Certainly there is a lot to talk about when we say the magic code 420 but where does it come from?
Because this code identifies a certain part of the world’s population unifying them in one thing, Cannabis. I was doing some research and out of many theories and legends I could find a story that seemed to me the most accurate and coherent, although it is not known exactly if it was the first invention of this code, it is certainly the most verdict.
It has become more than the code of the marihuaneros, with these magical numbers have led numerous marches and protests for the legalization and decriminalization of Cannabis, especially in Latin America as it competes with an infinite plea of political powers, drug trafficking and consumption.
Here I leave you with a bit of the history of its origin, protests, places that have managed to legalize and tolerate it and some recommendations of documentaries about King Solomon’s herb that you might enjoy.
Origin of the code
According to Time magazine, the number 420 dates back to 1971, when a group of five students at San Rafael High School in Marin County, California, began meeting at 4:20 p.m. to smoke marijuana. The actual numbers “420” don’t have much symbolic significance, Time reported in 2016. Rather, the students-Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich-chose to meet at 4:20 p.m. because they usually finished extracurricular activities by that time.
The students, who were participating in an activity that was strictly illegal at the time, began using “420” as code for marijuana, Time reported. Years later, one of the group’s members, Reddix, got a job as a roadie for Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh. Bloom says the term has served as a sort of semi-private code, and cannabis smokers tend to see it everywhere: street numbers, prices and even clocks in Quentin Tarantino’s film Pulp Fiction.
After the sign marking 420 miles on Interstate 70 in Colorado (USA) was repeatedly stolen, the authorities decided to change it to 419.99 miles. In recent years Denver has become the epicenter of the party thanks to Colorado becoming the first state to allow the sale of marijuana for recreational purposes.
Pro-Cannabis and Anti-Criminalization Protests
The streets of Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Paraguay and Colombia, among others, were some of the scenarios chosen by thousands of people to demand the legalization of cannabis and the free cultivation of the plant. The demands in each city had their particularities, but a common factor united all voices: stop criminalizing users, whether recreational or medicinal.
The Global Marijuana March has been held since 1999 in hundreds of cities around the world, however, this year its demands jumped from the streets and social networks to the pages of newspapers with more agility than in past editions. Although the marches -most of them on May 4 and others on May 11- had a massive and global repercussion, Latin America shone with its own light: the scope of their messages and political demands was concretized in specific proposals for decriminalization, but also for legalization of its cultivation and use.
From Buenos Aires to Mexico City, passing through Quito, Bogota, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago de Chile, Lima, Caracas and Montevideo, awareness of the harm caused by prohibitionism is growing and what better than a festive day to prove it!
Legalization
U.S.A:
Colorado.
Washington.
Alaska.
Oregon.
Washington.
California.
Maine.
Massachusetts.
Canada.
Uruguay.
South Africa.
Thailand.
The places where marijuana can be purchased and consumed are regulated establishments with sales limits:
Colombia.
Ecuador.
Peru.
Brazil.
Bolivia.
Chile.
Argentina.
Australia.
Italy.
Portugal.
Switzerland.
Czech Republic.
Belgium.
Estonia.
Moldova.
Documentaries
High Culture.
Weeding the People.
The grass is greener.
A NORML Life.
The Syndicate: The Business of Getting High.
Clearing the Smoke: The Science of Cannabis.
Super High Me.
Grass
The Legend of 420.
When we grow, here’s what we can do.
