Marijuana advocates are gearing up for April 20. Known as 4/20, marijuana's high holiday on Saturday is often marked by large gatherings to smoke together.

Saturday marks marijuana culture’s high holiday, 4/20, when college students gather — at 4:20 p.m. — in clouds of smoke on campus quads and pot shops in legal-weed states thank their customers with discounts.

This year’s edition provides an occasion for activists to reflect on how far their movement has come, with recreational pot now allowed in nearly half the states and the nation’s capital. Many states have instituted “social equity” measures to help communities of color, harmed the most by the drug war, reap financial benefits from legalization. And the White House has shown an openness to marijuana reform.

(T)he prevailing explanation is that it started in the 1970s with a group of bell-bottomed buddies from San Rafael High School, in California’s Marin County north of San Francisco, who called themselves “the Waldos.” A friend’s brother was afraid of getting busted for a patch of cannabis he was growing in the woods at nearby Point Reyes, so he drew a map and gave the teens permission to harvest the crop, the story goes.

During fall 1971, at 4:20 p.m., just after classes and football practice, the group would meet up at the school’s statue of chemist Louis Pasteur, smoke a joint and head out to search for the weed patch. They never did find it, but their private lexicon — “420 Louie” and later just “420” — would take on a life of its own.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    3112·
    8 months ago

    This article talks about activism, but the lack of activism is the problem and why I honestly don’t like it. It should be a day of activism, but it’s “let’s all get high and party” instead.

    Not only has the drug war incarcerated a huge number of people over a plant that hasn’t even been processed like cocaine or heroin, the medical use is really important. I know because I don’t use it for fun, I use it as a pain modifier for my trigeminal neuralgia and when I don’t have access to it, the pain is much more intense. If 4/20 was about promoting legal use and promoting the medical properties over having a big party, I’d love it, but it isn’t.

    If it became “let’s all have a big party” after it is legalized nationally, I’ll join up with the rest of the party team. But until then, I’ll just keep doing my regular activism and ignore any significance of tomorrow as if it’s a special holiday.

    And if I’m imbibing on 4/20 at 4:20, it will be because I’m in too much pain, not because I’m celebrating.

    (I’m guessing I just pissed a bunch of people off. Oh well.)

    • Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social
      14·
      8 months ago

      There’s activism happening around 4/20. My dispensary is getting folks to post their experiences with medical use, and getting them to sign a petition and giving out stickers promoting my state’s recreational bill. Plus sometimes it’s fun to have fun. Having a single day (and time) to make it a cultural event helps with activism by removing the stigma against it.

      I don’t celebrate 4/20 because I use it medicinally, but I’m glad it’s a thing if only because it makes everybody forget Hitler’s birthday.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
        8·
        8 months ago

        but I’m glad it’s a thing if only because it makes everybody forget Hitler’s birthday.

        Okay, that’s fair.

    • Awesomematter@lemmy.world
      10·
      8 months ago

      Please check out NORML.org

      I’ve been a supporter for quite some time. They’re really trying to make a strong grassroots presence and bring change along with peer reviewed studies.

    • deeferg@lemmy.world
      8·
      8 months ago

      Most activists are active year round, not just one day a year. Give them that one day to unwind and show people why the plant isn’t a harmful substance and remind them why they’re fighting to prove it’s right to be legal.

      Plus a lot of countries are legalizing in the west. Not everyone lives in the USA.

    • girlfreddy@lemmy.caOP
      81·
      8 months ago

      (I’m guessing I just pissed a bunch of people off. Oh well.)

      If someone’s angry that’s on them, not you.

    • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      5·
      8 months ago

      Yeah it’s not like states have been legalizing as a direct result of that activism, or the secondary line who saw those states make money and finally gave in as well!

      In my life it has gone from 0/50 in states legal or medical in 1996 to 26/50 states legal and 12/50 states medical 28yr later. Not that the job is done, but you talk like activism is non-existant.