Happy 420 from NH Cannabis Association!

Well, another glorious 4/20 is upon us, but do you know the history behind the term that has become synonymous with the celebration of all things cannabis? Depending on whom you ask, you may hear any number of rumors, including one of the most widely believed rumors–that “420” was police dispatch code for marijuana smoking violations. But the reality of its origin is a common struggle many cannabis consumers have probably experienced at least once in their smoking lives: the quest for some good bud.

In 1971, five high school friends in San Rafael, CA overheard that a Coast Guard service member who had been growing a crop of cannabis was no longer able to tend to it. The five friends, who called themselves “the Waldos,” hatched a plan to find the crop and borrow some choice buds. On the days they went on their search for the crop, the Waldos met at the high school’s statue of Louis Pasteur at 4:20pm, using the code word “4:20 Louis.” Unfortunately, the five friends never found the crop. Eventually they dropped the “Louis,” and started using 4:20 regularly as code for simply having a smoke.

While these modest origins paved the way for the worldwide cannabis celebration that we know today as 420, they don’t tell the whole story. If you want to read more about how 420 went from high school code word to international phenomenon, check out this interesting article from Huff Post: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/420-meaning-the-true-stor_n_543854

At any rate, we here at NH Cannabis Association hope you join us in having a safe, happy, and healthy 420!

Other interesting 420 links for your reading pleasure:

10 Things You Didn’t Know about 420 (Weedmaps): https://weedmaps.com/news/2019/03/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-420/

Record sales predicted for 420 in 2021 (Benzinga):
https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cannabis/21/04/20649176/why-cannabis-operators-expect-record-420-despite-coronavirus-concerns

New Hulu documentary exploring whether bigfoot is to blame in the death of 3 cannabis farmers back in 1993 (Cannabis.net):
https://cannabis.net/blog/opinion/is-bigfoot-killing-marijuana-farmers-in-the-emerald-triangle-new-hulu-series-drops-on-420