History and roots of 420 in cannabis culture and activism
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See also: 420 and Global Cannabis March event lists by year.
History of 420
- Wikipedia: 420 (cannabis culture).
- 420 Waldos, 4/20 Origin, Four Twenty. 420waldos.com - site maintained by The Waldos.
- See 420 event graphics and 420 featured crowd photos.
- 420: Birth of a Stoner Notion. By Steve Bloom. April 20, 2020. Click to enlarge:
- Huffington Post articles:
- 420 Meaning: The True Story Of How April 20 Became ‘Weed Day’. By Ryan Grim. April 20, 2010. Updated April 21, 2017.
- 4/20: How ‘Weed Day’ Got Its Name. By Ryan Grim. April 20, 2012.
- Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Why We Celebrate Weed On 4/20. By Ryan Grim. April 20, 2015.
- A Big Mystery Involving The Origin Of 4/20 Has Finally Been Solved. By Mollie Reilly. April 20, 2016. Updated Jan. 5, 2017.
- The Long, Strange History of 4/20, the Global Cannabis Holiday. By David Bienenstock. April 18, 2018. At Leafly.
- 4/20: The Definitive History of Cannabis’s Biggest Day of the Year. April 18, 2016. At Leafly.
- The history of 420, in Three Acts. April 2015. Freedom Leaf Magazine.
- 420 Meaning: The Very Odd Beginnings Of Marijuana’s Global Holiday. By Joel Warner. April 19, 2016. International Business Times.
- What the Guys Who Coined '420' Think About Their Place in Marijuana History. By Olivia B. Waxman. Apr 19, 2017. Time magazine.
- The History of 420. April 14, 2022 by Bloom.
- Google search: 420 site:cannabisculture.com in Cannabis Culture magazine online.
Some Waldos, and the 420 flag. Created in San Rafael, California in 1971. The original 420 batik flag was created by Patty Young. See Wikipedia: batik. She is holding the flag in the photo. Along with some Waldos. She created it in 1971 according to the 2012 article linked first below. The photo is from that article too.
- 4/20: How ‘Weed Day’ Got Its Name. Apr 20, 2012. By Ryan Grim. Huffington Post.
- Proof of 420's Origin, Four Twenty Meaning. Documented proof. A 420waldos.com page.
- The 420 Founding Fathers. March 30, 2015. By Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez. "The Waldo’s 420 Flag was created at San Rafael High School in 1971, and is part of their extensive collection of proof that they invented the term 420."
- Noise & Vocalizations of 420 Waldos. Meaning of "eyot" on the 420 flag. A 420waldos.com page.
History of 420 events
Canada
- March 29, 2022 article by David Malmo-Levine. Long article with many photos and graphics.
- Vancouver’s 4/20 celebrates a quarter century of freeing the weed. By Jessica Kerr. Apr 17, 2019.
1995. Vancouver, Canada
Return to top. Vancouver, Canada.
- 20th 4/20 marked with mass light-up at Vancouver Art Gallery plaza. "First rally held in 1995 at Victory Square;". CBC News. April 20, 2014.
- The Origins of 420 as a Day of Celebrating Marijuana. [1][2]. Archive. 2013 article in Cannabis Culture and Huffington Post. Written from a US federal prison by Marc Emery. From the article (emphasis added):
One day in early March 1995, Danna [Rozek] and Cindy [Lassu] came to me at my desk at HEMP BC, and we had this exchange I remember vividly. Danna said, "Marc, we'd like to have a 'Four-Twenty' celebration on April 20. ..." |
Image caption at source of first photo below: "Smokeless toke: Using a Toke-O-Matic, Hemp BC store owner Marc Emery, 37, and store manager Danna Rozek, 22, toke up some marijuana at the store. his device which is new, allows smoking of pot without actually inhaling any smoke. The pot is heated inside the bowl until the THC active ingredient releases from the pot. Then it’s inhaled through the hose".
Marc Emery and Danna Rozek. 1995 or early 1996. At Hemp BC. |
According to Wikipedia Marc Emery was born on February 13, 1958. So he would have become 37 years old on Feb. 13, 1995. So above photo was taken in 1995 or early 1996. |
Cindy Lassu in 1995. See source article. |

April 13, 2019 post from Marc Emery with above photo: "Me talking at the First annual Vancouver April 20 in 1995 at Victory Square beside Hemp BC. Danna O’Donnell (nee Rozek) was the inspiration for the April 20, 1995 event. It’s a good funny story I like to tell when regaling people about the origins of April 20."
1997. San Francisco, California
Return to top. San Francisco, California. 1997 event:
- 'This is freaking crazy!': The rise and fall of a San Francisco party that changed the world. By Lester Black. April 18, 2025. SFGate.
- The Original 420 Events (in the USA) Took Place in San Francisco. April 17, 2018. By Debby Goldsberry [3]. From the article (Wikipedia links added):
The remaining members of Sublime wanted to perform in San Francisco on 4/20 in 1997 both as a tribute to their fallen bandmate and to launch their new group, the Long Beach Dub Allstars. CAN was experienced at organizing marijuana-themed events in San Francisco. ... I [Debby Goldsberry] said yes right away to produce the Long Beach Dub Allstars 4/20 show. Now we needed a venue, so I called Boots Hughston, who owned San Francisco’s hippie haven, the Maritime Hall. I remember trying to be discreet about the fact that we wanted to hold a big marijuana event at his venue. But when I asked about renting the Hall on April 20, he replied, “Hell yeah! That’s 4/20.” |
Source of above photo:
- Day One of the 2015 Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference is in the Books. September 12, 2015 article.
1997, 1999. Nimbin, Australia
Return to top. Nimbin, Australia.
- The 420 (R)evolution. (and my part in it.) By Max Stone, April 19, 2018. From the article (emphasis added):
Max Stone, aka GaryBigBong, aka BigBong, aka BB is the man most responsible for the FourTwenties at Mardigrass dating back to 1999 , BB picked 4:20 as the ideal time to 'light up' back in 1997 when he needed to find a time to do a regular live webcam smoking session and BB picked 4:20 because of the 42nessness of 4:20, 42 of course being the answer to the the BIG Question in the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy.... What is the meaning of Life, the Universe and Everything? If you haven't read the book, you ought. I digress...
Anyway, looping back to the beginning of the 420 Demo, back to the 1999 MardiGrass which set the underground tone that has endured to this day, Max Stone usually high jacks the "Main Mardi Grass Speakers" at 4:15.40 and sounds the 4 minute 20 second "roll up" alert for the 4 20 Demonstration. In 1999 we handed out FREE Marijuana, over 200 all natural - all organic cannabis "space balls" each wrapped with a poem called FREE Marijuana. ... And so it came to be that in April of the year 2000, on the 20th, at 4:20 in the afternoon, the H*E*M*P Bar started what turned out to be an 8 year and four month long 'live to the web' political demonstration of recreational and medicinal marijuana use.... |
Above photo posted here on May 10, 2018 on Facebook. It lists people left to right: Simonetta Zigaldo. Ray Manley. No name listed (seated in middle front). Adonia Lyovtzsis. Max Stone.

420 today
The term 420 has evolved beyond a simple reference to cannabis and now represents an unofficial global holiday observed on April 20th. On this day, enthusiasts and advocates gather to celebrate cannabis culture, while also recognizing the ongoing efforts needed to expand legal access for those who could benefit from its therapeutic properties. Additionally, 420 is commonly associated with an ideal time to partake in cannabis, a tradition rooted in the history of 420.
Early 420 event graphics
See: Category: Flat list of 420 event graphics.
Article discusses the first known public 420 event in the USA in 1997 in San Francisco, California.
Banner below is for an April 20, 1999 event in San Francisco:

Photos and graphics. Flat lists
Cannabis is safer
Return to top. Section link.
Full site / Mobile. To Top. Or End. See 2025 GMM-420 on Fandom and on Shoutwiki.
Note: The following sections are at: Cannabis and more. The big picture. On most WeedWiki pages.
Trump Calls for Death Penalty for Drugs (Again). And: Trump’s Ominous Acting-DEA Administrator Appointment. [4][5][6]. And: Trump: “We’re going to be asking everyone who sells drugs, gets caught, to receive the death penalty for their heinous acts”.
See article: Cannabis is safer. Cannabis is just one aspect of the drug war. See also: Beyond drug war, debt, and wealth concentration. To single-payer healthcare and progressive taxation. See: History of US Republican-led war on cannabis, and their lies about its health effects. Note the Republican states (in the South, for example) in the map below.
Legal for recreational use
Legal for medical use
No comprehensive medical program
● Decriminalized
To Top. Or End. Or Articles. |
GOP War on the Poor
Return to top. Section link. Republican war on the poor, and middle class. Since low minimum wages lower wages above it too. The inflation-adjusted minimum wage peaked at over $14 in 1968 (see chart on page 2). It has halved in real value down to $7.25 today. The stolen wages went to Trump's billionaire club, and stayed there due to Reagan and Trump's gutting of progressive taxation via tax cuts for the rich. See CRS chart. "Study after study has found that raising minimum wages has a positive effect on employment." - John Driscoll, of Patriotic Millionaires.org - Sep 12, 2024 article. See Facebook: Patriotic Millionaires. And see many maps showing the failings of Republican states. [15] [16] [17]. GOP states overall (as in the South) have the worst cannabis laws, lowest minimum wages, worst healthcare, etc..
US minimum wage would be $25.52 an hour in 2023 if it had kept up with productivity. The split coincided with Nixon's 1971 declaration of a War on Drugs. |
Sourcing info on Wikimedia Commons. The full image shows up on Facebook by sharing the link. |
Wikipedia: List of US states by minimum wage. $7.25 states are majority Republican in both houses. Get PNG map noting GOP states. |
See Wikimedia SVG map. See PNG map [18] (for Facebook, etc.). |
History of the US federal minimum wage. Over $14 (inflation-adjusted) peak in 1968. $7.25 an hour now due to Republican filibusters in the US Senate. See Wikimedia GIF chart. |
Billionaire tax rates
Return to top. Section link. The minimal billionaire tax rates are maintained by the tyrannical 60% filibuster rule: What is the US Senate filibuster, and what would it take to eliminate it? Steep progressive tax rates on all types of billionaire income could be imposed by a simple majority through the nuclear option in the Senate.
See Wikipedia: Wealth inequality in the United States.
Google: Buy, Borrow, Die. Tax strategy of the rich to pay few taxes. See Google Images search, too. See the ProPublica video and articles: [19][20]. And other articles: [21][22][23][24].
First chart shows the absurdly low tax rate that billionaires pay on ALL their income, including untaxed capital and wealth gains. Second chart shows the comparatively low tax rate that billionaires pay just on taxable income. So either way, billionaires pay a much lower percent of taxes than the middle class.
True US federal income tax rates for 4 very rich people if all wealth gains are counted as income. 2014 to 2018. See source. |
See Commons image. |
Total taxes paid as a percent of taxable income for a few countries. By income group, and billionaires. |
See original source. See Commons image. |
Republican states
Return to top. Section link. See article: US Republican (GOP) states. It is not just cannabis prohibition. Many maps showing the failings of GOP states. & Mirror. See category of these GOP-notated US maps. Note the GOP states in the South, for example. See category of these maps on the Wikimedia Commons. In 2024 presidential election only 2 states voted unanimously red (Republican) or blue (Democrat) by county: Massachusetts and Oklahoma. You can google each of the rankings in the image below, and see that they are correct.
See Fight for $15. US map below is percent of workers earning less than $15 per hour. Concerning the gray n/a states CEPR wrote: "States that had minimum wages of at least $15 and those that were between $14 and $15 were not analyzed." |
See map on Wikimedia Commons. And map with GOP notations. |
All wealth to the top
Return to top. Section link. See Wikipedia: List of countries by household debt. All those stolen wages went to the billionaire club that loaned it back to us. Since 1975, $79 Trillion Has Flowed From Bottom 90% to Top 1% in US: Analysis. Stephen Colbert satire video on billionaires. [26].
Trends in the Distribution of Family Wealth, 1989 to 2022. Wealth concentration in 2022 dollars. Congressional Budget Office. |
Facebook page with comments. See Commons image and info. |
Mean household net worth of the bottom 40% is in the red (in debt). See table 1. Image source. 2013 data. |
See Commons image and info. |
April 12, 2025 post. See source and comments. |
See JPG image info. |
A Jan. 2, 2025 post at Facebook: Patriotic Millionaires. See source and comments. |
See JPG image info. |
Tax cuts for the rich
Return to top. Section link. See: 'Crystal Clear' Polling Shows Voters Oppose Trump's Tax Cuts for Rich. [27][28]. Tax cuts should only be for the middle class and poor; paid for by tax increases on the rich. Trump's 2024 election proposals cut taxes for the richest 5 percent, and raise taxes for other groups. 2025 proposal: New Projected Cost of Trump-GOP Tax Cuts for the Rich: 'Staggering' $7 Trillion. [29].
Trump tax proposals below. 2024 election. Average tax changes by income group in 2026. From: A Distributional Analysis of Donald Trump’s Tax Plan. Oct 7, 2024. Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.


Debt slavery by the rich
Return to top. Section link. See: Late car payments hit highest level in decades. Republican recession is starting. Tariff wars, low minimum wages, high medical and student loan debts. Republicans like them all. All wealth to the top. Loaned back to us to enslave us. Healthcare Insights: How Medical Debt Is Crushing 100 Million Americans.
See Wikipedia: List of countries by household debt. All those stolen wages went to the billionaire club that loaned it back to us. $36 trillion US national debt.
Wikipedia: Household debt in the United States. |
See free PNG image. For Facebook posts, etc. |
Wikipedia: National debt of the United States. |
See free Commons image. See PNG image. |
Canadian healthcare
Save $1.5 trillion yearly
Save $1.5 trillion yearly in the US. Canada spent 11.2 percent of its GDP for total healthcare costs in 2022. US spent 16.6 percent in 2022. 5.4% is the difference. 5.4% of US GDP is $1.5 trillion dollars in 2022. Universal single-payer healthcare savings, and progressive taxation, could pay off the $36 trillion US national debt. Total average healthcare spending per person in 2022: $6,319 for Canada. $12,555 for the US. Yet Canadians have a longer average lifespan. Share link.
Save another couple hundred billion dollars a year by making age 17 the age of adulthood. This saves $15,663 on average in taxes for one year of US high school. Parents save a year of living expenses. Use it all for college and trade schools which is much more useful and desired. Cut taxes further by lowering US incarceration rates to Canadian and Western European levels. See Short PNG image of table below (for sharing on social media). The US can have BETTER healthcare, at a much cheaper cost by cutting out the useless middlemen (insurance companies).
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Canada vs US GOP
Return to top. Section link. Facts: Recreational and medical cannabis is legal across Canada. Republicans (GOP) block both in US. In Canada the average per-person cost of their single-payer universal healthcare is half that of the US. And Canada has a longer average lifespan. As for the US read a UnitedHealthcare denial horror story, and many more. [30][31]. Stats article: "The company dismissed about one in every three claims in 2023 — the most of any major insurer. That's twice the industry average of 16%". See Wikipedia: Medical debt. It's much higher in the US, though Canada has a lot of dental medical debt. Both the US and Canada do not adequately support dental health. But the Canadian Dental Care Plan is solving that problem now. US Republicans Voted Often to Kill Coverage of Pre-Existing Conditions. [32][33][34]. Republicans want to make Medicaid like UnitedHealthcare.
Average annual health spending. US dollars (PPP) per person. OECD countries and more. |
![]() Commons source. Click to enlarge. |
Total public and private spending. $6,319 for Canada in 2022. $12,555 for the US in 2022. |

Roswell. Warming
Carbon-free energy
And here on earth:
China’s BYD has a $16K “Tesla-killer,” as IEA finds EVs are an Oil Company-Killer.


Section link. Much UFO technology has been back engineered, and its carbon-free energy could end global warming. See Steven Greer (SG) documentary: The Lost Century: And How to Reclaim It. [35][36][37][38]. SG documentaries for free: Tubi & [39][40][41][42][43] [44][45][46][47] [48][49][50]. JustWatch: [51][52][53] [54][55][56]. More SG media: [57][58][59] [60][61][62]. SG video channels: [63][64][65][66][67]. SG witness testimonies: [68][69][70][71]. His National Press Club events: 2023. 2001. See drstevengreer.com site. [72]. SG interviews: [73][74][75][76] [77][78][79][80]. SG's Disclosure Project Intelligence Archive. [81][82]. More SG info: [83][84][85] [86][87][88][89]. See also the David Grusch, David Fravor, and Ryan Graves disclosures at July 26, 2023 House hearing about US possession of aliens, alien bodies, alien craft, and back engineering: [90][91][92][93] [94][95][96][97][98] [99][100][101][102][103][104]. Disclosure Timeline and Diaries. See: The Battle for Disclosure. (2024). [105]. See "The Program" (2024). [106]. See History channel: [107][108][109] [110][111][112][113]. National Geographic: [114][115][116][117]. See: Bob Lazar and George Knapp. See Rendlesham Forest UFO witness interviews. [118]. See Whitley Strieber interview. Other documentaries: [119] (scroll down).
See the July 8, 1947 Roswell Daily Record below. Image info. Click image to enlarge. Full-size is readable. See full text of saucer article. [120]. U.S. Army officer Walter Haut issued the initial "flying disk" press release. His 2002 notarized affidavit said there were 2 crash sites, and that he had seen a craft, alien bodies, and handled wreckage material. (see page 14 of pdf). It was released in a 2007 book after his death in 2005. The 20 paragraph 2002 affidavit is also online here: [121] (page 14). [122][123][124][125][126]. 37 witnesses to the Roswell shape memory foil. [127][128][129] [130][131][132]. Page 54 of Jesse Marcel, Jr. book. Crumple it and it uncrumples without creases. Did not exist in 1947.


2002 affidavit is on pages 239-242 of the 2022 edition: Witness to Roswell, 75th Anniversary Edition: Unmasking the Government's Biggest Cover-up (more eyewitnesses). 36 pages previewed in Google Books. Click "preview" button and scroll down to pages 239-240. Search within the book. There is an inexpensive Kindle ebook. Moonwalker Dr. Edgar Mitchell wrote the foreword.
Haut's daughter, Julie Shuster, in 2002, 3 years before his death, "verbally discussed each and every sentence" of the affidavit with him. She said it was not a deathbed confession. See Sept 2007 MUFON UFO Journal. Issue 473. Page 15. And this article from Special Broadcasting Service. Archived. See Julie Shuster on IMDb.
Google search: Walter Haut 2002 Roswell affidavit. Articles about Haut:
30 June 2007: Roswell officer's amazing deathbed admission raises possibility that aliens DID visit. By Nick Pope. Same article also published here and here. Archived here and here.
5 June 2022: Roswell officer's deathbed confession about theory of alien cover up. By Declan Carey. Archived here.
14 May 2021: Ex-Army officer ADMITS he saw ‘alien the size of a 10-year-old child’ after famous Roswell UFO crash in incredible video. By Emma Parry. Archived here. This article has a short excerpt of the video.
May 2021: Roswell Officer Speaks From the Grave: Video Released, Confesses that Alien was "the size of a 10 year old". By Anthony Bragalia. Archived here. From article (emphasis added): "This video clip is part of a memoir video / oral history over two hours in length that covers many personal and professional aspects of Haut's life. The video was taken at the Roswell Museum in 2000 with friends Dennis Balthaser and Wendy Connors."
August 3, 2024: The Roswell UFO story still resonates around the world 77 years later. By John Purvis (CBS4). Archived here. Article is on the KDBC-TV website: cbs4local.com
Galactic Pot March
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