When Indians think of the numbers 420, there are two things that come to mind: first, the term associated with cheating someone. “Kya 420 insaan hai,” we have heard more than once in our lives. The second, of course, is the classic Raj Kapoor flick Shree 420. However, there is also a third association, and this global association with the number 420 may take a whole new meaning with Generation Z.
On Monday, stoners across the world united as 420 Day and 420 Blazeit became some of the top hashtags on Twitter.
People took to the micro-blogging site to share images of them rolling a joint and getting stoned, and saying that the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 had no chance against the power of weed.
While we have that friend in our group who goes once (or maybe twice) a year to the mountains to secure his/her stash, the origins of the word 420.
420 is the US version of April 20 i.e. 4/20. April 20 has become an international counterculture holiday, where people come together to smoke cannabis. Commentators who have associated themselves with this counterculture, also say that it’s not just celebrations but also a time to discuss political values.
But how did it originate?
It started in 1971 where five school students from California used the term 4.20 Louis to search for an abandoned cannabis crop in the area. The idea was to meet at 4:20 and find the crop.
However, after several failed attempts to find the crop, the group eventually shortened their phrase to simply "4:20", which ultimately evolved into a code-word the teens used to refer to consuming cannabis
The term 4:20 day appeared first in 1991 an article by High Times that mentioned the 4:20 smoking and called for a 4:20 holiday.
Today, 4.20 pm is the dedicated hour to smoke weed on April 20 every year.
