The Origins of Your Favorite Weed Slang

Have you ever wondered about the origins of your favorite weed slang?

There are a few reasons why weed has some of the best slang around. For starters, you can find weed pretty much anywhere. There are diverse strains and customs surrounding the herb, and each language has its own ways of referencing it.

Secondly, until recently, marijuana smokers were an illegal and persecuted subculture. People needed to refer to the reefer without getting arrested.

And most importantly, pot smokers are a creative bunch, with or without (but most certainly with) a little green inspiration. From 420 essentials to the dank deep cuts, here are the origins of your favorite weed slang.

420

For those too embarrassed to ask, we’ll lay this one out for you. Long before 420 was an international holiday, a group of ’70s high school kids who called themselves the Waldos used it as a code for getting high.

These California Mary J enthusiasts blazed by a statue of Louis Pasteur near their Bay Area high school they attended at exactly 4:20. In a twist of fate, the Grateful Dead hired one of these weed connoisseurs as a roadie.

History was made when, inspired by the roadie, Deadheads invited everyone to a 420-themed party on 4/20 at 4:20. Of course, High Times did its part by publishing one of the 420 flyers in 1991.

Today, 420 is synonymous with weed—all thanks to us, the Grateful Dead and some Cali stoners. The origins of your favorite weed slang wouldn’t be complete without a reference to our favorite holiday.