I got 99 problems but 420 solutions. The annual counterculture holiday 4/20 just passed and students share whether they smoke or not – along with the history of 4/20 and where the term first originated.
Communications major Chris James is an avid weed smoker and works at a nearby dispensary. He prefers to use a bong or pipe. His 4/20 was celebrated at the dispensary he works at called The Pottery in Los Angeles and notes how it is the busiest day of the year. James mentions how the special holiday kept him on his feet and was never ending chaos till closing.
“For 4/20, I am planning to celebrate it with my friends and go on a hike,” said graduate student Kevin Lui.
Television and film major (TVF) Rosa Rivera said they are thrilled to partake in 4/20 festivities, such as smoking or consuming marijuana in various ways. They also favor weed over alcohol.
“I love it. My preferred way to smoke is flowers and joints,” Rivera said.
The creators of the term 4/20 first came from the Waldo Brothers back in the early 1970s, when weed was illegal and individuals could do up to ten years in prison for possession. At the time, it was a felony, according to the San Diego Addiction Treatment Center. Documented proof of the creation of 4/20 can be found on the Waldo Brothers website.
Although many may see April 20 as a regular day, it is a day filled with annual events such as raves, parties and major deals at local dispensaries, and enjoying a toke with some friends. Before it became a counterculture holiday, 4/20 was first used as a code word to smoke weed, according to The Waldo brothers who first came up with the term back in 1971. Some may think that 4/20 is a police code, but this is false.
The Waldo brothers attended San Rafael high school in Marin County. The Waldo group would meet at a statue at 4:20 p.m. and go off to smoke and look for a patch of weed that was grown by Coastal Guardsman Gary Newman, who out of paranoia of getting busted by his commanding officer, gave one of the Waldos a hand drawn map where the weed was located at Petaluma Hill. However, The Waldo Brothers never found the patch of weed.
“It’s an official day that we created. At the time, we didn’t know we were creating history,” Dave Reddix, one of the original Waldo Brothers said in an interview with the University Times. It was an inside joke between the Waldos, Reddix said.
Reddix also known as “Waldo Dave ” and Steve Capper, “Waldo Steve” shared their early memories in an interview over the phone, from high school and how the 4/20 holiday was created. Capper reminisced on the time they would meet at Louis Pasteur statue at 4:20 p.m in front of their highschool. Over the years, they participated in many 4/20 festivities including the event at Hippy Hill in San Francisco. The unofficial event brings thousands of individuals to San Francisco to celebrate their right to smoke marijuana. Due to the holiday landing on a weekend, The Waldos always thought individuals would go back to the roots of the term and smoke in celebration of 4/20.
“I always thought.. There would be people going over to Senator Falls High School, where it started,” Steve said.
Over the years, the Waldos have come out with merchandise and even have a 4/20 beer dedicated to them at the Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma California called “The Waldos Special Ale.” As stated on the official 4/20 Waldo’s website, the beer is described as “dank” smelling. It is a specialized drink that is only made once a year.
“We chose the dankest smelling hops that smelled like marijuana,” Waldo Steve said.
Marijuana has been legalized in California for almost eight years. It is legal in over 24 states as of 2024 about 12% of U.S. college students have used cannabis, It is the second most used substance on college campuses after alcohol, according to the Statistic Research Department. About 28% have tried it only once or twice, and 11.8% do it almost daily.
