Definition
April 20 (4/20, or “Four-Twenty”) is an unofficial international holiday celebrated by cannabis enthusiasts, commemorating and consuming marijuana. The origins of the term are debated — the most widely accepted theory traces it to a group of high school students in San Rafael, California, in 1971, who met at 4:20 PM to search for a rumored cannabis crop — but the date has transcended its origins to become a global phenomenon. April 20 is marked by cannabis-themed events, concerts, and, most visibly, large public gatherings where participants smoke marijuana at 4:20 PM. In the United States, 4/20 has become a significant political date: marijuana legalization advocates use the day to rally for reform, and the cannabis industry uses it as a major marketing and sales event. The date has also become a symbol of the ongoing tension between state legalization (as of 2026, 24 states have legalized recreational marijuana) and federal prohibition, which classifies cannabis as a Schedule I drug alongside heroin and LSD.
Why It Matters
4/20 is the internet’s favorite drug holiday. The date has become a meme, a marketing event, and a political rallying point. Online, 4/20 is celebrated with cannabis-themed content: memes about “blaze it,” videos of elaborate bong constructions, and the annual tradition of Twitter users posting “420” at exactly 4:20 PM. But 4/20 is also a serious political moment: the cannabis industry, now a multi-billion-dollar legal market in the United States, uses the day to push for federal legalization, criminal justice reform, and social equity programs for communities harmed by the War on Drugs. The internet has transformed 4/20 from a counterculture in-joke into a mainstream commercial event. Dispensaries offer 4/20 sales that rival Black Friday. Cannabis brands release limited-edition products. And the culture celebrates with a mixture of irony and earnestness: the “420 blaze it” meme coexists with genuine advocacy for medical marijuana access and the expungement of cannabis-related criminal records. 4/20 matters because it is the proof that a stoner in-joke can become a political force. The joke was the strategy. The strategy worked. Now it’s just business. And politics. And still, somehow, a joke.
Example
“He posted ‘420’ at 4:20 PM. It was ironic. It was not ironic. He didn’t smoke. He had never smoked. But the number was funny. The number was culture. The number was a shared secret that everyone knew. Then he read about a man in prison for cannabis possession in a state where it was now legal. The man had been in prison for 10 years. The man had missed 10 4/20s. The joke was not funny anymore. The joke had never been funny. The joke had been a cover for something real. He deleted the post. He signed a petition. He didn’t know if that was enough. But it was more than a number.”
Related Terms
- Cannabis — The plant that 4/20 celebrates and advocates for
- Marijuana Legalization — The political movement that has transformed 4/20 from a counterculture event to a commercial and political one
- War on Drugs — The policy that 4/20 implicitly opposes and seeks to reform
- Stoner Culture — The subculture that created and sustained the 4/20 tradition
- Schedule I — The federal classification of cannabis that creates the legal tension 4/20 highlights