High Times For Pot Smokers On 420 Day
MIAMI (CBS4) -- If you sniff a fragrant green herb Wednesday, don't be surprised. Wednesday marks the unofficial worldwide pot smoker's holiday, also known as 420 Day.
April 20th has evolved into a counterculture holiday, where people gather to celebrate and smoke marijuana. There are lots of rumors and stories about how 420 Day started; however, its origin has been pinpointed to a California school yard in the late '70s. The story goes that a group of San Rafael High School students, who called themselves the Waldos, met every afternoon at 4.20 p.m. to smoke cannabis by a statue of Louis Pasteur. Intent on developing their own discreet language, they made 420 code for a time to get high, and its use spread among members of an entire generation.
420 has grown from covert doublespeak into a worldwide peaceful protest advocating everything from the end of cannabis prohibition to world peace. Others just gather for the thrill of it, or to meet folks with a similar interest.
Many people light up in public places like parks, and sometimes in fairly large groups. In past years, there have been large gatherings of people smoking on 420, especially on the nation's college campuses.
