The Waldos and the strength of the cannabis community.
The 420 (four and twenty) tells of an entire culture:
It is a date, April 20th (4.20 according to the Anglo-Saxon date scan) on which World Cannabis Day is celebrated .
It is a "code" word that is part of the slang of smokers and cannabis users.
It is the symbol of a community of people dedicated to the consumption of cannabis and its celebration.
But how was the 420 born and how did it spread in popular culture?
The legends and suppositions that have followed alternate absurdity and fantasy in a vortex that has often sidetracked public opinion and the value of a story capable of testifying to how powerful the community in question is.
The story of the Waldos boys
Research, testimonies and memorabilia testify to how the 420 was born. It is the Waldos of the story we are about to tell you who gave interviews and information to the Huffington Post in an interview that made history.
It was 1971 when five kids from San Rafael High School decided to meet at the wall behind the school (the group was called Waldos not by chance), in the shadow of the statue of the chemist Pasteur. The time chosen had to be compatible with the end of training, they were all sporty: 4.20 everyone agreed.
They had a mission, they had learned that a Coast Guard official had abandoned a plot of land in Port Reyes where he was growing cannabis, it was the opportunity to recover some for free.
All they had to do was say "Quattroeventi" and everything was clear: they would meet at the wall and they would get into an old '66 Chevy Impala to drive to Port Reyes in search of the camp.
How many times have you been told that it's not the destination that counts but the journey?
For the boys from San Rafael it was exactly like this, the Waldos didn't find the El Dorado of cannabis but they still managed to consume it on the numerous trips they undertook and that was enough for them.
The 420 did not disappear, it was now part of their slang and as often happens it did not take long to spread in the neighborhood: it became a code closely linked to the consumption of cannabis first in the neighborhood, then in the city and for a series of curious events, in the world.
Daniele Tabatabie | HENTOURAGE Head of communication
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tabadiez/