OFF THE WIRE
MSN
Just as the number "420" is synonymous with marijuana smoking, the date of April 20 is a weed smokers' holiday. Here are some useful links to help explain how this pot-culture phenomenon has hit the mainstream.
Origins: Early uses of "420" reportedly can be traced to teenagers (in this city) in 1971, who marked 4:20 p.m. as a scheduled time to meet for cannabis smoking (find the full explanation).
Additional origin: High Times magazine editor Steven Hager also pronounced 4:20 p.m. as a pot-smoking occasion for all his readers in 1998 (find an article where Hager explains this and more).
Observances: In cities across the country, people light up in public on April 20. Watch some of the more infamous celebrations in Boulder, Colo.; Santa Cruz, Calif., and Winnipeg, Canada.
Is this legal? No. Marijuana smoking and possession are illegal under federal law (find more on federal cannabis laws), though 4/20 celebrations are often tolerated by local officials. This year one notoriously large celebration (at what university) is being cracked down on (read more about it here).
