Four Twenty

I live in the California Bay Area, and weed is everywhere (which is quite awesome, I might add). The cops are lenient about weed; the majority of people have definitely smoked it, and I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of people still smoke it occasionally (or frequently). Why do I bring this up? Obviously, cause it's 4/20, the "international stoner holiday" as many people have referred to it. Every year around 4/20 some friend or acquaintance of mine - without fail - will say something along the lines of,  "What's so special about 4/20. It's just another day to smoke weed." And I never have a  good answer, so I've been doing some thinking. To me, 4/20 is like Thanksgiving. The historical origins are disputed, people eat in excess and sit around, and most importantly the holidays are days where we hang out with our friends and family. When someone says something like "what's the point of 4/20" they are misunderstanding what holidays are at their core. I'm not a Christian, as I've mentioned earlier, but I still celebrate Christmas. Why? Because I like presents and ham and seeing family that I usually don't see. Sure I can give people presents on other days of the year, and I can receive presents and eat ham other days of the year, but Holidays allow for everyone to participate so it's more of a communal activity. Four Twenty works exactly the same way. Sure people can smoke weed other days, but when you designate a Holiday to do so, it often brings people together to celebrate (even if it is something as silly as weed). Usually when I smoke I'm with two of my friends. Later today I will be smoking with at least five people (including my girlfriend who never smokes). If 4/20 can bring friends together then I'd say it's a good thing, and serves the purpose of just about any other holiday. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that eventually 4/20 will become commercialized to the extent of Thanksgiving. I have a feeling weed decorations will be a common sight during the month of April. I just hope kindergarten teachers don't have their students make hand stencil weed leaves like the turkeys they make around Thanksgiving time. Thanks for reading.

~Clouded