The origin of the term 420 has long been misunderstood by the clouded memories of those who made it a phenomenon. Some insist it’s the number of active chemicals in marijuana, while others say its the numbers in Bob Dylan’s song “Rainy Day Woman no. 12 and no. 35” multiplied. Smokers also claim that 420 originated from the first recorded use of marijuana, and the rest of the stoner community vows it was a police code for marijuana violations. After dedicating a whole project to the history of 420, I have come to accept that the true origin came from San Rafael High School in 1971, where a group of a dozen pot-smoking students who called themselves ‘The Waldos’ used the term as shorthand for the time of day the group would meet to smoke pot.
