|| Happy 04/20! ||

So, as a non-smoker, I've only known about April 20 for a few years, but I figure it's an interesting "holiday" to discuss. A large portion of my friends smoke marijuana, so this is for you guys...

History of April 20:
Apparently, there are a few renditions of where the date actually came from. One story is that a group of students at San Rafael High School in California used to meet up at 4:20 to share a spliff or two after detention let out. Another version cites that it is the number of active chemicals in marijuana (I'd love to know who counted that...). Former Grateful Dead member Warren Haynes says "I'm really confused about the first time I heard it. It was like a police code for smoking in progress or something. What's the real story? (via the Huffington Post)"

Tangent: It's so hard to blog when I keep getting these Twitter updates to my G1 - it's truly becoming an addiction...

Anyway, long story short - the origin of 4:20 is indeed from San Rafael and some pothead schoolkids. These kids were associated with members from the Grateful Dead, and the code word spread all the way to High Times Magazine, which is probably the reason most people in America know what today stands for.

Here's the link to the article, if you're sober enough to read it right now:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/20/what-420-means-the-true-s_n_188320.html

I have always respected the marijuana culture, even though I know the dangers of smoking. There's something about responsible weed smoke that makes it somewhat virtuous. Enlightenment can definitely come from that state of euphoria that weed creates. I've had contact highs more times than I can count, and it's a nice feeling. Somewhat woozy, kinda sleepy - but still alert. Made me wish I'd take a pull - then I snap back into reality and realize it'll never be for me.

There are people who don't use weed responsibly. The idiots who go out and speed in their Civics after burnin a whole spliff down to the roach. End up wrappin their cars around a pole somewhere. There's the girls who puff in the club, and wake up with their panties around their ankles and a sore butthole. There's the fools who understand that weed is a form of escape from the real world, but fail to remember that it's only temporary. They end up stuck on their couch or in bed all day, for eternity it seems - never trying to progress in any sort of way. There's always tomorrow.

Other people I know use weed as a form of meditation. You can catch them sitting outside, gazing into the sky, searching for that "elevation." I respect this. I've heard a lot of wise words from some high dudes in my time. I've also heard some dumb ish. Lol, I pick and choose which ones I wanna quote.

So, that being said - let's take this day to lift ourselves out of the ordinary. Concentrate less on what's stressin you, and let that THC help you find a solution. You've got ten more hours to use this day as an excuse, make it worth it.

Oh, and make sure it's good kush - no dirt, no stems, no seeds. A wise man once told me that.

One puff in the air for Bar - R.I.P.