Writing By Laura

Note: After re-reading this post I realized it couldn’t be more evident that I don’t partake in the substance I reference in this post because of how frequently I call it marijuana. I don’t think those who use it frequently say its given name so often.

So today is 4/20 and pot smokers around the world are happily giggling and indulging in munchies. I, on the other hand, am a tired grump (you can tell I don’t indulge in marijuana by that statement) and really don’t feel like explaining that the number 420 and therefore the date 4/20 (today, April 20th) has become something in marijuana counterculture. As all teachers can attest, sometimes they get grumpy too. I suppose I should take a page out of the teacher handbook and still teach even though I feel less than enthused. I probably will. I can’t help it. I like to share my silly knowledge with the ‘rents and they are better people for it (or so I tell myself).

So listen up children, I’m here to tell you about our friend Mary Jane! 🤣 I had to do a little digging myself to find out why 420 is connected to marijuana. Here’s a CNN article and the Wikipedia entry on 420 and its origins. I wasn’t wrong in what I thought it was (and to think I don’t indulge in it myself… no really, I don’t). In my memory (I used to listen to the podcast “Doug Loves Movies” hosted by standup comedian and marijuana enthusiast Doug Benson and most of my reefer knowledge comes from that) when smoking marijuana was a more arrest-able offense marijuana smokers used to use coded language to talk about their drug exploits. They would talk about the time 4:20 as a time during the day when something was going to happen. Now that smoking marijuana (or consuming) is becoming legal in more places in the United States the counterculture and secrecy that used to surround our friend Mary Jane is no longer. See I got through my grumpiness and we all learned something! Therefore, now people who pretend to be cool 😎 (me included) make 420 jokes. And on April 20th the Internet just becomes full of stupid 420 jokes. And some cops 👮🏻‍♀️ are even participating in the funniness (although I can kind of see some moron getting high and saying “I’m entering this contest because I never win anything.” Which could be the idiocy they’re banking on).

The 420 lore is usually something I would relish in sharing with my parents (I like to shock them every once in a while). My favorite is when I impart some knowledge and my Dad knows it but my adorably innocent 😇 Mom doesn’t. I know that they aren’t the same person and have different interests, backgrounds and experiences and therefore have different knowledge bases. However, they’ve been married so long (it will be 48 years their next anniversary) that it still strikes me as funny when they are aware of different things. My Mom is adorably innocent though. And my Dad consumes more pop culture than she does (he knew who the Kardashians were before she did, and not because of Robert Kardashian’s involvement as a lawyer in the OJ Simpson case).

I couldn’t help but smile when I saw people posting about how you needed to leave the rapper and known marijuana smoker Snoop Dogg milk 🥛 and cookies 🍪 like he is the Santa Claus 🎅🏻 of 4/20.

Kind of silly and adorable. I love it when public figures know what their public image is and have fun with it instead of being bent out of shape that they’re not in control of their image, etc.

Well I hope you all had a lovely 4/20 and this grumpy pop culture teacher 👩🏼‍🏫 is going to get some sleep!