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How the rest of the world can benefit from it, even without smoking pot...
Published on April 20, 2004 By Sean Conners aka SConn1 In Current Events
Today is 4/20/2004. This is the counterculture's favorite day of the year. For this is "Four-Twenty," the stoner's holiday.

Today, more people will toke up around the world than any other day. It has happened every year. And every year hundreds of millions of people around the world enjoy the holiday, with the aid of some good smoke and their favorite piece of smoking paraphanalia. But more than anything else, this day shows just how unobservant we are. It is a lesson that marijuana smokers remind themselves of every year. A lesson that shows just how unaware the rest of the population is. And for the rest of the population, the fact that they don't even know, or barely know that this holiday, which has been celebrated all over the world, including in their neighborhood, exists, simply proves it.

420 started with a couple of creative deadheads back in 1970. with only a carbon copy machine (remember those) operated by a hand crank, they created a holiday exclusively for the celebration of the enjoyment of cannibus. They essentially created the hippie version of St Patrick's Day. They advertised through their manual "printing press" about how California police code for a "bowl of marijuana in progress" was the code "4-20." This rumour spread like wild fire thru Grateful Dead circles and other counterculture enviroments. And by the mid 70's, deadheads and potheads all over the world related the alleged code with the calendar date of April, 20.

The funniest part about the whole story is that it was made up from the start. The 2 pranksters made up the California police code. It doesn't exist. But just like political pundits for the most part, no one ever "fact checked" the flyers put out by that little carbon copier. It was a joke. One that had been put over on the whole world. And it is a running joke that continues today. Outside of the marijuana smoking world, the whole she-bang goes unnoticed. Inside the counterculture, some people still believe that 4:20 is actually California police code for observing someone smoking some ganja. Inside of the counterculture circles, more informed members know the inside of that joke.

But the really aware and observant remind themselves of the lessons of 4/20. The lesson that shows you how people will continue to believe falsehoods if it is convenient to do so. The lesson that a whole culture can exist inside of a culture that is totally unaware of it. The lesson that despite spending billions of dollars to try to wipe out anything, if people want to do something, they are going to do it despite the machine's attempts. And of course the lesson that sometimes one does need to step back from the rat race and check some facts before going forward.

Perhaps some in Washington could learn a thing or 2 from the counterculture. I doubt they would try to, as their preconconceived prejudices would most likely prevent that thought process from happening. But much in the way Coke tried to do in the 1970's with the "I'd like to teach the world to sing" advertising campaign using their beverage as a bridge between people, I believe the world might be better off if the whole world passed one around on this day and forgot about their differences for awhile. Not everyone would have to smoke it, of course, but just the passing from one to another, with those who wish to partaking in any actual smoking, would be an exercize in cooperation that may lead to better days ahead.

Like I said, it won't happen. In fact, when any non stoner I have ever known finds out about this holiday, their reaction is to 1st, disavow it's actual size. Then they try to think of any disparaging way they can of knocking it down. They will look things up and discover Hitler's birthday was 4/20. More recently, they will point to things like Columbine and the tradgdy that surrounds the community of Littletown. It will go on and on. The only thing they won't do is acknowledge that 100's of millions of people figured out something that they haven't. And it's a shame.

But for the rest of the world, Happy 420!!! Stay safe:)


Comments
on Apr 20, 2004
Peace, man. Great article. I don't smoke regularly anymore, but if I can manage to find some in this hell-hole I'm stuck in right now (Houston) I will be celebrating it along with the other teeming millions, bag of Funyuns in hand.

-- B
on Apr 20, 2004
mmmmmmmmm funyun goodness.....
on Apr 20, 2004
i would think with being a border town, reefer would be extremely easy to find,,,whenever i am in a bordering state in the southwest, i get solicited regularly.
on Apr 20, 2004
That's the odd thing here. My working friend and I have been trying to score, and have met several people who smoke....but when we ask them where we can score, all of a sudden the sources are scarce. Ah well. No matter, I can still celebrate in the spirit of the day.

-- B
on Apr 20, 2004
one of the points that i was making that in the big picture, actually smoking is secondary...i am glad you got the point and i believe you do indeed have the "spirit" of the day...take care:)

one other note about sources....yeah, stoners are unwilling to give themselves up like that for various reasons...but it mostly comes from a "close the door behind you" subconcious that we all suffer from...a little tip,,,find anything grateful dead or phish related happening in your town tonight....like a hippie dead cover band or something like that...look in your local entertainment guides...go to that event and you will find what you seek:) ....as long as you don't go looking like an undercover cop....which are smelled out easily by us who dance to the beat of a different drummer (sometimes 2 different drummers)
on Apr 20, 2004
I live close to Houston and it's all over the place out here!
In fact most of the people I work with smoke. They are probably celebrating right now!!
Puff puff give! I don't or can't do it much anymore. Do to hubby in military, but today IS a holiday!!
*wink* wink*
on Apr 20, 2004
Oh! and Happy 4-20 Everyone!!
Enjoy.
on Apr 20, 2004
happy 4/20 to you too lady:)

take care:)
on Apr 20, 2004
oh,,,and it's now 4:20 pm (eastern) on 4/20 so i guess it's time for me to stop talking about celebrating it and enjoy the pleasures of 420


take care all:)

on Jun 05, 2004
That's all well and good except we are in the middle of a War on Drugs, so if you have embraced the social justice journalism revolution then create your master work and change the the world for the better by getting involved in the most exciting new film festival in North America, the 3rd Annual Drug War Vigil Film Festival. Peace. The 3rd Annual Drug War Vigil Film Festival

by press release (10 Sept, 2004)
This year's event will be in a Vancouver theatre

The Drug War Vigil Memorial Group is a social justice think tank that was founded in the fall of 2000, dedicated to ending the War on Drugs.
We recognize that the militarization of this medical issue and the criminalization of the chronically sick, terminally ill and chemically dependent have resulted in the needless loss of human life, and that this is the true crime.

We promoted social justice journalism at the 2002 Cannabis Culture Toker's Bowl Drug War Vigil Film Festival and again at the 2nd Annual Drug War Vigil Film Festival in May 2003, also during the Bowl. With spin-offs when 911 Media (www.911media.org) Washington State's premier Media Arts Center and the BC Compassion Club Society (www.thecompassionclub.org), a non-profit healthcare provider distributing cannabis and other holistic medicines, presented a DRUG WAR FILM FESTIVAL March 12 th in Seattle Wa. in addition to an earlier show here in East Vancouver.

This Year we using a theater Venue and staging it as separate event from the Toker's Bowl so broader spectrum of participants will be able to view.
Our group is honored to be affiliated with this event and thank Marc Emery and Chris Bennett, and crew of Pot-TV for their extraordinary activism in action in sponsoring this event.
Contest Details:

Send us your films of 30 minutes or less on any topic related to cannabis, drugs and the drug war, and/or Harm Reduction.
Only submit in plain old VHS tape or Hi-8 or digital-8.
The films will be screened and judged by participants at the Drug War Vigil Film Festival Sept 24-25th as well as viewers of WWW.Pot-TV.Net
The film chosen for first place will receive
A Grand Prize of $2000 US.. 2nd place $1000.00 3rd place $500.00
New Special 500.00 Prize for best short, a short being 5 minutes or less.
You must register your film for entry by to be eligible.

Registration is FREE and only requires you email us at dwvfilmproject@hotmail.com with your intention A.S.A.P. and projected length of your work.

We will need to receive the finished film by September 10th 2004

Watch the web page for further details relating to with confirmed dates and actually attending the event: cost, entertainment etc.

It is our hope to inspire independent and amateur film makers to produce inspirational works.

e-mail us at dwvfilmproject@hotmail.com or film@cannabisculture.com

Send your entry in to:
D.W.V. c/o BCMP Bookshop
307 W Hastings
Vancouver, B.C.
V6B 1H6
CANADA