California Pioneers Behind 4/20 Pot Holiday

(18 Apr 2018) (70's psychedelic music bed - 4/20 pot smoking file)
WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES 4:20, POT SMOKERS SAY IT'S TIME TO LIGHT UP.
AND WHEN APRIL 20 COMES AROUND, IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE THE UNOFFICIAL MARIJUANA HOLIDAY.
Jeffrey Noel, "Waldo Jeff"
"I was at a concert the other night and I saw people selling t-shirts and coffee mugs and all of this. They don't really know. They don't have an idea where this story really came from."
San Rafael, California
ACCORDING TO THESE FIVE LIFELONG FRIENDS...THE 4/20 STORY STARTED HERE IN THE EARLY 70'S....AT THEIR HIGH SCHOOL OUTSIDE SAN FRANCISCO.
THE GROUP OFTEN HUNG OUT ON A WALL OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL AND THUS EARNED THE NICKNAME "THE WALDOS"
ONE DAY THE WALDOS CAME ACROSS A TREASURE MAP SHOWING WHERE SOME MARIJUANA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE GROWING IN THE WOODS.
SINCE SOME OF THE WALDOS HAD AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES, THEY DECIDED TO MEET BY THIS STATUE TO START THEIR TREASURE HUNT...AT 4:20.
David Reddix, "Waldo Dave"
"For us, it was a no brainer. You're 16-year-old kids and free weed. That was it."
Larry Schwartz, "Waldo Larry"
"Back in the early 70's weed was not as easy to get like it is now. So like typical high school kids, we're like hell yeah. Let's go find this patch of possible free weed."
Mark Gravitch, "Waldo Mark"
"We never found it but had a lot of fun trying."
THEY CONTINUED USING THE TERM "4/20" AS A SECRET CODE.
Jeffrey Noel, "Waldo Jeff"
"Then it morphed, then it became the synonym for 'let's get high' then it moved all across the country."
Steve Capper, "Waldo Steve"
"We went away to college. Our college classmates used it. City to city, state to state, country to country. Next thing it's on hats. It's on t-shirts. It's in movies."
A LOCAL BREWERY EVEN MADE A BEER TO HONOR THE WALDOS.
THERE ARE OTHERS WHO CLAIM THEY CREATED THE 4/20 PHENOMENON...BUT THE WALDOS SAY THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES WHO HAVE PROOF IN THE FORM OF POSTDATED LETTERS USING THE TERM AND OTHER DOCUMENTS.
David Reddix, "Waldo Dave"
"Everyone's entitled to their opinion but we have the facts."
MARIJUANA IS NOW LEGAL IN CALIFORNIA...AND THE WALDOS SAY THEY'RE PROUD THEY HELPED CREATE WHAT'S BECOME A WORLDWIDE POT CELEBRATION.
HAVEN DALEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS, SAN FRANCISCO.

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