quote:

---

What Does '420' Mean?

From Denise Witmer,
Your Guide to Parenting of Adolescents.

A recent discussion on our Parenting Advice and Support Forum, had this Guide in puzzlement. I had reported years ago that the term 420(pronounced four twenty, not four hundred and twenty), was police code for smoking marijuana in a feature on pager codes that teenagers use to "talk" to each other. I began researching the number again and it seems I was wrong. Read on to learn the myths, the truth about the origin and what this term means for parents.

Known Myths

-Police dispatch code for smoking pot is 420.
The number 420 is not police radio code for anything, anywhere. Checks of criminal codes suggest that the origin is neither Californian nor federal. For instance, California Penal Code 420 defines as a misdemeanor the hindrance of use of public lands.

-There are approximately 420 active chemicals in marijuana.
Actually, there are approximately 315 active chemicals in marijuana. This number goes up and down depending on which plant is used.

-April 20th is National Pot Smokers Day.
Well, it is now; but that wasn't the origin.

-April 20th is Hitler's birthday.
Yes, it is his birthday. But, as 420 started out as a time, not a date, his birthday had nothing to do with it.

-The date of the Columbine school shootings.
This happened after the term was already in use.

-4:20 is tea time for pot-smokers in Holland.
Tea time in Holland is at 5:30 pm, or is it 2:30 pm? Seems no one is quite sure when the wonderful people of Holland drink their tea.

The Origin Revealed

According to Steven Hager, editor of High Times, the term 420 originated at San Rafael High School, in 1971, among a group of about a dozen pot-smoking wiseacres who called themselves the Waldos, who are now pushing 50. The term was shorthand for the time of day the group would meet, at the campus statue of Louis Pasteur, to smoke pot. Intent on developing their own discreet language, they made 420 code for a time to get high, and its use spread among members of an entire generation. While our teens feel that they know something we don't, you can let them in on the fact that it was your generation that came up with the numbers.

A quote from one of the Waldos in the High Times article states, "We did discover we could talk about getting high in front of our parents without them knowing by using the phrase 420." Fortunately, your teenagers will not have that same option.

Whatever!

Simply put, 420 is a symbol of cannabis and its culture. Today, April 20th events are international, and 4:20 pm has become sort of a world wide "burn time". It certainly doesn't matter too much where the term came from because for us parents, it's a flag, a warning sign that our teenagers may be into something that could harm their future. When you see the symbol 420, be aware of what it represents.

---

 

---

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 09-25-2004, 09:11 AM:
 
Blah, blah, blah! It's not a specific time to get high since people get high all the time and don't wait for a specific time of day. It's not a "national smoke pot day" either, or a "warning sign."

Political comments removed by moderator
---

So anyway, back on topic. I noticed some strange things in "The Forgotten" last night... there are these strage orange dots that keep appearing....

=TMP=

[ 09-25-2004, 01:03 PM: Message edited by: Adam Martin ]
 

---

Posted by Kyle McEachern (Member # 2250) on 09-25-2004, 03:26 PM:
 
The projectionist must have spilled some orange soda or something on the print you were watching. I had that happen to me when I was watching Master and Commander and The Village. *shrug* I'm sure it was an isolated phenomenon, they wouldn't be dumb enough to ruin every movie with dots!
 

---

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 09-25-2004, 05:35 PM:
 
It may not be official Mike, but campus security (a few of which are actually police detachments) at five universities around here often use that code, jokingly or not, they all know what it means.
 

---

Posted by Adam Wilbert (Member # 1184) on 09-25-2004, 07:39 PM:
 
why in many police and detective movies must the hero develop a positive 8x10 photograph before seeing something? Can't they just look at the negative when they're using the enlarger?
 

---

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 09-26-2004, 02:33 AM:
 
Police need positive identification, duh!
 

---

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 09-26-2004, 02:59 AM:
 
On the imdb Pulp Fiction trivia page it says:

The shot of Vincent plunging the syringe into Mia's chest was filmed by having John Travolta pull the needle out, then running the film backwards.



That implies that they still actually stuck a needle in her chest. That sounds unlikely. Wouldn't they use a syringe with a retractable needle?
 

---

Posted by Erick Akers (Member # 875) on 09-26-2004, 03:05 AM:
 
How about Event Horizon?

In the ship they open a large sealed door by using the totally versatile Chicago Pneumatic Jitterbug sander circa 1960's.

The sander is completely undisguised and mounted to the wall. One press of the air switch and presto the door opens.

This is one of my most disappointing sci fi movie moments and completely eliminated my disassociation enjoyment not to mention my 4:20 Buzz.

I still cant bring myself to watch this movie.
 

---

Posted by Frank Jerkic (Member # 2446) on 09-26-2004, 10:08 PM:
 
Could it be that Mia hates getting needles but enjoys given them out thats why they run the film backwards lol?
After Vincent has marked Mia`s heart with a red permant marker, the spot is clearly showing. however, after he stick the needle in her chest, and she wakes up, the spot in her skin where the needle is stuck (or in any other place) is clean??
 

---

Posted by Tommie Evans (Member # 2674) on 09-27-2004, 04:48 PM:
 
On my copy of 'The Phantom Menace' Region 2 PAL DVD, there is a 1.5 second emulsion or negative? scratch. It's in the pod race sequence where a pit droid is sucked into one of the turbine engine and pops out the other side.

Tut, tut Mr Lucas
 

---

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 09-27-2004, 05:00 PM:
 
I thought those DVDs were from the digital masters, not telecined.
 

---