Flex Your Cannabis Freedom on 420
Throughout the world, 420 has become a national holiday for the cannabis community. Every country, city, college campus, or suburb suddenly finds itself in somewhat of a haze, regardless of whether it’s legal or not. As more and more states legalize cannabis and recreational use continues to spread across the country, 420 (or April 20th) becomes more relevant than ever before. So why 420 and where did it originate.
Some think 420 was the code word police used to identify smokers to their partners. Others believe Bob Dylan had something to do with popularizing the number, although both these theories have been debunked. In reality it was a group of five friends in the small suburban town of San Rafael, California that started “420” back in 1971. 4:20 PM was the time everyone at San Rafael High School was finished with their extra-curricular activities, so the five friends, who called themselves the Waldos, would meet up at their favorite secluded spot and get high. Soon 420 just became their codeword, letting each other know after school they’d be meeting up. But how did this break into the mainstream?
Ironically enough, this term getting traction on a widespread level was due to possibly the quintessential “stoner” band, The Grateful Dead. One of the friends ended up working with the bassist Phil Lesh. He worked as a roadie and brought the 420 terminology to the band. The Grateful Dead audience, Dead Heads, began to use the term themselves, and eventually, began handing out fliers telling people to smoke cannabis on April 20th, at 4:20.
From there, the movement began, and the holiday became recognizable around the world. 420 has become an iconic term and holiday throughout the years, and what once started in a small town in California, has become a movement to legalize cannabis and reform the laws surrounding it. As more and more states begin to legalize and federal legalization continues to be an ongoing debate, the movement has more traction now than ever before. Just these past few weeks, three states have passed legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis, in New Mexico, Virginia, and possibly the biggest potential market to date, New York.
Most years, 420 is a holiday to stick it to the laws in place and celebrate cannabis use. This year is a bit different. Laws are consistently being changed or amended when it comes to adult-use cannabis. Politicians are beginning to listen to their constituents and new markets are forming slowly but surely. Federal legalization still seems to be a ways away, but on a state-by-state basis, we’re beginning to see the tides changing in favor of recreational cannabis.
420 is a bit different this year in more ways than one. We may not be able to share a joint with our friends, and social distancing will still be standing in the way of large gatherings. But this won’t stop the celebration. The fight for legalization has made some major progress, and in a time where we all need a little bit of good news, we believe that’s a reason to celebrate. So charge your batteries, roll one up, dose your edible, and have your tinctures ready. Instead of sticking it to the legislature that formerly kept your cannabis use a crime, celebrate that we can freely and responsibly use cannabis the way it was intended!
Enjoy your freedom of choice on 4/20! And freedom is even more valuable when you can authenticate your product and know exactly what’s inside. So if you SEE a LucidID, SCAN a LucidID. We hope everyone has a happy and healthy 4/20, and hope to see everyone together very soon.