420

Marijuana was never a big part of my life. In the late sixties, I was married to a soldier with a top-secret security clearance. He had no interest in risking it with a drug violation. I tried pot twice in the seventies and felt no effect. I probably didn’t know how to inhale. While modest drinking made parties livelier, smoking weed made participants quiet and dull, so we left. With a child in tow, conversation could turn awkward.

Child: Was that marijuana?
Me: Yes.
Child: Isn’t that illegal?
Me: Yes.
Child: Are you going to call the police?
Me: No.
Child: Why not?

The code name “420” for marijuana dates from 1971, when five California teens met after school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke pot. One of them later worked as a roadie for the Grateful Dead. Fliers distributed by Deadheads in 1990 encouraged people to smoke “420” on April 20 at 4:20 p.m., and High Times magazine promoted the idea. By then I was paying no attention at all.

​Image: Cannabis sativa.