The Origin of 420: How a Code Turned Into a Cannabis Holiday 🌿
If you’ve ever lit up on April 20th or seen “420” pop up in pop culture, you’ve probably wondered—where did 420 even come from? Is it police code? A secret law? A Bob Dylan reference? Turns out, the real story is way more grounded (and kinda wholesome) than most myths.

🔍 Spoiler: It’s Not a Police Code
One of the most common misconceptions is that 420 was a police dispatch code for “marijuana smoking in progress.” But nope—not true. There’s no known police code for that in California or anywhere else.

So if it’s not that, what gives?

The Real Origin: A Group of High Schoolers Called “The Waldos”
Back in 1971, a group of five friends at San Rafael High School in California—who called themselves The Waldos—heard about a Coast Guard member who had planted a hidden cannabis crop somewhere near Point Reyes. The Waldos got wind of the story and made a plan: they’d meet at 4:20 PM, after school and practice, to search for it.

They never actually found the crop, but they did start using “420” as their code for meeting up to smoke. “Hey, 420?” became a kind of inside joke that stuck.

The term spread—first through their social circles, and eventually through connections to the Grateful Dead (a few Waldos had ties to the band). Deadheads picked it up, and from there, the code went national.

How It Became a Holiday
Fast forward to the ‘90s: High Times magazine, a major voice in cannabis culture, caught wind of “420” and started using it in their coverage. By then, April 20th (4/20) had started becoming an unofficial stoner holiday, with gatherings, smoke-outs, and eventually full-blown festivals celebrating cannabis culture.

Now, 420 is more than a code—it’s a symbol of the cannabis community, a rallying cry for legalization, and a worldwide celebration of weed.