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why is marijuana called 420?

Seen it in personal ads, not sure why it has the nickname. pot, weed, herb, smoke, etc. I know.

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    The answer to this has never been proven, but most sources cite that it dates back to 1971 as a slang term coined by a group of high school kids at San Rafael high School in California. 4:20 was the time the group agreed to meet everyday after school to smoke marijuana.

    There are other "theroys" circling pop culture but all are inaccurate.

    1. California Senate Bill 420 regulates marijuana for medical purposes. Wich is true, but this bill was passed in 2004... And I can vouch that I used the term WELL before than when i started smoking marijuana in 1993.

    2. LA or NY police use 420 as radio code for marijuana smoking in progress... This is simply not true, there is no code 420, nor is there a code for "marijuana smoking in progrress"

    3. Its the number of chemical compounds in marijuana. This is simply not true either, there are 315.

    4. April 20 (4/20) is the date that Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, or Janis Joplin died. Morrison died on 7/3, Hendrix 10/18, and Joplin 11/4

    5. April 20 is the best time to plant mari-j....There is no best time, like any other plant, and would vary from region to region.

    6. Albert Hoffman to the first deliberate LSD trip at 4:20 on April 19, 1943. This is true, as his lab notes support it... but this has nothing to do with Marijuan... it is only coincidence

    7. Its the code you send your drug dealer's pager... Possibly some of the dumber ones would do that, but who in the right mind would have a pager full of "420" pages for the cops to use as evidence?

    8. The Gratefull Dead always stayed in room 420 when they were on tour. Simply not true either.

  • ?
    Lv 4
    5 years ago

    Why Is It Called 420

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    marijuana isnt called 420, 420 is more of a code for pot, means time to smoke (4:20), theres a lot of stories how that came about but the most popular one is a group of kids in CA always gathered around a statue at their school at 4:20pm to toke up, so they'd use 420 as a code for smoking

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    well some people say it's because there are 420 ingredients in marijuana. Others say because that is tea time, 4:20. Anyway, most stoners celebrate on 4/20 and at 4:20 they toke it up

  • Anonymous
    6 years ago

    This Site Might Help You.

    RE:

    why is marijuana called 420?

    Seen it in personal ads, not sure why it has the nickname. pot, weed, herb, smoke, etc. I know.

    Source(s): marijuana called 420: https://biturl.im/IKW0S
  • Eve R
    Lv 5
    1 decade ago

    marijuana isnt CALLED 420, its more of a code, or a holiday...and because 420 was the police code for marijuana

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/ROhaR

    4:20 or 4/20 (pronounced four-twenty) is a term used in North America as a discreet way to refer to the consumption of cannabis and, by extension, a way to identify oneself with cannabis culture. Phrases such as "420 friendly" sometimes appear in roommate advertisements, indicating that the current occupants are tolerant of cannabis users.[2] [edit] Origins and observances Although many diverse theories exist to explain the origin of the term, it is widely accepted that in 1971, a group of teenagers at San Rafael High School in San Rafael, California used to meet after school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke cannabis at the Louis Pasteur statue.[3][4] The term became part of their group's salute, "420 Louis!",[5] and became popularized in the late 1980s by fans of The Grateful Dead.[6] 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.[7][8][9] In some cities, this celebration coincides with the celebrations of Earth Week.

  • 1 decade ago

    Wow I've been educated on a subject I thought I knew about,I was labouring under the misconception that 420 was merely a genetic strain(Like 'white widow' or 'northern lights'). Boom knows his stuff.

  • 1 decade ago

    The short answer is, nobody knows for certain. It probably stems (pardon the expression) from a reference which is now lost to history. Given the notorious effects of pot on memory, that's actually kind of appropriate.

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