Left to right: Mark Gravich; Jeff Noel; Steve Capper (with vape pen); Dave Reddix (holding 1971 rolling papers); Larry Schwartz/ Image courtesy of The Waldos and High Times Magazine
4/20 has become the beloved holiday celebrated by cannabis users all over the world.
But how did the day originate?
The story dates back as early as 1971 in California with a group of high school friends— Mark, Jeff, Steve, David and Larry, known as The Waldos. They would meet at “on the wall” at 4:20pm each day at school during extracurricular time to go off smoking and searching for a grow patch of weed allegedly abandoned by the Coast Guard.
So, how did “420” become a coined phrase know all over the world?
Back then, Waldos members, Mark and David had connections to the legendary band, Grateful Dead, so theu were often at their concerts. They’d often use their secret code, “420” for when pot was being used and passed around. Others in the Grateful Dead camp soon caught on to the term and started using it as well. Later in 1990, Steven Bloom, an editor with High Times Magazine, attended a Grateful Dead concert when someone handed him a flyer inviting people to meet at 4:20 on 4/20 for 420-ing.
Steven not only shared that flyer with High Times, but also Huffington Post and from there, the phrase “420” grew like wildfire.
What may have started off as a group of friends escaping the mundane activities at school to partake in a little pot, is now popularly known as a holiday for all cannabis users. So today, when you “put one in the air” fondly think of The Waldos and their contribution to pop culture.
Resource Information
1922 Cannabis. "The Origin of 420"
Times Magazine. "Here's the Real Reason We Associate 420 With Weed"