Some holidays can be traced back to ancient traditions. Some commemorate great people or important historical events. In the long list of holidays and special occasions, one that most people overlook is probably National Weed Day. This year, however, the date was used not only to celebrate marijuana, but to rekindle the ongoing legalization debate.
National Weed Day, which is celebrated on April 20th each year, has somewhat mystical roots in modern pop culture. Most of the stories regarding its foundation suggest that National Weed Day dates back to the 1970s. In some versions, it is believed that students in San Rafael, California, would get together at 4:20 PM each weekday to smoke marijuana together. The time, which was not coincidentally when students were said to have been let out of detention, has become an symbol for pot advocates everywhere.
While some people choose to celebrate National Weed Day with smoke-ins, which can get participants arrested, the more politically-minded have used April 20 as a day to bring attention to the argument for removing the legislation against marijuana. This year, rallies sprung up across the country, primarily in areas with large youth populations, especially on college campuses. One rally in Boulder, Colorado, was said to have nearly 10,000 in attendance.
All the illicit celebrations aside, National Weed Day gives voice to the counterculture view that is no more dangerous than cigarettes. Other arguments for legalization relate to marijuana’s medical uses as well as its place in the drug war at large. There are many other dangerous drugs, and by making marijuana illegal, critics suggest that the government is making it a bigger problem than it should be. They also argue that the government has to spend too much time and money dealing with marijuana offenses, which inhibits law enforcement from tackling the more pressing issues in America’s drug war.
In response to National Weed Day, many anti-drug organizations also hold rallies to bring awareness to the dangers that are associated with marijuana, citing how pot is often used as a gateway drug that can lead users down a destructive path.
There is abundant scientific evidence that marijuana is a safe, effective medicine. In 1999, the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported, “Nausea, appetite loss, pain, and anxiety are all afflictions of wasting, and all can be mitigated by marijuana.”
No one should have to go to jail for using a medicine that works for them. People suffering from cancer, AIDS, MS, and other debilitating illnesses should have the right to use medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation.
You think 4/20 was special, be there this Saturday for Cannabis Freedom Day. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.
youre an idiot. 420 is the police code for a marijuana related offense.