As 4/20 arrives this week, celebrating might look a little different than last year. Maybe you’re planning on smoking a bowl alone and spending an evening going inward, or maybe you’ve already been invited to a Zoom magic brownie baking session with friends. Perhaps you just want a really good night of rest! Below, we’ll explore a range of ideas to appreciate plant healing.
How did the 420 celebration begin?
People have mused that 420 originated from a police code for “Marijuana Smoking in Progress,” the number of active chemicals in cannabis, and a refrain from a Bob Dylan song. The true origin of 420 comes from a group of California teenagers in the early 70s called “The Waldos,” who used to meet up after practice at 4:20 pm on the dot to smoke and scout out a rumoured cannabis crop. According to History.com, the Waldos “learned of a Coast Guard member who had planted a cannabis plant and could no longer tend to the crop.” Using a treasure map supposedly drawn by the plant’s owner, the group would meet outside their high school once a week to search the nearby Point Reyes Forests.
Essentially, 420 originates from a group of teens who infused a sense of ritual and ceremony into cannabis culture, and started a nationwide association between cannabis and 4/20.
So how might you celebrate this year?
Donating resources to legalization efforts
As many states move away from the criminalization of cannabis, we’ve witnessed the rise of the CBD / cannabis industry. However, there remains fundamental injustice inflicted upon those who have suffered criminal convictions: 15.7 million people have been arrested for marijuana related offenses in the last decade.
If you find yourself with some extra time or resources, you might consider taking a moment on 420 to donate to the Last Prisoner Project, which “focuses on three key criminal justice reform initiatives: clemency, expungement, and reentry. A core focus of the project is to release incarcerated individuals,” and help individuals in the post-release phase.
You might also think about donating to NORML, who hopes to “move public opinion sufficiently to legalize the responsible use of marijuana by adults, and to serve as an advocate for consumers to assure they have access to high quality marijuana that is safe, convenient and affordable.” They’ll be hosting a list of online events to celebrate 4/20, which you can check out here!
Lastly, COVID Bail Out NYC is also taking donations! They are “ an all volunteer, emergency grassroots initiative that has teamed up with Emergency Release Fund to get people safe and free. Each donation will help COVID Bail Out post bail for medically vulnerable people who are being held in Rikers Island and other New York City jails and give our team of public defenders and dedicated activists the resources they need to provide comprehensive post-release support.”
If you know of other organizations taking donations, feel free to comment below!
Learn how to roll a joint
If you’ve got more time than usual on your hands, now is the time to learn the lost art of rolling a joint! When quarantine ends, you can impress everyone with your new skills.
You’ll need dried cannabis flower (or CBD flower), a grinder, joint paper, card stock, and a pen. This guide also offers step by step illustrations!
The process of rolling a joint can be a meditative way to focus your intentions, like cooking a meal from scratch. It can feel all the more nourishing!
You might think about lighting candles, pulling a tarot card, or surrounding yourself with crystals when rolling your joint.
If you’re quarantined with a partner or close friend, smoking a joint together can be a relaxing way to spend some quality time after a long day of Zoom meetings and work!
Cannabis can also be a wonderful portal for all those creative projects you’ve put off for so long: writing a book of poems, learning to watercolor, making jewelry, or learning a new dance routine.
Work with CBD for sleep & anxiety
According to Eileen Konieczny, RN and the co-author of the book, Healing with CBD: How Cannabidiol Can Transform Your Health Without the High (Ulysses Press, September 18, 2018), CBD help sleep issues (which is probably no secret by now).
“Because CBD has effective anti-anxiety and calming effects, the experience of better sleep with CBD is not because CBD is causing drowsiness, but rather because the anxiety relief and relaxation it provides allows for better quality of rest,” says Konieczny.
“In one insomnia study, high doses (160 milligrams) of CBD were shown to improve the length and quality of sleep.”
Maybe on 4/20, you create a new CBD sleep ritual!
That might mean taking a sublingual tincture before climbing into bed with a good book! Or, maybe you’d like to make a tea or an adaptogen cacao with water-soluble CBD before watching Tiger King.
A CBD capsule might also be helpful if you have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.
Read up on the history of cannabis
Curl up with your joint or your cbd infused tea & get reading! Learning more about cannabis and cbd is a wonderful way to celebrate. Check out The Origins of 4/20 and The History of 420, both previously published on our Wisdom blog!
Now is also a wonderful time to finally read this beautifully designed and written CBD zine from the Alchemist’s Kitchen, which can be an entry into your journey with CBD.
In Hemp Bound: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Next Agricultural Revolution, bestselling author Doug Fine embarks on a humorous yet rigorous journey to meet the men and women who are testing, researching, and pioneering hemp’s applications for the twenty-first century. Fine explores how this misunderstood plant might help us end dependence on fossil fuels, heal farm soils damaged after a century of growing monocultures, and bring even more taxable revenue into the economy. A great read for anyone interested in the history and future of hemp!
No matter how you choose to celebrate, know that cannabis has been used for centuries as a plant to invoke healing and strength.
