It is so interesting that some dates are so significant that all you have to do is say them and people instantly know what they represent. For example, 9/11 is significant, and people remember the entire story just by hearing the date. For some people, 4/20 has the same effect. However, a lot of people do not know the story behind 4/20.

What's significant about 4/20?

April 20th has become a cultural phenomenon which could be written as 420, 4/20 or 4-20 and pronounced four-twenty. There are several legends about the date, but the one that is the most popular is that it refers to Marijuana Day or Weed Day.

Users of the drug would know that while those who do not consume it would not necessarily know it.

The next question is how is the date associated with consuming marijuana or weed different from any other date? The answer is simple and makes sense once you know it. This term was allegedly started by teenagers in San Rafael, California in 1971. The term 4/20 isn't really a date. It is a time. The teens met at 4:20 p.m. to search for abandoned cannabis crops. It later became a cultural phenomenon and people refer to 4/20 as April 20 instead of a time.

Chris Conrad, curator of the Oaksterdam Cannabis Museum in Oakland, California seems to agree with this origin. He added that it was a secret code that only the teens knew.

Friends at San Rafael High School in Marin County, California met often at 4:20 p.m. for their search so they could get high.

The code

The time was appropriate for the children because it was after school was over, and they had some time before their parents came home from work.

A group of friends met often at 4:20 p.m. and set out on their search. They usually found what they were looking for.

The code was used among themselves. Their parents and others did not know what it meant. The code did spread over time. Now every April 20, people use the code as the date and refer to it as a time to smoke weed/marijuana.

The date, time, and code became so popular that today a California Senate bill bears 420 as its number for the state's medical marijuana program.

What really started out as a code for the California teens has become popular on t-shirts and other items. It is widely known throughout pop culture even to people who do not consume weed/marijuana. Social media is full of tweets, memes, and videos because many people are celebrating on this particular date.

Did you know what 4/20 meant before reading this article? If not, now you know the origin of it and you can pass the information on to others who might not know the significance of 4/20.