Franny’s 10 Tips to Celebrate the 420 Holiday

We all grew up with myths, legends and holidays, but the least is known about the holiday 4/20. The holiday surfaced in the 1970’s with the rise of pop counterculture. Where did 4/20 originate though? Who coined the name and what does it mean? To understand more about its history takes experience and speculation.

Some say 4/20 originated from a birthday, the official tea time in Holland, or a police officers code for “marijuana smoking in progress.” Weed lore has it that in the 1970s, a group of California teens would use “420” as a code word to signal after-school smoke sessions.

Having been to over 40 Grateful Dead shows, my opinion differs. What started out as a code phrase in the underground lot scene, somehow is now today a globally recognized holiday. If you look closely, you can notice the rise and spread coincides with the growing popularity of High Times and Grateful Dead tours around the world.

It’s ironic, the birth of cannabis breeding and indoor cultivation became mainstream in this sub culture. I’m a big Jerry Garcia fan and he died on my 25th birthday, which I will always recall as the worst party turned wake. So my take goes, 420 was the underground term that lit up and was used at Dead Shows as they were touring the world in the 70’s and 80’s. High Times got hip on the term “420,” published a story then incorporated it into their global marketing strategy. We got the hip musicians, media and publicist using “420” and the rest of the story is history.

In times like these of high stress and anxiety, it’s important to stay calm and level headed. Take advantage of isolation and the month long holiday this year. If this global holiday was ever needed, it surely is now. May we join our friends and families with our favorite stoner films, epic edibles, and trippy tunes. Skype blunt rolling competitions in lieu of social distancing.

Lastly, whatever the the origin of the holiday, I think we can all appreciate the culmination and notoriety of this 4/20 holiday now more than ever. How to celebrate 420?

Here are Franny 10 Tips to Celebrate the 420 Holiday ;