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MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2009 | THE TELESCOPE
Counterculture celebration at its ‘highest’ BRIDGET ASKELSON THE TELESCOPE
Reggae music fills the air, bongs are lined up on coffee tables, a group of guys sit in a corner attempting to perfect their talent of blowing smoke rings, and the overwhelming smell of burning herb fills the air. To many this sounds like a hippie-inspired scene from a movie, but for others it’s just an average April afternoon. Joints, ganja, doobies, weed or pot, the name makes no difference, in the world of marijuana no names are definitive, except 4/20. On April 20 every year, frequent, social and even occasional marijuana smokers come together to celebrate this underground holiday. According to snopes.com, a Web site designed to find the truth behind rumors, 4/20 originated in the 1970s by a group of high school boys. They attended San Rafael High School, which is located in California, and would meet at 4:20 every afternoon to smoke. Today, the term refers to the specific time of day to smoke and as April 20. Jem McAdams, both a professor and swim coach for Palomar, had never heard of 4/20. “I do not understand the pur-
pose or meaning behind this,” McAdams said. He added that he believes that people will look for any excuse to think that smoking pot is okay, but it is not. McAdams said that he has heard every excuse imaginable to justify smoking but remains unimpressed. “Kids smoke to feel rebellious or to prove they can do anything, even if it is wrong,” he said. Some students share very different opinions. Kailyn Servis, currently in her third year at Palomar decided not to celebrate 4/20, this year. Last year’s holiday was spent immersed in Kanye West’s music at his Glow in the Dark Tour. “Everyone celebrated that night, even if you weren’t planning on it,” she said. According to Servis, one of her good friends will be celebrating with his entire work office. “His boss even has a beer bong on hand.” “I smoke from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.,” joked Aaron Anaya, who is finishing his final semester at Palomar. But this year Anaya’s plans could not be more different. On April 20, he plans to call and wish his friend happy birthday. “I always think of her when I smell ganja,” he says. Although Anaya does not cel-
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ROB BACON
Palomar students, Jason (right), and his friend, Will (left), say they have prescriptions for the medical use of marijuana. ebrate the holiday himself, he knows many people who do. He remembers being invited to 4/20 parties where everyone would listen to Bob Marley and
smoke. Anaya said that his religion shows him that these types of ‘holidays’ can be childish and therefore decides not to partic-
“Perilous Play” about marijuana. In it, a character declares, “If someone does not propose a new and interesting amusement, I shall die of ennui!” Another character produces a box of hashish-laced bonbons, and hedonism ensues.
not be used to grow plants. An industry spokesman denied that the seeds made birds high, but an ardent marijuana foe, Dr. Victor Robinson, had previously written that the seeds had caused birds to “dream of a happy birdland where there are no gilded cages, and where the men are gunless and the women hatless.”
Ten things you might not know about marijuana MARK JACOB MCT CAMPUS
Monday is April 20, known to marijuana users as “4/20,” a counterculture holiday recognizing America's most commonly used illegal drug. The number “420” is code for marijuana, and was most likely invented in the 1970s at San Rafael High School in Marin County, Calif., where a group of students known as the Waldos met at 4:20 p.m. to light up. Since then, the number has shown up on T-shirts and on clocks in such movies as “Lost in Translation.” A dime bag's worth of other marijuana facts:
1.
In 19th century Nepal, the marijuana harvest was performed by men who ran naked through fields of flowering plants and then had the sticky resin scraped off their bodies and f o r m e d into bricks of hashish.
2.
Marijuana is known for its mellowing effect, but it has fueled many warriors in history. The word “assassin” is
believed to come from the hashish taken a millennium ago by Arab killers (called “hashshashin” or “hashish eaters”), though some historians doubt they were under the influence while on their missions. Mexican bandit Pancho Villa's henchmen were pot smokers. And some believe Zulu fighters in South Africa were high on dagga, a.k.a. marijuana, when they attacked the Boers at Blood River in 1838. The Zulus lost 3,000 fighters, while only four Boer were wounded. Talk about a buzzkill.
3.
Louisa May Alcott, author of “Little Women,” wrote a short story called
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4.
Around 1900, the U.S. government briefly grew marijuana along a stretch of the Potomac River to study the plant's medicinal value. Today, a more potent plant has risen on that site: the Pentagon.
5.
A white Chicago jazz musician named Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow moved to Harlem in 1929, declared himself a “voluntary Negro,” and began selling marijuana. Known as “The Man Who Hipped the World” and “The Link Between the Races,” Mezzrow sold fat joints called mezzrolls. Soon a new piece of Harlem slang emerged: Something genuine was described as “mezz.”
6.
Marijuana interferes with short-term memory so that users forget what they just said or did. Not only that, marijuana interferes with short-term memory so that users forget what they just said or did.
7.
Before Congress voted to ban marijuana in 1937, the birdseed industry got the bill amended to exempt marijuana seeds (known as hemp seeds) as long as they were sterilized and could
8.
Billy Carter, the late brother of former President Jimmy Carter, believed the illegality of marijuana was part of its attraction. “Marijuana is like Coors beer,” he said. “If you could buy the damn stuff at a Georgia filling station, you'd decide you wouldn’t want it.
9.
One of the least typical supporters of the decriminalization of marijuana was conservative icon William F. Buckley, who died in February. Buckley once sailed his yacht into international waters so that he could smoke pot without breaking U.S. laws.
10.
Bill Clinton said famously that he smoked marijuana but “didn't inhale.” President Bush has never admitted taking the drug, but his drug use was strongly suggested in recorded conversations between him and a friend, the interestingly named Doug Wead. Only one of the three 2008 contenders is an admitted exdoper. Hillary Clinton and John McCain denied during the 2000 campaign season that they had ever smoked pot. Barack Obama, on the other hand, has said, “When I was a kid, I inhaled frequently. That was the point.”
ipate. The plans and opinions all differ but for many, 4/20 means allowing nothing to stop them from having a good time.
top stoner flicks CARRIE RICKEY MCT CAMPUS
1.“The Big Lebowski” 2. “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” 3.“Dazed and Confused” 4.“Dude, Where’s My Car?” 5.“Fast Times at Ridgemont High” 6.“Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” 7.“Half Baked” 8. “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” 9. “Repo Man” 10.“Up In Smoke”
our staff picks • Pineapple Express • Super Troopers • Super High Me • Reefer Madness • Friday