Now that recreational marijuana is legal across much of the U.S., cannabis has found its place in mainstream culture, complete with its own calendar of occasions. Before Green Wednesday or Dab Day existed (and long before legalization was part of the conversation), cannabis enthusiasts quietly acknowledged 4/20 Day as their own. The history of 420 runs deeper than most people expect, and the origin story is genuinely worth knowing.
It Wasn’t a Police Code. It Wasn’t Bob Dylan. So What Was It?
The answer surprises most people. One of the more persistent theories tied the phrase to a police code for a marijuana violation, but that’s not where it came from. Another popular claim connected it to Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women No. 12 and 35,” since 12 × 35 = 420. (Creative, yes.)
The 411 on 4/20 takes us back to the early 1970s and a group of friends from San Rafael High School in California. These young men, who called themselves the Waldos, made a habit of meeting at 4:20 every afternoon in 1971. After classes and activities wrapped up near a statue of Louis Pasteur, a 19th-century chemist, on campus. Their plan was to track down a rumored patch of cannabis growing somewhere in the woods. They never found it, but the ritual stuck. Their original code was “420 Louie,” named for the meeting spot, which eventually shortened to simply 4/20.
The Waldos held on to their correspondence over the decades, preserving letters and notes that referenced 4/20. In 2017, when the Oxford English Dictionary added the term, it cited several of those documents as the earliest recorded evidence.
The Grateful Dead Connection That Changed Everything
From a high school inside joke to a globally recognized date, the journey of 4/20 into mainstream cannabis culture ran straight through one of the most storied bands in American music. One of the Waldos happened to be close friends with Phil Lesh, the bassist for the Grateful Dead. The term caught on within the band’s inner circles naturally, traveling through the community that followed the Dead from show to show.
By the 1990s, the phrase had spread far beyond its origins. Steve Bloom, then a reporter for High Times, came across a flyer at a Grateful Dead concert inviting people to gather at 4:20 for “420-ing” at the Bolinas Ridge sunset spot in Marin County. High Times published it, and from there, 4/20 as a shared cultural moment began to take shape in the public consciousness.
4/20 in the Modern Era: More Than Just a Date
The scope of 4/20 celebration ideas has grown dramatically since those early, lower-key gatherings. April 20th has become a genuine cultural event. Music festivals, film screenings, art installations, and craft experiences across the country fill calendars in cities and towns. Craft breweries create THC-infused beers with 4/20 themes. Local businesses find thoughtful, community-minded ways to mark the occasion with discounts and other specials.
Upstate New York has become a particularly active place to observe the day, with 4/20 events spanning live music and gatherings that celebrate both cannabis and the season. How to celebrate 4/20 in New York means leaning into the community, connecting with local businesses, exploring what the region has to offer, and approaching the day with curiosity and intention.
Hudson & Main: The Adirondacks’ Home for 4/20 and Beyond
At Hudson & Main Cannabis, being a reliable and quality resource for the Adirondack community is central to everything we do. We’re here for people at every point in their cannabis journey, from the curious first-timer to the longtime enthusiast, and we take that responsibility seriously.
Every person who walks through our doors in Warrensburg, NY, matters to us. We care about your well-being, your questions, and your experience. We hope you’ll visit us or contact us online to explore our selection, get guidance from our team, or simply learn more. However you plan to mark 4/20 this year, we’d be glad to be part of it!
