Today is 4/20, an important holiday on which people from all walks of life can connect over one important thing: Marijuana. Whether you love it or hate it — my husband opened the window in our apartment this morning only to slam it shut again due to “all that dank,” (verbatim quote) — there’s no denying that ingesting the once-maligned plant (remember your D.A.R.E session in sixth grade?) is making strides toward becoming America’s favorite past-time. But why exactly is 4/20 considered a holiday? Depending on who you talk to, the answer will be different. More importantly, the answer will likely be wrong. (So please take heart knowing that anyone who told you it was somehow connected to Hitler’s birthday was way off.)
Fortunately for us, Mashable has created a fun new video — which you can enjoy high or sober — detailing exactly what we think 4/20 stands for and why we’re so, so wrong about everything. Spoiler alert: The date has nothing to do with Bob Dylan, multiplying numbers, or police codes. It also has nothing to do with the Illuminati (although most other things do, so be careful!)
So why 4/20? (And why can’t the guy in this video pronounce “Marin County” right? It’s making me so annoyed I’m going to take the rest of the day off to get high.) Here’s the short answer: Some stoners came up with it because that’s the time when they got high. Then, like all things one does when they’re blazing, they decided that it was a brilliant code for their “hijinks” (which included searching for a trove of secret marijuana plants). Other stoners picked it up, the code became widely known, and The Grateful Dead ran with it, popularizing the number while on tour. A little less sexy than what you may have originally thought, but still important knowledge nonetheless. Your challenge? Watch the video and then try to explain it all to the friends you’re smoking with while you’re all high. If nothing else, it’ll get the laughs going.
