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 Myth and Fairytales 

The Facts of 420 Popularity

 

There are over 250 million Google search results containing 420.

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Facebook has more than 8.5 million 420 related group members.

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Instagram has 33.4 million 420 enthusiasts.

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YouTube has countless 420 referenced videos, one has over 11 million views. YouTube also has a 420 related channel with 1.5 million subscribers

420  Featured or Mentioned:

 

 ABC News

CNN

Huffington Post

Real Time with Bill Maher 

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 

Modern Family 

2014 Emmy Awards 

High Times Magazine

Family Guy

Shameless

420 Magazine

Jimmy Kimmel 

BBC

Weeds

San Francisco Chronicle

NY Times

CNN.com- "History Of Marijuana"

MSNBC- "Pot Barons Of Colorado

Saturday Night Live

 

Many mentions have traced the beginning of 420 inaccurately. Not surprising, for the 49- year old number has morphed into many incarnations, including California Senate Bill 420 (SB-420 for medical marijuana) and the Pot Holiday on April 20th.

Dispelling Myths

 

  • Although law enforcement is well aware of the number, 420 has never been a police code for cannabis.

  • 420 has absolutely nothing to do with April 20th being a "Stoner Holiday". The 4/20 evolution is its own story.

  • Bob Marley was born in May, not on April 20th, although a bio-pic of his life was released on 4/20/2012.

  • 420 was not dreamed up to coincide with Adolph Hitler's birthday being on April 20th. Now, there's a guy who would have been better served smoking a lot of superb 420!

  • Bob Dylan's, "Rainy Day Women 12 & 35" (12x35 equaling 420), was imagined by someone with very good math skills while stoned- most likely listening to way too much Dylan.

  • 420 is not connected to any law, however, it is designated California Senate Bill 420 (SB-420), for medical marijuana use.

  • 420 is not associated with, nor linked to the Grateful Dead. There is no Grateful Dead song, poster, photos, or mention of 420 on the band's website. However, it is true that Deadheads, perhaps jump-started the faithful, The Waldos, did a remarkable job promoting the number across the U.S., perhaps all the way to Europe. "High Times" was pivotal in exploding the number into the public consciousness as well, but the writer failed to interview anyone in San Rafael except for the Waldos directly.

Exposing a Fairytale

  1. 420 originated in 1970, not 1971 as the Waldos claim

  2. The Waldos claimed they met every day at 4:20. They did not "Smoke out " at 4:20. So, in their world, 420 was not created as a time to get high or a code.- it was a time to meet.

  3. The Waldos, rented "Inventing 420" for years by being the sole storytellers of the number's creation, through self-promotion and media hi-jacking- getting an article published in High Times. Unfortunately, their "Treasure Map" story has so many gaping holes, that it might one day be classified as a truly great fable in the annals of cannabis Pop Culture.

  4. If the Waldos played sports as they claim, then met after practice, how could they have known when practice ended, when only the coach knows what time practice concludes? And what about the time it takes to change from sports attire back regular clothing? Or, are we to believe they ventured too far away Pt. Reyes fully clothed in cross-country or football uniforms?!

  5. If the Waldos didn't play sports, why would they all return to school at 4:20, roughly an hour and a half after school ended, when some of them didn't even have a car and/or lived on the way to Pt. Reyes? 

  6. Driving from San Rafael to Pt. Reyes usually takes an hour on a good day during commute traffic. Shortly after they arrived to look for pot plants based on a "Treasure Map", the Autumn sun would have begun to set, so were they searching for plants at dusk or in darkness by the time they left Pt. Reyes? Did they get high on the way and/or when they arrived at their destination in far away West Marin County? Figure?

  7. Who searches for something, anything based on a treasure map? Someone living in a stoned fairy tale...

  8. Did the Waldos ever find any pot plants during their excursions? Nope, Nein, Nada.

  9. The truth is Beeb named the Waldos.

  10. The truth is Beeb  IS the Thomas Edison of 420.

 

"Why would anyone need a treasure map to find weed in Marin County? 420 is everywhere. Let's ask my neighbors for some T-wone"

 

- The Beeb

 

The Waldos might well be the greatest promoters of the term 420, and may have smoked too much pot to realize someone else in their circle of friends at San Rafael High School actually invented it.

?

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