Everything you need to know about Cannabis Day 2024
World Cannabis Day 2024 is coming soon. It is celebrated on April 20 each year to honor the cultivation of marijuana! If you are a legal cannabis enthusiast, then you will probably want to know the story behind this unique day, which is also called by its “code name” 420 or 4:20.
4:20 has a special significance in the world of cannabis, so much so that the date of April 20 (4/20 if one takes into account the American date) was not chosen by chance.
So what is the meaning of 420, or 4:20, in cannabis cultivation? And what is the story of Cannabis Day?
Why is Cannabis Day celebrated on April 20?
It seems that the birth of the term 420 (and therefore World Cannabis Day on April 20) dates back to California in the early 1970s.
At this time, at 4:20 in the afternoon, students from San Rafael High School gathered to use cannabis. Thus, a group of friends who called themselves “The Waldos” (because they liked to stand against a wall), were well known to other students who knew their habits of smoking cannabis at 4:20 … 4:20.
The word “420,” which only started as a game, eventually became a real code word that meant the multitude of things related to marijuana. For example, those who whispered this number could mean “do you have any?”, or “I’m high”
Thus, the group gathered in front of the statue of the French scientist Louis Pasteur, but also in other places of the school, to smoke cannabis. And that obviously at 4:20 in the afternoon.
The term “420” first spread throughout California and then, within a decade, all over the world.
High Times, the bible of marijuana smokers, began using the term 420 as early as 1990, and later bought the site 420.com (which mainly talks about fluctuating cannabis prices), but also includes videos, news, tips horticultural, activism and more.
But the explanation “Waldos” is not the only explanation given at 4:20.
More hypotheses on the meaning of 420 in the world of marijuana
A common belief is that 420 refers to the California Police and The Criminal Code for Marijuana, but there is no evidence to support such allegations.
Another theory on the meaning of this number is that there are 420 chemicals active in marijuana, hence an apparent link between the drug and that number. But in fact, according to the Dutch Association for Legal Cannabis and its uses as a drug, there are more than 500 active ingredients in the cannabis plant and its flowers.
This assumption must therefore be ruled out.
A less common explanation links the number 420 to the 1939 short story “In the Walls of Eryx” by H.P. Lovecraft and Kenneth Sterling. The text describes “curious plants” very similar to marijuana, which seemed to make the narrator hover, and according to his watch, it was happening at 4:20 a.m.
Since the story is from 1939, it is probably the first written testimony that indicates the link between marijuana and code 4:20. And perhaps it was from this story that the Waldos were inspired.
Whatever its origins, April 20 has become an important holiday for cannabis lovers around the world.
Read also: Black Cannabis and Mould
World Cannabis Day Initiatives
Cannabis lovers are holding cannabis day celebrations around the world on April 20. And they usually try to respect this symbol for the time of the feast, which is 4:20 of the afternoon.
For example, Milan usually hosts the 420 Vibes Party. At the same time, in Rome, the “420 Roma Fest” takes place. Events include concerts, documentary screenings, lectures and more.
The aim is to promote the legalisation of cannabis, which in Europe is still struggling to arrive, but which sees a glimmer of hope thanks to CBD weed.
Read also: Is cannabis cultivation still a crime in Europe?
What is CBD cannabis?
CBD cannabis, also known as legal weed/legal cannabis/ CBD buds, is the term for cannabis inflorescences whose THC amounts are below legal limits (less than 0.2%).
THC must necessarily be that low, as it is the active and psychotropic ingredient in cannabis. Below these certain percentages, it does not affect our psyche. Unlike THC, the CDB present in CBD flowers is very high. Its concentration depends mainly on the variety of cannabis but also on the method of cultivation.
If cannabis is grown under favourable conditions, the flowers tend to produce more resin, which contains almost all the active ingredients of the plant.
CBD (cannabidiol) contained in large quantities of legal hemp is not psychotropic – as opposed to THC.
On the contrary, it is a substance that is potentially beneficial to our health, so much so that research into its medical implications has increased considerably in recent times.
We just have to wait for the final results of the studies, and, in the meantime, buy high-quality legal cannabis on Justbob!