420: How Gen Zers are keeping the decades-long tradition alive.

Written by: Nana Kojo Mula.

We are all facing one issue or another and we all have our ways of dealing with these issues that come in the form of stress, pain and headache. As Ghanaian singer Mista Myles said in his song ‘Sober,’ “Man is never sober.” Man is really never sober as we all turn to something to take the pain away. While some turn to sex, others turn to God, alcohol or drugs. For this article, I will be focusing on drugs. Someone’s drug may be a person or money while for others it might be a substance. This article focuses on one substance which is seeing a heavy increase in its consumption in diverse forms and how Gen Zers are keeping the decades-long 420 tradition alive. While some people use this substance for health purposes, it has become a lifestyle and status symbol for others. The substance in question is Marijuana also called ‘Weed/wee/herb/J/tampi.’

Weed is regarded by many as one of God’s many gifts to man, to keep us in a state of calm and bliss. Something that is associated with the substance is the number 420. This number is associated with weed so much that it is even used as the code name for the drug in some places. The time 4:20 and date April 20th are all regarded as important moments to people that consume the substance.

420 represents the 20th day of April in every year, which is set aside to celebrate the consumption of weed in all forms; be it smoke, brownies, cakes, stews, punches and in most Ghanaian High Schools shito. Further research confirms that 420 is indeed a day of celebrating the consumption of weed. The unofficial holiday is traced back to the 1970s when a group of teenagers named “Waldos” from San Rafael High School in Marian County in the United States would meet and smoke marijuana at 4:20 every day. The time of their ritual would soon become the code name for marijuana. Over the years, the ritual will become popular among teenagers and other people. Subsequently, artists and other creatives would reference the ritual and code name in their works. Fast forward to several decades later, the ritual has become very popular. In today’s age of social media, whenever the clock hits 4:20, people will post memes, pictures or videos of themselves helping themselves to some marijuana. The ritual peaks on the 20th of April every year when lovers of marijuana celebrate the substance and the culture. Despite my findings, I still felt a few things were missing and with April being a Marijuana Awareness month, I decided to put this article together to further understand what 420 is and its significance to the people that celebrate it. To help me understand what the day represents and its importance to today’s youth, I spoke to some anonymous consumers of the substance to gain further insights.

Zee:

For someone who considers herself shy, weed gives her the confidence to talk to others. Especially others who are consumers of the weed. Zee believes weed is like a social platform. Weed is to its consumers what Tinder is to single people searching for love. She characterizes this by saying, “Firstly yes I think marijuana helps with socializing because I have a lot of instances where at parties for example, as a shy person I hardly go to people to engage in conversations but I might ask for a lighter, rolling paper or something and people will get to know I smoke so yes it’s kind of helping with socializing not necessarily unifying…” She also shared with me how as a young girl she began associating with stoners in her neighbourhood who introduced her to smoking. It did have a negative impact on her lifestyle but it actually helped with her anxiety. She added that how one consumes it will determine how it affects but for her, weed is very spiritual.Zee was introduced to the 420 concepts by friends who were used to celebrating the day. She added that there was ‘Weedaclus’ fever in her town where dealers would literally be weed Santas by doing giveaways. For her, there is still some backlash she faces, as she is constantly told she would become a bad person if she continues consuming the substance. She mentions good weed, good friends, a nice location, good conversation and ‘All I Need in this Life of Sins’ playlist as her essentials for celebrating 420. She also shared how addiction is real and suggested that if possible, people weigh the pros and cons before consuming. “I’m not going to encourage or discourage anybody to start smoking weed. As I said, it is something spiritual and you can either pull the best or the worst out of it. I’d say study your body and the way you react to it, be self-aware and don’t try to push your limits. Take it easy, always. I’m genetically predisposed to addiction actually because I’ve been addicted to other substances but weed has never felt like it was one. On the other hand, it has always helped me to keep away from others. I’d also say again, it is not some clout thing. Don’t smoke because of peer pressure or any other stupid reason, smoke because you feel like it and you think it might help or add something to your life.”

Kay:

In Kay’s words, there is truth in the assertion that marijuana is a unifier of people. He did, however, mention that he picked up smoking on his own and shared that, over time, it has influenced some aspects of his lifestyle. He makes sure it does not affect the majority of it and maintains that he still has a grip on his life when he is sober. On what 420 is and how he celebrates, he said, “I smoke with my guys and homegirls. Probably eat and sip some juice(infused). 420 is considered an occasion for smoking or consuming cannabis. My first 420 experience was fun.”

O.G:

OG reaffirmed the assertion of weed being a unifier. However, his introduction to the drug was different. His first encounter with weed was in university through friends. Over time, it did also start influencing his lifestyle. According to him, “There is a very big truth in that statement. Yes, my first time with marijuana was as a teenager. A few weeks in Uni and I had some friends who already had been smoking. We were hanging out one evening and they passed it over to me. I never did mention I haven’t smoked before and I was curious to try it. I believe it’s played a huge influence on my lifestyle.” Sharing his own 420 experience, he said his very first one “was in 2015. My roommates hosted another stoner schoolmate and we had our little party. To be honest, I just live it like a normal day, haha. I think I’m fortunate to be in a generation that has less criticism of the culture. I have hardly gotten any serious criticism. I’ll tell anyone considering smoking to brace themselves for a life-changing experience, haha. My essentials are my weed, rizla, lighter and good music.

Tife:

Also, a beneficiary of the bond weed creates among strangers, Tife explains how indulging in weed has helped her make a lot of friends over the years. Although some will find it uncomfortable having a total stranger walk up to start a convo off the back of weed, she tells me she does not find it uncomfortable at all. For her, there is a level of excitement she feels when she meets a fellow stoner. In her case, she got introduced to the drug at a friend’s party and since then, she has never shied away from indulging even around strangers as long as they are stoners like her. “That feeling of home and comfort is how I feel when a stoner walks up to me. And when I have weed on me, I gladly share. Even if it is my last ‘J,’ I will offer some two or three drags. I always share,” she adds. To her, 420 is a “stoner visibility day.” Regardless of how often you smoke, that day always has a special touch to it. As the day doubles as a friend’s birthday, she and her friends have a double celebration. In fact, she only found out about 420 quite recently on Twitter. She revealed that she has not had negative encounters with the substance nor has she received any negative backlash. Rather, she has been told to be mindful of how she consumes weed. She added that weed had actually done miracles on her. As someone who had a temper, weed actually helps her be calm. She says she “used to have crazy anger issues for reasons I don’t even know. But when you start getting high, there is a level of understanding that comes to you that makes you understand not every situation demands a reaction. I do get irritated but I get more relaxed now.” Sharing her essentials for any stoner, all you need is weed, a crusher, lighter, rolling papers and music.

Cece:

For Cece, she did not shy away from giving weed a shot when she saw a friend using it back in senior high school. The friend did not offer it to her, she saw it and just went for it. Although she had started using early, she did not notice any influence from the drug at least not until her rate of consumption increased. She did however hear about 420 through memes even before she became a stoner. Over the years she has cultivated her own routine in commemorating the holiday. With respect to that she says, “I generally don’t like smoking with a lot of people. but if there’s a hotbox session, I’ll join in the spirit of the holiday. I have my snacks, rizz and scissors forever ready. And my 420 music changes from time to time. but I really love 80s music. Most recently I’ve been obsessed with it.” She further spoke on the stigma people who smoke receive and the stereotypes associated with the drug can be frustrating and annoying. Many people automatically assume you’re a “bad person.” Eventually, many people are surprised when they find out she does not drink or indulge in other drugs. She shared an observation though, that “As much as I love getting high, I do realize it can be quite addicting. I wouldn’t advise anyone to start young. and to always know their limits; and when to stop. Also, periodically take breaks to cleanse your immune system. And most importantly, something many people take for granted, good oral hygiene. A lot of smokers don’t always brush their teeth which they should as well as taking care of their lips. From the very beginning I’ve considered it. I don’t even want to reach the dependency, but I have slipped there in the past. like I said before, know when to stop. and I take a lot of breaks. Plus, breaks help with your tolerance and there’s nothing more pleasurable than that first hit after a tolerance break.”

At the end of the day, 420 culture is growing across the world. As a matter of fact, the stereotypes surrounding it are getting debunked day by day. One thing all my volunteers do wish and hope for is for weed to become legalized in our part of the world. There are already conversations brewing and with time, we would know if it gets legalized or not. Either way, my stoners will continue to uphold the good name of weed and celebrate the holiday in their own ways. As a Tweep once said, “we all need some weed in our life.” From my conversation it seems, she was not too far away from the truth or was she? Time, they say, will tell.

If you are reading this and you are a stoner, I want to wish you a happy 420. If you are not, that is very okay and it is probably not your thing. Here is a playlist to commemorate 420 Day. Enjoy.