 became the go-to phrase for any undercover weed-related activities that they didn’t want teachers or parents to be privy to.
For a while it was an in-joke that they used, but when Dave ‘Waldo’ Reddix’s older brother, Patrick, brought his bassist friend Phil Lesh to one of their sessions and dropped the phrase, it was the beginning of a movement. At the time, Lesh was the bassist for the iconic rock band, The Grateful Dead and he was probably the reason the flyer for the next gig came emblazoned with the words, “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,”. As they say, the rest is history. Deadheads carried the message across the country and far beyond, and soon 420 was the most well known secret code of all time.
So while this is the story that most people stand by, there is a parallel claim from another group in the San Rafael area called the ‘The Bebes’. They claim that the phrase originated on an October Saturday in 1970 at exactly 4:20, during an afternoon bedroom bong session where Brad Bann a.k.a The Beeb uttered the phrase “It’s 4:20, time for bong loads”. From there it spread across the High School and on to their friends, The Waldos. While this is a slightly less adventurous origin than a mysterious treasure hunt, it sounds just as plausible.
Whichever way you look at it, the fact remains that today, 420 is here to stay. For over four decades, it has been the battle cry of a sub-culture. So now that you know where it comes from, go ahead and spark one up in honour of The Waldos, The Bebes, The Deadheads and of course, Mary Jane.
In case your reading abilities aren’t up to par right now check out the video below by High Times for the full story.
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