PIERRE, S.D. — Whether you call it 4/20, 420 Day or Weed Day, April 20 has been observed for decades as an unofficial holiday for fans of cannabis and marijuana. This year, 420 Day, as it’s referred to by The National Day Calendar, lands on a Sunday and the same day as Easter Sunday
The social holiday associated with marijuana use has South Dakota authorities warning drivers about getting behind the wheel.
420, 4:20 or 4/20 is cannabis culture slang for marijuana and hashish consumption, especially smoking around the time 4:20 p.m. It also refers to cannabis-oriented celebrations that take place annually on April 20.
The number began its evolution from an inside joke into an international code for pot culture after 1971. That was the year a group of high school kids in California began to meet at 4:20 p.m. after school to smoke marijuana. One of those students wound up working with the band The Grateful Dead, whose members and fans adopted the shorthand. The number eventually caught the attention of a reporter for the marijuana-centric High Times magazine, who put it in the publication and presented it to a wide audience.
The South Dakota Department of Transportation and law enforcement agencies remind South Dakotans that substance abuse and driving is illegal. Sixty drug recognition experts work within agencies statewide and will assist law enforcement in identifying impaired drivers this weekend.
Rideshare and taxi services are available for anyone who plans to use impairing substances at any time.
