A look at where 420 came from, what it means today, and the communities that shaped cannabis culture.
Every April 20th, dispensaries run deals, social media lights up with green, and cannabis consumers everywhere mark the occasion. But where did 4/20 actually come from? And how did a counterculture ritual become a mainstream cultural moment? The story is more layered than most people realize, and it’s deeply tied to the broader history of cannabis in America, including the communities who were most impacted by prohibition and least credited for shaping the culture.
The Real Origin of 4/20
The most widely accepted origin of “420” traces back to a group of high school students in San Rafael, California, in the early 1970s. Calling themselves the Waldos, they would meet at 4:20 PM after school to search for an alleged abandoned cannabis crop, a mission they never completed, but a ritual that stuck. The term spread through their social circle, eventually connecting to the Grateful Dead’s inner circle, and from there into the broader counterculture.
By the 1990s, High Times magazine had helped popularize the term globally. What started as a coded phrase between teenagers became a universally recognized symbol of cannabis culture — a rare example of slang going fully mainstream without losing its original meaning.
Cannabis Through the Centuries: A Brief History
Cannabis is one of the oldest cultivated plants in human history, with documented use stretching back thousands of years across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa — for medicinal, spiritual, and industrial purposes. Hemp was a critical agricultural crop in early America, grown by colonial farmers and used in rope, textiles, and paper production.
The cultural shift that turned cannabis into a “dangerous drug” in the American consciousness was largely a product of the 20th century, and it wasn’t accidental. Anti-cannabis campaigns in the 1930s, most notably driven by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics under Harry Anslinger, leaned heavily on racist propaganda that associated cannabis use with Mexican immigrants and Black Americans. The word “marijuana” itself was popularized during this era as a way to make the plant sound foreign and threatening to white audiences.
The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 classified cannabis as a Schedule I drug — placing it alongside heroin and above cocaine in terms of perceived danger. This classification, which many scientists and medical professionals have long challenged, set the stage for decades of criminalization that disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities, despite relatively equal usage rates across racial groups.
The Black Roots of Cannabis Culture
Cannabis culture in America cannot be honestly told without acknowledging the central role of Black Americans in shaping it, and the deep injustice of their exclusion from the legal industry that followed.
Jazz musicians in the 1920s and 30s were among the earliest and most visible communities to incorporate cannabis into their culture and creative process. Figures like Louis Armstrong and others openly discussed their use at a time when doing so carried significant legal risk. The Harlem Renaissance era saw cannabis woven into the social fabric of Black urban nightlife and artistic expression.
Through reggae, hip-hop, and broader Black cultural influence, cannabis became embedded in American popular culture in ways that are still felt today. Yet when legalization began sweeping the country, the communities that had carried the culture and borne the brunt of criminalization were largely left out of the economic opportunity. Studies consistently show that cannabis-related arrests fell disproportionately on Black Americans even in states with relatively equal usage across demographics.
Today, conversations about equity in the cannabis industry — including expungement of prior convictions, social equity licensing, and reinvestment in communities most harmed by the War on Drugs — are central to what a responsible, modern cannabis industry should stand for.
The Road to Legalization
The modern legalization movement gained serious momentum in the 1990s, beginning with California’s Compassionate Use Act in 1996, which legalized medical cannabis for qualified patients. Over the following two decades, state after state followed, with Colorado and Washington making history in 2012 as the first states to legalize adult-use cannabis through ballot initiatives.
Massachusetts voters approved adult-use legalization in 2016, with recreational sales launching in 2018. Today, the Bay State is home to a growing cannabis industry — one that Blackstone Valley Cannabis is proud to be part of, right here in the Blackstone Valley region.
What 4/20 Means Today
4/20 has evolved from a coded phrase to a cultural holiday to a commercial moment — all within a single generation. For many consumers, it’s a day of community, celebration, and education. For the industry, it’s an opportunity to connect with customers and reflect on how far cannabis has come.
But for those who understand the full history, 4/20 also carries a deeper weight. It’s a reminder of the people who were criminalized for what others now profit from, the cultures that were dismissed and then appropriated, and the ongoing work of building an industry that actually reflects its roots.
At Blackstone Valley Cannabis, we believe that celebrating cannabis means honoring all of it — the history, the culture, and the community. This April 20th, we invite you to learn, celebrate, and consume responsibly.
