4/20 day is here. If you know, you know. For those that don’t, 420 is the all-encompassing term for all things marijuana-related. Dating profiles or Craigslist personals may include “must be okay with” or “420 friendly.” But do you know where the term originated? There are so many myth-busting articles and honestly, the origin is actually so basic. I couldn’t figure out why there aren’t more articles about it.

Here are some quick bites on the origin of 420.

• Term created based on time: 4:20 pm
• The Waldos, a nickname of boys attending San Rafael High school wanted time to smoke and decided on the time 4:20 pm because it was after school and extracurricular activities in 1971
• Christmas 1990, Grateful Dead handed out a flyer inviting folks to smoke on 4/20 at 4:20 pm in Oakland
• High Times magazine confirmed and debunked copious myths when they interviewed the Waldos to confirm the origin story

Now let’s get into myths about the origin.

• Police code for marijuana (420 is code for domestic disturbance)
• A law was passed using 420 and that’s why we have it (420 came after the fact)
• There are 420 chemicals in marijuana (There are 315)

There are some other silly ones out there but the sources can lead you down a hole! It keeps going.

Smoke up, if you do and if you live in a state where it’s not legal, be safe out there, and put a towel under your door.