“4:20 Louis.” It was 1972 ““ what followed
those words became the stuff of legends.
The boys of San Rafael High School didn’t know it then,
but their code, 4/20, spread throughout Marin County and is now the
widespread code for the day or time to smoke marijuana.
The story is one of many explaining the origins of the
phenomenon associated with mellowing out and expanding one’s
consciousness. Louis refers to the statue of scientist Louis
Pasteur, located in front of the school.
“We were supposed to meet there at about 4:20 after school
to go out to the beach where supposedly someone was growing weed
out there,” said Craig, who was a freshman at San Rafael at
the time and requested his last name not be used.
“All day we kept saying “˜4:20 Louis,'”
said Craig, now a 46-year-old physical education teacher.
The boys never found marijuana growing at the beach, but the
term stuck and the clan of boys, known as the Waldos, continued to
use 4/20 throughout high school and into college.
“It was a really simple thing because it was a good little
code, our parents had no idea what we were talking about, and it
was funny,” Craig said.
Flash forward to 2003 and many students now recognize 4/20 as
the day to smoke marijuana rather than a time of day.
A group of five students were cited by police officers for
smoking and possessing marijuana on campus early Sunday
morning.
Police officers were aware of the significance of the day, said
Nancy Greenstein, director of community services for the university
police.
If caught smoking marijuana or in possession of the drug, a
student could be warned, be subject to student discipline through
the dean of students’ office, receive a citation, or be
subject to a combination of these three possible consequences,
Greenstein said.
Greenstein said she expected 4/20 this year to be more low-key
than in past years since it fell on Easter Sunday.
Many UCLA students made plans to participate in the annual
tradition this year.
“I’m going to wake up late, do homework, go to a
Dodgers game and then smoke a lot of weed,” said first-year
undeclared student Tim Adams.
Adams said he has been smoking weed since his junior year in
high school and feels that marijuana is a good way to meet people.
He also said it’s safer than drinking and smells better than
cigarettes.
In the past on 4/20, many students have gathered on lawns on
campus to smoke marijuana.
Some students, such as first-year biochemistry student Robin
Bennett, had plans to spend 4/20 at home with her parents.
“I’m going to go to church and then have an
Easter-egg hunt in my backyard,” Bennett said.
Other students place no particular significance on the day.
“It’s just another day of the week and I don’t
really smoke,” said first-year undeclared student Meropi
Peponides.