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Fact or Fiction: 4/20 was the penal code section for marijuana use in California?

Posted at 8:00 PM, Apr 20, 2023
and last updated 2023-04-20 23:00:35-04

(KGTV) — 4/20 is a day synonymous with smoking marijuana, but why?

Some say 4-20 was the penal code section for marijuana use in California.

But that's fiction.

Section 4-20 refers to obstructing entry on public land.

Another rumor is that 4-20 was the police radio code for "Marijuana Smoking in Progress."

Again not true.

The only police radio code we found that uses 420 is in Las Vegas and it's used for homicide.

So what's the truth?

It is now widely believed that 4-20 actually started in 1971 at San Rafael High School in Northern California.

That's the time a group of pot-smoking students met each day to do their thing.