World Weed Day 2022: What is 4/20 and why is it celebrated?
4/20 remains a mystery
Marijuana day (4/20) is celebrated every year on April 20. There are a few possible explanations for why marijuana enthusiasts’ celebration landed on this day, but the real origin remains a mystery.
4/20's historical link to cannabis
There are many theories behind the date 4/20. One of the credit theories comes from Steven Hager, a former editor of the marijuana-focused news outlet High Times.
He told the New York Times that the holiday came out of a ritual started by a group of high school students in the 1970s.
Hager explained that a group of Californian teenagers ritualistically smoked marijuana every day at 4:20 pm.
The ritual spread, and soon 420 became code for smoking marijuana. Eventually, 420 was converted into 4/20 for calendar purposes, and the day of celebration was born.
More countries legalising marijuana
There may be different interpretations to the theory of what 4/20 stands for, but it is a fact that some people just want to get high and have fun. Others see the day as a moment to push for legalisation, or celebrate legalisation now that more countries have adopted it.
Weed—a part of people's movement
In recent years, marijuana legalisation activists have tried to bring a more formal aspect to the celebration, framing it as a moment to push their political agenda.
Is 4/20 losing its sheen?
Even though 4/20 was originally started as part of a counterculture holiday to protest the social and legal stigmas against the green herb, many big businesses and corporations are leveraging the holiday as another opportunity to promote the industry and its products — much like beer and other alcohol companies now do with St. Patrick’s Day.
World Weed Day
Despite the fact that the substance is illegal, a considerable number of individuals go to the streets of the US on this day to commemorate this occasion. In some ways, 4/20 is treated as a holiday for both smokers and non-smokers together.
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