What is 420 Day? Exploring its roots

TOLEDO, Ohio — On Saturday, there are two celebrations happening that you may hear of. One of them is 420 Day. Sure, you’ve heard it’s a day about celebrating cannabis or whatever — but there’s more to the story.

See, its roots date back to the fall of 1971. According to the Associated Press, the brother of a member of a group of California teens feared being busted for the weed patch he had been growing in the Point Reyes woods.

So in that fear, he decided to draw a map showing the spot, so the group — including his brother — could harvest it. From there, it became a tradition for the San Rafael High School students, known as The Waldos, to meet up at 4:20 p.m. — smoking a joint — and begin their quest to find the patch.

Spoiler alert: they never found it.

However, letters and other artifacts have been produced by the group, giving credibility to this founder’s tale, which has become more widely accepted.

So how did 420 Day spread?

Well, according to a 2017 article in Time, member of the group, Dave Reddix, worked as a roadie for the band ‘Grateful Dead.’ And as the teens hung out in the band’s circle, 420 slang gained traction.

So there you have it: a brief history of 420 Day.