Today is 4/20, a.k.a. National Pot Smoking Day. Its exact origins aren’t known–some say it’s the time (4:20pm) that a group of California teens in 1971 met to toke up. Here are some fun 420 facts and myths from Snopes.com. And Huffington Post has done an in-depth look at the origins of 420. And High Times has some hilarious user comments about how to celebrate 420 (sampling: “were [sic] hanging out smokin have a great time, with some awesome brownies to munch on,” “SMOKIN A FATTY WATCHING SOUTHPARK,” and “aahhh. . . what was the question again?”).
Regardless of where it comes from, it’s not just an excuse for college students to toke up (not that they need one), it’s a day when organizations like NORML get the word out about things like legalizing medical marijuana.
They pubbed a pot fact list on their blog:
Marijuana, By the Numbers…
Thirteen states (with a population base of 115 million Americans) have decriminalized cannabis possession; thirteen states (with a population base of 75 million Americans) now have medical cannabis laws. Additionally, more states than ever before are debating cannabis law reform, including California and Massachusetts where legalization legislation have been introduced.
Since 1965, over 20 million Americans have been arrested on cannabis-related charges–90% for possession-only; over 900,000 cannabis arrests are expected again this year.
According to numerous survey and polls, approximately 75% of Americans support medical access to cannabis; 73% favor decriminalizing cannabis possession for adults and 42% of Americans support legalizing cannabis.
Interesting, yes? Do you think pot should be legal?
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