Every year on April 20, marijuana fans worldwide celebrate what has become known as ‘Weed Day’ an unofficial international weed day – regardless of whether the use of weed is legal or not. In London alone, participants of thousands gather in Hyde Park to celebrate 420, smoking weed and calling for cannabis to be legalised as part of this unofficial holiday dedicated to weed smokers.
But what is 420, and how has this number become synonymous with cannabis culture? The meaning and origins behind ‘Weed Day’ carry a few urban myths, one of which suggests that 420 was the penal code in the state of California used by police officers for marijuana use. However, this turns out to be untrue because the 420 penal code refers to obstructing entry on public land rather than having any association with marijuana use.
What is believed to be the true association came about with a group of five high school students in California in the 70s that went on a hunt for a plot of cannabis plants supposedly growing near the Point Reyes Peninsula Coast Guard Station.
The five students at San Rafael High School in California, Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich, met daily at 4:20 pm outside their school to carry out the search many times, which all proved fruitless. However, the number 420 developed into a valuable code for the students to communicate with each other.
The Waldos
The group of five Californian students developed the nickname the Waldos, and they spent much time hanging out with the band the Grateful Dead after Dave Reddix became friends with the band’s bassist.
Using the code 420 to refer to cannabis, the students would say the numbers, and everyone would know they were asking for a smoke, or to go for a smoke, or to ask, ‘are you stoned right now?’ Teachers and parents didn’t know what the students were talking about!
Through the Waldos and the Grateful Dead, the term 420 began spreading through the world of the band’s fans and engraining itself into their subculture, eventually spreading worldwide.
As there seems to be no other use of 420 that pre-dates the Woldos’ story in 1971, unless someone else comes forward with a more plausible answer, it will be hard to give anyone else the credit for inventing the term.
The London connection
A flyer generated and circulated to support ‘Weed Day’ was also published in the May 1991 issue of the High Times. The flyer stated that 420 started in California in the late 70s but incorrectly said 420 was a police code for Marijuana Smoking in Progress. However, the flyer called for people to gather at 4:20 pm on 4/20 (American-style date) to smoke a joint and create a day of celebration.
The flyer gathered momentum, triggering gatherings worldwide from Amsterdam to London, California, and beyond, bringing cannabis enthusiasts together to celebrate a united ‘Weed Day’ every April. But since cannabis was reclassified in the UK in 2009 from a Class C to a Class B drug, it has made the London 420 gathering in Hyde Park more challenging to hold.
Despite the reclassification, it does not stop thousands of people from openly celebrating 420 every year. The most significant 420 gatherings in the UK are held in Hyde Park, where peaceful protesters descend for cannabis picnics and legalisation demonstrations.
Participation in ‘Weed Day’ in London this annual celebration traditionally sees over 15,000 people gather in Hyde Park and light up together at 4:20 pm as a peaceful act of rebellion that unites all cannabis users.
The ‘Weed Day’ celebration peaks at 4.20 pm, with people cheering loudly, inhaling and releasing extra-large puffs of smoke. Inevitably, the annual event is a magnet for police surveillance and activity, with arrests being made for drug offences and dozens of warnings handed out.
However, over the years, the Met police have begrudgingly grown to accept that they can’t write up too many people at once, so although there is a police presence at the park on Weed Day, it is usually a peaceful day with picnics, music and relatively few arrests.
Is weed legal in the UK?
Cannabis is now the most used illegal drug within the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, cannabis is classified illegal as a Class B drug in the UK. It is unlawful to grow, possess, distribute and sell it. Should you be caught possessing cannabis, it comes with a maximum of five years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.
However, in recent years, the most common course of action for a small amount of cannabis for personal use is an on-the-spot fine.
Anyone convicted of growing and supplying cannabis could get up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.
Ironically, the UK is the only country to offer Sativex on prescription. Sativex is a licensed treatment that helps combat muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis patients and contains some ingredients also found in cannabis.
