Washington State forced to replace ‘Mile 420’ road sign with ‘Mile 419.9’ after weed enthusiasts keep stealing it
Washington isn’t alone in the battle with Colorado creating a Mile 419.99 marker for their Interstates
WEED smokers repeatedly stealing "Mile 420" road signs in Washington State have forced officials to replace it with "Mile 419.9".
For years stoners have stolen the distinctive green-and-white mile markers posted along Interstate 82.
Mile 420 is particularly popular – owning to the culture of lighting up at 4.20pm in the afternoon and using April 20 as an excuse for cannabis celebration.
Other legends of the 420 claim it comes from a police calling code mistakenly thought to mean someone was caught smoking pot.
According to the , Mile 69 is also highly sought after – for obvious reasons.
The Times reported Transportation Department Trevor McCain as saying: “They will typically go and take those more than anything.
“They have special meanings to some people.”
In an ingenious move, the department have tweaked the sign to say Mile 419.9 or Mile 68.9.
In 2009, the state deployed a Mile 68.9 to Route 231 in eastern Washington.
Two years went by, and the solution looked promising, then someone stole it.
Three years after that, its replacement disappeared.
And in another two years, the 68.9 mile marker was pilfered yet again.
In the 20-year-old battle department have even gone to the length of installing a steel pole grounded in concrete – but someone just came along with a truck and yanked the sign right back out.
But these thefts are no laughing matter – the signs are intended to help emergency services quickly locate a crash.
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In rural areas, they can be critical in finding someone in trouble.
The Transportation Department has also tried to impress upon people that the financial burden of replacing these signs ultimately falls on taxpayers.
Washington isn’t alone in the battle either - Colorado actually created a Mile 419.99 marker for Interstate 70, The Denver Post reported.
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