the origins of "420"

[CannabisMamma]

"I had encountered at last one of those curious mirage-plants about which so many
of our men told stories. Anderson had warned me of them, and described their
appearance very closely - the shaggy stalk, the spiky leaves, and the mottled
blossoms whose gaseous, dream-breeding exhalations penetrate every existing make
of mask.....

Although everything was spinning perilously, I tried to start in the right
direction and hack my way ahead. My route must have been far from straight, for
it seemed hours before I was free of the mirage-plant's pervasive influence.
Gradually the dancing lights began to disappear, and the shimmering spectral
scenery began to assume the aspect of solidity. When I did get wholly clear I
looked at my watch and was astonished to find that the time was only 4:20.
Though eternities had seemed to pass, the whole experience could have consumed
little more than a half-hour."

-A passage from "In the Walls of Eryx" by H.P. Lovecraft,Written Jan 1936

[FreakNature]

Wow that's pretty interesting.

[Soniq420]

This sure predates the 1970's guys meeting after school folklore

[Soniq420]

[l8tnightskunk]

Nice story

[420]

i never bought that story as the true origin anyway.

This sure predates the 1970's guys meeting after school folklore

[l8tnightskunk]

wait a minute theres a better story??

Originally Posted by 420

i never bought that story as the true origin anyway.

[Soniq420]

This story is plausible

The other story was that some guys used to meet after school at 4:20 and the reference was born.

A published (dated) book that describes the experience so well - holds a lot more credence to me.

[E-rok]

ahhhh.... yes this feels right. much more credible than a gang of kids anyways hah.

[HalfOrange]

Interesting theory. but I think I prefer the simple after school one.

Lovecraft was indeed a visionary writer but also unfortunately an elitest and racist. I wish that Edgar Allen Poe had said it instead.

[l8tnightskunk]

Originally Posted by HalfOrange

Lovecraft was indeed a visionary writer but also unfortunately an elitest and racist. I wish that Edgar Allen Poe had said it instead.

hmm racist? thats a no no for me i actually believe marijuana cures racism

[420]

don't be so negative, if you pick out any famous person in history and put them under a microscope, you will find faults and things you disagree with about that person... we can still have fun with the concept of this being a true historical document referencing our favorite number and relating it to our favorite flower... right?...

[HalfOrange]

ok, sorry for the negativity, I did a thesis on Lovecraft, I wish I could don the rose coloured glasses but I´ll have to pass, he was pretty set in his ways, but still a genius

i have two heroes, one is Nikolai Tesla, the other is Ludwig Von Beethoven, both men had incontrovertible flaws as human beings, which is all the more reason to like them in my opinion, so long as we´re happy not to have our idols up on a pedastel, then they are all the more worthy of our respect

Walls of Eryx is a short story set on the planet Venus, this passage was first referenced as a possible link to Cannabis smoking by Victor Cypert:

Now this number, "4:20" is said to be a police code used in some parts of Northern California to signify that someone has been caught smoking marijuana. I've checked this rumor out and I haven't been able to verify it. I have heard other rumors: that it was used by a group of high-school students in the 1970's, that it was created by Jerry Garcia to denote the time he awoke during the day and had his first toke, that it was the best time of day to get high, that it signifies Haile Selassie's visit to Jamaica on April 20, 1966 etc. All of these rumors remain unsubstantiated.

But the symbol persists and redefining it would be a real son-of-a-bitch. I mean, I couldn't suddenly start using "4:20" to mean "I'm going off to church today and I hope that the Spirit of the Lord possesses me and I am given the gift of tongues." It just wouldn't fly. It's too complex. Also, the term "4:20" is freshly rooted in the American psyche at this moment - - and what is new is not easily changed.

Yet I can alter the "legend" of the origin of the number itself. Since no other definition holds water, any attempt that I make in this direction will be just as valid. In short, as long as everybody else is talking out of his or her asshole, I might as well, too.

The number 4:20 comes to us from the "fiction" of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. Lovecraft used the number in his short story "Within the Walls of Eryx" when referring to a scene wherein an intrepid space explorer stumbles across a "mirage plant."

The description of the plant in Lovecraft's story is very similar to the description of the Cannabis Sativa plant native to Earth.

The actual excerpt from the story, wherein the number "4:20" is mentioned, follows:

"Although everything was spinning perilously, I tried to start in the right direction and hack my way ahead. My route must have been far from straight, for it seemed hours before I was free of the mirage-plant's pervasive influence. Gradually the dancing lights began to disappear, and the shimmering spectral scenery began to assume the aspect of solidity. When I did get wholly clear I looked at my watch and was astonished to find the time was only 4:20. Though eternities had seemed to pass, the whole experience could have consumed little more than a half-hour."

- H. P. Lovecraft
Within the Walls of Eryx

And so there it is, the origin of the pothead's code for getting high. Believe it or be wrong.

(NOTE: Victor's website is neuralalchemy.com: The Leading Chemistry Site on the Net)

[skycowboy]

Dang, I thought it came from House Bill 420 in the California Legislature. I guess I spoke outta school in the other post dealing with this subject,

[koff]

wow