Happy 420 Day! The unofficial holiday is to celebrate and indulge in marijuana. But if we’re really going to celebrate and appreciate weed, we should know a little more about the day, and the “product.”

How did 420 Day start?

Apparently, like a good high, it’s unclear. There are a lot of myths and speculation, but most of the reports haven’t been verified. One thing that a lot of people seem to agree on is that it can be traced to the 70s when a group of 5 students at San Rafael High School in Marin County, California began meeting at 4:20pm to smoke weed. I guess the students decided to get together at 4:20pm because at that time, extracurricular activities were over. The five students called themselves “The Waldos” because they would sit against a wall and smoke.

How we celebrating?

There are a lot of things going on in the Boston area to celebrate. Here are just a few you can check out.

4/20 ExtravaGanja II featuring local comedians, musical artists, free legal support, and access to employment opportunities.

Glaze and Blaze – A 21+ Event! Glaze Your Own Bowl or Pipe and Learn Cannabis Basics

Stoner Trivia Night – How much do you know about cannabis? From movie references to science topics, legal matters to gardening tactics. To be blunt, we’ve got high expectations for this trivia night.

Get a lot more 420- events HERE.

Now onto the fun facts about marijuana. I will say up front, I don’t indulge and know pretty much nothing about weed. So some of these things you may already know if you are someone who does indulge. Either way, hope you learn something new and entertaining.

Weed is old old

Although it has been around a lot longer, weed has been used for its psychoactive properties for about 2,500 years. A team of archaeologists of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing reports that there is evidence that mourners burned cannabis for its intoxicating fumes at a cemetery in the Pamir Mountains in far western China. Science.org
Women rule the weed world

If you want to get high, it’s the female plants you want. Only female marijuana plants produce high THC buds, which is the psychoactive compound. Find out more about the female cannabis plant HERE.
Bob Marley was buried with marijuana

Bob Marley died from cancer in 1981, and reports say he was buried with his Bible, his guitar, and a bud of marijuana. His album “Uprising” was released just two days before he died.
Seniors are getting lit

While young people, ages 18 – 29, are the largest consumers of weed, SENIORS are the fastest-growing group of consumers in the U.S.
The first online sale was weed

It was illegal back then, but in the early 70’s, Stanford students bought a bag of weed online from MIT students, making the first product ever sold online – cannabis! (Source )
The United States is #1

The United States is the top marijuana-producing nation in the entire world. Behind it: Morocco, Afghanistan, Mexico, and Colombia. (Source)
Women are more likely to develop a tolerance to THC

Washington State University psychologist, Rebecca Craft, studied cannabis resistance in rats and in a 2014 study concluded that females are more sensitive to the pain-relief side effects of the cannabis plant, but are also more inclined to develop a higher tolerance. It’s mainly due to higher estrogen levels in women. (Source)
Men are more likely to get the "munchies"

When looking at a gender-based study about cannabis, the only area where men scored higher, was in “having the munchies.” (Source)
Shakespeare indulged

To weed, or not to weed. That is the question. For Shakespeare, the answer is to weed. Scientists reportedly found 400-year-old pipes in Shakespeare’s garden. Out of the 24 pipes they found, eight of them had traces of cannabis. (Source)
The trapped Chilean miners were smuggled weed

Remember the Chilean mining accident? It happened back in 2010, where 33 miners were trapped underground for 69 days. Reports say that people smuggled cannabis down to them to help them cope with what they were going through. (Source)
Ancient Egyptians used cannabis for enemas

True story! Ancient Egyptians used cannabis for all kinds of medical purposes, including enemas. Don’t ask me how though. My research didn’t go that deep. No pun intended. Cannabis was also used in bladder diseases, rectal diseases, eye medications, ointments, antiseptics, analgesics, and sore toenails (Source)
Colorado has more dispensaries than Starbucks and McDonald's COMBINED!

Colorado was one of the first two states to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. The other was Washington. Colorado also literally has more dispensaries than they have Starbucks and McDonald’s combined. Over three times more! They have 195 medical dispensaries, 169 recreational dispensaries, for a total of 364! They have 80 Starbucks and 31 McDonald’s for a total of 111. The dedication.
A LOT of people are trying marijuana for the first time daily

In 2014, which was the most recent year that the CDC studied this, 2.5 million Americans aged 12 or older tried marijuana for the first time. That’s an average of 7,000 new users a day. In 2002, there were 1,000 a day. Imagine what that number is now!