HISTORY OF 420 EXPLAINED

The number 420 has represented cannabis culture for over 30 years.
But where did it come from, and has it always been related to marijuana?

The answer comes from a group of high school boys in San Rafael,
Calif., in 1971. Every day at 4:20 p.m., they would meet at a statue
of chemist Louis Pasteur on their campus. At first they used the time
to follow a map in search of an abandoned pot patch.

As time passed, the boys found use in "420" as not only a time to
light up, but also as a code around parents, cops and teachers. They
had no idea their code would become an internationally accepted term
for pot users.

"It's a way for this persecuted culture to talk to each other and not
to be exposed," said Steven Hager, editor-in-chief of High Times
magazine, in an interview with ABC News in 2002.

In addition to being a reference to getting high on the date or time
of day, 420 has also taken a place in mainstream society.

The 420 Campaign is now a coined term that describes groups and
actions around the country involving the legalization of marijuana.
According to an article published in High Times magazine, "We want to
use April 20 as a focal point every year to concentrate pressure on
Congress to legalize marijuana until we get the job done.

"I think that we need to study why these things are happening, and
why is there so much violence in our culture."

The pros and cons of marijuana have been debated for years.

The largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States
is the Marijuana Policy Project. Its goals are to make marijuana
available for medical uses and also as a legally taxed and regulated
substance. The organization's activities include legalization,
lobbying Congress to approve medical marijuana and recruiting
celebrities for support.

The legalization movement is not just about the right to smoke, but
also wanting to work to make environmental and medical improvements.

The use of hemp as a replacement for items made out of petrochemicals
could potentially lower pollution, and using marijuana as a medicine
could be successful.

Another group fighting for legalization of marijuana is the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. It focuses on the fact
that marijuana is currently the largest cash crop in the United
States. NORML contends that if marijuana was added to the U.S.
economy as a legal cash crop, state deficits would be resolved and
raising taxes would be unnecessary.

While most nations consider the drug an illegal narcotic, its
consumption, distribution, harvesting and selling occur around the world.

Despite the fact that 420 is celebrating an illegal drug, it is still
considered a holiday by millions. And on 4/20, those millions gather
around the world to celebrate not only the use of marijuana, but also
the positive impact they hope it will have on the world.

So how are students celebrating 4:20 this year?

Student Marcus Gause said he planned to "leave early from work, and
hit the ATM machine up."