London, Europe Brief News – To start off, on the 20th of April, weed smokers gather to celebrate this day called ‘420’. They gather around and smoke cannabis. This day has specifically been dedicated to marijuana. The ‘4’ represents the month as you do in an American calendar and the ‘20’ represents the date.
This day is now widely celebrated for anything, and everything related to marijuana. Now you must be wondering, how did it all come to this?
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The origin of 420
As stated by an event on Facebook: “Back in 1971, five students at San Rafael High School in California would meet at 4.20 pm – right after doing their after-school sports – by the school’s statue of Louis Pasteur to toke up.”
It is said that a group known as the Waldos used the ‘420’ to smoke cannabis. It was their slang that eventually got around and is now widely used for smoking weed. The event further explains that: “This spread, 4.20 pm became known as the perfect time for smoking weed, and the number 420 became synonymous with marijuana,”
Later in 2012, one of the members of the group ‘The Waldos’ Steve Capper claimed that: “We would remind each other in the hallways we were supposed to meet up at 4.20.”
As the members interacted with different people, the slang became common in their area and eventually, the slang became widely known in different countries, hence giving birth to 20th April as ‘Weed Day’ as it popularized all around the world.
‘Happy 420! Legal or illegal?
Cannabis is prohibited in the United Kingdom and is categorized as a Class B substance. It is unlawful to own, cultivate, trade, or market even a speck of it. If you’re caught possessing cannabis, you might face up to 5 years of imprisonment, an infinite fine, or even both.
Furthermore, a conviction for making and providing the substance entails a maximum sentence of fourteen years of imprisonment, an infinite fine, or perhaps both. Hundreds of individuals publicly celebrate 420 annually, despite all of this.
The largest events take place in Hyde Park, London. Where hundreds congregate for cannabis picnicking and legalization protests. This is because Hyde Park is the most famous place in the UK to celebrate this day. Interestingly, the celebrations climax at 4.20 pm, with individuals applauding and blowing particularly huge clouds of smoke out in the open.
In the year 2016, twenty individuals were detained in the London Park on 420 for a variety of substance offenses, with several more receiving warnings.
