Alien Octane - Origins of 420 & 710
Where did 420 and 710 start?
420 aand 710 Meanings?
Where did 420 and 710 start and why do we know 710 and 420?
There are a number of stories on the internet and manny different versions of where 420 and 710 got started but there seems to be a general consenus.
The first:
On April 20th every year, cannabis users across the country smoke a little extra while gathering to celebrate their favorite plant. The holiday allegedly began in the 1970s when a group of kids, named 'The Waldos' thanks to their chosen hang-out spot (a wall), started meeting up at 4:20 to search for an abandoned cannabis crop. Since their meeting place was the Louis Pasteur statue on the grounds of San Rafael High School at 4:20, the phrase used to refer to the plan was “4:20 Louis.” After failing to find the crop multiple times, the phrase was shortened to “4:20," which eventually grew into a cannabis codeword for teens. As time has passed, theories about 420’s origin have also considered California’s penal code section for marijuana use, the police code for smoking and even the most ideal day to plant cannabis.
Towards the end of April, across the country, rallies, gatherings and smoke-ins give supporters a place to network, protest and commit good-natured civil disobedience (in the form of smoking in public). Places like Hippie Hill in San Francisco, California and Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado give way to massive smoke clouds in a combined celebration of enjoying and pushing for legal marijuana.
However, more recently, July 10th has also become a day equally celebrated in the cannabis community as April 20th. The date 7/10 is significant because when reading the numbers upside down, it spells out the word “oil.” July 10th is regarded as the 4/20 of dabbing, although the April holiday isn’t necessarily exclusive to smoking raw cannabis. 7/10 isn’t as political as its sister holiday, likely because dabbing is less popular and newer than simply smoking cannabis.
The Second story of 420 and 710:
4:20 History
The internet cannot decide where 420 originated; some sites say that it was the original police code for smoking in public or the preferred hotel room of the Grateful Dead when they were on tour.
A generally accepted consensus in the cannabis community is that the origin of 4:20 can be traced back to a group of five students in Marin County, California, in the 1970s. This group of students would meet outside their high school at 4:20 p.m. for their marijuana smoke sessions.
How this made its way through California and the rest of the world, we may never know -- but you can bet that puffing and passing were involved.
7:10’s More Recent History
Similar to 420, the origins of 710 are shrouded in mystery and steeped in smoky stoner lore. The term “710” itself comes from the old oil caps on cars -- you remember the old joke about the clueless customer going to the mechanic to ask for a “new 710 cap” because theirs was lost, right? The mechanic and staff couldn’t figure it out until the customer wrote it down, and one of the guys behind the counter read it upside down -- an OIL cap.
From the internet research I did to discover the origins of 710, I found that this cultural addition was made sometime in 2010, but after July 10th. This means that the first official 7/10 celebration was July 10th, 2011. It appears that 7:10 was born via the grassroots Tokecity community, and it snowballed into an entity of its own, taking the cannabis community by an oil-slicked storm.
Ten years later and the holiday has been commercialized, though not as much at 420. Weed oil lovers can rejoice that there are 710 strains, 710 clubs, the 710 Degree Cup, the Formula710 cleaner, 710-friendly businesses and lodging, 710 gear, and more. Wearing something that says 710 can give a signal to other stoners that you are serious about your weed and can hold your own in a session -- the number is seen as a badge of respect in some circles.
Concentrate connoisseurs have not only adopted 7:10 (p.m., I assume -- unless they wake ‘n dab) as the ideal time to smoke cannabis oil and concentrates but also July 10th as the day to celebrate cannabis concentrates in all their forms. To double celebrate, true marijuana oil fans will heat up their rigs on 7/10 at 7:10 a.m. and 7:10 p.m., pull a big rip and make the most of the new stoner holiday. Who doesn’t want more ways and days to celebrate the awesomeness of weed?
Historically, the days leading up to and including April 20th have been big business days for recreational and medical marijuana dispensaries, and this year July 10th is getting in on the action too. You can expect to see sales and specials the first week of July so that stoners can stock up for the second high holiday of the year. Keep your eyes peeled for hot deals on cannabis concentrates and more.
Now that you know the stories, view an interactive map of marijuana legality by state. Laws are changing rapidly. Be sure to stay up to date and check with all local and federal laws.
The first:
On April 20th every year, cannabis users across the country smoke a little extra while gathering to celebrate their favorite plant. The holiday allegedly began in the 1970s when a group of kids, named 'The Waldos' thanks to their chosen hang-out spot (a wall), started meeting up at 4:20 to search for an abandoned cannabis crop. Since their meeting place was the Louis Pasteur statue on the grounds of San Rafael High School at 4:20, the phrase used to refer to the plan was “4:20 Louis.” After failing to find the crop multiple times, the phrase was shortened to “4:20," which eventually grew into a cannabis codeword for teens. As time has passed, theories about 420’s origin have also considered California’s penal code section for marijuana use, the police code for smoking and even the most ideal day to plant cannabis.
Towards the end of April, across the country, rallies, gatherings and smoke-ins give supporters a place to network, protest and commit good-natured civil disobedience (in the form of smoking in public). Places like Hippie Hill in San Francisco, California and Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado give way to massive smoke clouds in a combined celebration of enjoying and pushing for legal marijuana.
However, more recently, July 10th has also become a day equally celebrated in the cannabis community as April 20th. The date 7/10 is significant because when reading the numbers upside down, it spells out the word “oil.” July 10th is regarded as the 4/20 of dabbing, although the April holiday isn’t necessarily exclusive to smoking raw cannabis. 7/10 isn’t as political as its sister holiday, likely because dabbing is less popular and newer than simply smoking cannabis.
The Second story of 420 and 710:
4:20 History
The internet cannot decide where 420 originated; some sites say that it was the original police code for smoking in public or the preferred hotel room of the Grateful Dead when they were on tour.
A generally accepted consensus in the cannabis community is that the origin of 4:20 can be traced back to a group of five students in Marin County, California, in the 1970s. This group of students would meet outside their high school at 4:20 p.m. for their marijuana smoke sessions.
How this made its way through California and the rest of the world, we may never know -- but you can bet that puffing and passing were involved.
7:10’s More Recent History
Similar to 420, the origins of 710 are shrouded in mystery and steeped in smoky stoner lore. The term “710” itself comes from the old oil caps on cars -- you remember the old joke about the clueless customer going to the mechanic to ask for a “new 710 cap” because theirs was lost, right? The mechanic and staff couldn’t figure it out until the customer wrote it down, and one of the guys behind the counter read it upside down -- an OIL cap.
From the internet research I did to discover the origins of 710, I found that this cultural addition was made sometime in 2010, but after July 10th. This means that the first official 7/10 celebration was July 10th, 2011. It appears that 7:10 was born via the grassroots Tokecity community, and it snowballed into an entity of its own, taking the cannabis community by an oil-slicked storm.
Ten years later and the holiday has been commercialized, though not as much at 420. Weed oil lovers can rejoice that there are 710 strains, 710 clubs, the 710 Degree Cup, the Formula710 cleaner, 710-friendly businesses and lodging, 710 gear, and more. Wearing something that says 710 can give a signal to other stoners that you are serious about your weed and can hold your own in a session -- the number is seen as a badge of respect in some circles.
Concentrate connoisseurs have not only adopted 7:10 (p.m., I assume -- unless they wake ‘n dab) as the ideal time to smoke cannabis oil and concentrates but also July 10th as the day to celebrate cannabis concentrates in all their forms. To double celebrate, true marijuana oil fans will heat up their rigs on 7/10 at 7:10 a.m. and 7:10 p.m., pull a big rip and make the most of the new stoner holiday. Who doesn’t want more ways and days to celebrate the awesomeness of weed?
Historically, the days leading up to and including April 20th have been big business days for recreational and medical marijuana dispensaries, and this year July 10th is getting in on the action too. You can expect to see sales and specials the first week of July so that stoners can stock up for the second high holiday of the year. Keep your eyes peeled for hot deals on cannabis concentrates and more.
Now that you know the stories, view an interactive map of marijuana legality by state. Laws are changing rapidly. Be sure to stay up to date and check with all local and federal laws.
Where do you think 710 and 420 came from??
Nothing is too crazy for the meanings of 420 and 710 we don't think
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Thank you for your support. If you know the true meanining and origin of 710 and or 420 please email us. We would love to hear more. The lore is great so maybe we just keep the meaning of 710 and 420 in the cannabis community as it is, a story that gives us two unofficial holidays to celebrate cannabis in all of the forms. Happy 420 and 710!