THE PHENOMENON 420

Today you come across the number 420 more and more on the internet. You have 420 proof, 420 free, 420 hostel, 420 time, 420 blaze etc... I've been a real smoker all my life, but I had never heard of this legend until 3 years ago. It started after I decided to book a trip to Jamaica on my own. Based on the idea that a real blower must have visited Jamaica at least once in his life, I started looking on the world wide web for a hostel where you could of course smoke. One term 420 after another came by and I didn't understand it at all.

420 IN JAMAICA

 I did some research and found that this was a slang code (slang code) for allowing the smoking a joint. With great enthusiasm, I went online to visit all these hotels/hostels in Jamaica. What a great concept this is! One hostel offered a free Jamaican joint with breakfast, another hostel offered a giant "group joint" every day at exactly 4.20 pm for free. To his hostel guests. And so you also had a hostel that treated its guests to a weed top the size of your forearm during a stay of several days. This is awesome! I can honestly say now, after my great Jamaican experience, that just about all hostels in Jamaica are 420 free.

WHAT DOES 420 MEAN?

It's all nice that 420, but why has this expression been chosen for numbers and not for the written word 420 (fourtwenty)? Look, if you're a real smoker or cannabis enthusiast, chances are you know what the term 420 means, although as an experienced smoker I didn't know this myself. 420 in English refers to a time of 4:20 (4:20 PM). A group of rebellious California stoners who gave themselves the name Waldo's created the tradition of getting together every day at 420 (4:20 pm) after school (San Rafael High School) to smoke many joints and then go on an adventurous cannabis search. in the wild. After many searches there is not a single cannabis plant found, but of course many have smoked. This tradition turned into a phenomenon where people all over California gathered to use cannabis. The tradition of getting together at this time to sit down and smoke some pot and socialize has persisted over the years.

I experienced this myself when I was young. I can still remember the excitement I had in class as a teenager, knowing that after classes I would secretly smoke a weed with my mates on the agreed-upon square or bench in the city or in the park. This was also often around 4.20 pm. This is exactly what 420 is all about; get together, socialize and smoke a pot together. That's what cannabis used to do to people, and that's what cannabis still does to people today.

420 GOING GLOBAL

The magazine The Hightimes, founded in 1974 by Tom Forçade, decided in the 90's to publish an article about the 420 hype. The news spread globally at the speed of light. 420 started to become a worldwide phenomenon among cannabis users. This hype of lifestyle began to globally transform from a subculture to a true cannabis culture. In the interest of preserving this emerging culture, a special day has even been declared once a year, namely April 20. April 20 is in America referred to as 4/20 and not as with us as 20/4. On this day, many cannabis enthusiasts gather to smoke weed or to demonstrate the legality of Marijuana.

420 EVENTS: GLOBAL PARTICIPATION IN THE GMM OR MMM OR GCM

The Global Marijuana March (GMM) also known as the Million Marijuana March (MMM) and the Global Cannabis March (GCM) originated in 1999 in New York City. The Global Marijuana March is a celebration that embraces cannabis culture and has become a true lifestyle. Participants in this march are cannabis users, both medicinal and recreational users, who come together to useto celebrate Marijuana. Participants of this march believe that the Legalizing the personal use of Marijuana would help in the fight against drug trafficking.

The use of cannabis is becoming more and more accepted worldwide. Cannabis users are not necessarily criminals or sick, cannabis users are also ordinary people, like you and me, who make a productive contribution to society and simply want to relax after a hectic day at work or the office by smoking a joint. This movement spread far beyond the border. Today, nearly 500 cities around the world participate in Marijuana marches. Some examples of these Marijuana marches and/or events are: Ganja Day, Cannabis Liberation Day, Global Space Odyssey, J Day, Million Blunts March, World Cannabis Day and so on. All days when cannabis enthusiasts from all over the world come together.

Some misunderstandings about what 420 MAY mean

There are so many stories going around on the internet about what 420 would mean. Here are a few examples that the internet is full of, but that can be debunked very easily:

For example, April 20 (420) would be the day our beloved Bob Marley passed away. This is by no means true, because Bob Marley lived from February 6, 1945 to May 11, 1981.

• 420 would stand for the number of chemical compounds/substances that make up the cannabis plant. However, according to the Scientific Information Center Cannabis, there are more than 500 different chemicals in the cannabis plant.

• 420 would be a police code in the state of California for someone who is breaking the law by using cannabis. This is also nonsense because there is no 420 police code. However, the code does exist 10-50, which stands for Under Influence of Drugs.
  
  
• April 20 would be the best time to plant marijuana. But there is no such thing as a "best time" because it is planting your cannabis seed differs per country / climate.

These are just a few examples of misunderstandings surrounding the term 420. The internet is full of stories about the origin of the term 420, but if you do a good research, you will soon see that the origin of the 420 legend is with the Waldo's comes from.