Raleigh News and ObserverRaleigh News and Observer

If you don't know much about marijuana or weed culture, chances are you've heard that the number 4 is important in weed culture.

What does it mean? April 20 and 4:20 p.m. are sacred to weed aficionados.

A group of students at San Rafael High School in Marin County, California started smoking marijuana at 4:20 pm in 1971 according to Time Magazine.

Time reported in 2016 that the numbers don't have much symbolic significance. The students decided to get together at 4:20 p.m. because extracurricular activities were usually over by that time.

Time reported that high school students started to use code for marijuana when they were engaging in an activity that was strictly forbidden. One member of the group got a job as a roadie for Phil Lesh.

A group of Dead fans spread the word of the ritual by distributing flyers inviting people to smoke on April 20. The association between marijuana and smoking weed became an icon in American culture after the magazine High Times printed a copy of the flyer.

An article in the New York Times corroborates the history reported in Time. A group of teenagers in Northern California began smoking marijuana at 4:20 p.m. as a matter of ritual, according to Steven Hager, a former editor of High Times.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 48 million Americans use marijuana at least once a year, accounting for 18% of the population.

Marijuana has been legalized for medical use in the last several years. A poll done by the University of North Carolina last year showed that most people in the state supported the legalization of marijuana.

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