What does 4/20 mean and why is it celebrated?
FANS of the unofficial holiday want to know more about why it's celebrated on April 20 each year.
Here is everything we know about 4/20 and its history.
What does 4/20 mean?
When it comes to 4/20, the exact origin is a bit questionable.
During the 1970s, a group of students at San Rafael High School in referred to themselves as the Waldos, as they often sat on a wall outside of their school, per the .
The group began taking trips together, which they labeled "safaris."
One of their official rules was that the members must be stoned - as in high on marijuana.
The Waldos reportedly began meeting at 4.20pm to smoke, and the number became a code word for them to refer to the act of smoking weed.
When the term "4/20" began spreading through mutual friends and acquaintances, it found footing in the Grateful Dead community.
The Grateful Dead is a jam band known for its large fanbase, which often follows the group from state to state whenever they tour.
After 4/20 became a popularized phrase, the origin story differed among different groups of people - some say it is the time Jerry Garcia died.
In contrast, others say it is in reference to the police code for marijuana.
It is now common practice for those who smoke weed to celebrate annually on April 20th, or 4/20.
Why is it celebrated?
According to one of the original members of the Waldos, Steve Capper, 4/20 celebrations were integral in the legalization efforts of marijuana.
"[The celebrations] were kind of the ground zero of getting weed legalized," he told the .
"It was the beginning of [marijuana] activism and fighting back."
Capper continued: "The media started reporting on these gatherings and suddenly, April 20th became kind of a forum in the media for discussing drug suppression and marijuana legalization."
One of the original bills for marijuana legalization in California is .
Filed in 2003, SB-420 states, "any physician [is prohibited] from being punished, or denied any right or privilege, for having recommended marijuana to a patient for medical purposes."
While medical marijuana has been legal in California since 1996, the state did not legalize the recreational use of the drug until November 2016.
Where is marijuana legal?
Here is a list of states and the level at which marijuana is legal in the United States:
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- Alabama: medically legal
- Alaska: fully legal
- Arizona: fully legal
- Arkansas: medically legal
- California: fully legal
- Colorado: fully legal
- Connecticut: fully legal
- Delaware: medically legal
- Florida: medically legal
- Georgia: Low-THC products are medically legal
- Hawaii: medically legal
- Idaho: fully legal
- Illinois: fully legal
- Indiana: fully legal
- Iowa: CBD is medically legal
- Kansas: Low-THC products are medically legal
- Kentucky: medically legal
- Louisiana: medically legal
- Maine: fully legal
- Maryland: fully legal
- Massachusetts: fully legal
- Michigan: fully legal
- Minnesota: medically legal
- Mississippi: fully legal
- Missouri: fully legal
- Montana: fully legal
- Nebraska: THC illegal
- Nevada: fully legal
- New Hampshire: medically legal
- New Jersey: fully legal
- New Mexico: fully legal
- New York: fully legal
- North Carolina: Low-THC products are medically legal
- North Dakota: medically legal
- Oregon: fully legal
- Ohio: medically legal
- Oklahoma: medically legal
- Pennsylvania: medically legal
- Rhode Island: fully legal
- South Carolina: CBD is medically legal
- South Dakota: medically legal
- Tennessee: Low-THC products are medically legal
- Texas: Low-THC products are medically legal
- Utah: medically legal
- Vermont: fully legal
- Virginia: fully legal
- Washington: fully legal
- Washington D.C.: fully legal
- West Virginia: medically legal
- Wisconsin: CBD is medically legal
- Wyoming: CBD is medically legal
Medical marijuana is the use of cannabis recommended by a doctor to help treat a medical condition.