<p>I remember the year D1 was a freshman in college and subtly dropped jokes about 4/20 (I think she had mono at the time and was rueing the fact that some of her friends were ‘having fun’). I had no idea what it was and felt like the only parent on earth who didn’t know once she told me.</p>
<p>So tomorrow is the 4th year of my new ‘awareness’, and I was just wondering, are there any new college parents out there who are as clueless as I was?</p>
<p>I didn’t know what it was until an hour or so when I read a NY Times article related to it. My older son went to college in 2001, my younger S is a college soph, and I even have friends who are college students.</p>
<p>What, since when is Hitler’s birthday reason for celebrating?</p>
<p>I’m joking. I’m a student now, and I first got wind of 4/20 during my senior year of high school while working at a restaurant. It’s definitely observed on my campus though. Is it a coincidence that it’s the same day as Earth Day? I wonder.</p>
<p>OK, I’ll bite. What’s 4/20?</p>
<p>[Urban</a> Dictionary: 4/20](<a href=“http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=4%2F20]Urban”>Urban Dictionary: 4/20)</p>
<p>I learned what it was my sophomore year of high school. We had a very large group of…ah…participants.</p>
<p>National Marijuana Day
One explanation of the origin of the term stems from a story about a group of teenagers at San Rafael High School in San Rafael, California, United States in 1971. The teens would meet after school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke marijuana at the Louis Pasteur statue. The exact time was chosen because that was the time that afternoon detention was dismissed. By extension April 20 (“4/20” in U.S. date notation) has evolved into a counterculture holiday, where people gather to celebrate and consume cannabis. In some locations this celebration coincides with Earth Week. In Dunedin, New Zealand, members of Otago NORML were arrested and issued trespass notices after attempting to openly smoke cannabis on the Otago University Union Lawn at the regular 4:20pm protest meetings. A large celebration is held every year on the University of Colorado’s Boulder’s campus, with attendance reaching more than 10,000 in 2008. University police have tried various methods to prevent the gathering, including photographing students participating in the event, but the crowd has grown every year.
<p>Icarus–my virus protector detected a virus on the site you posted above, #5.</p>
<p>It was IDd as Bloodhound.</p>
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Earth Day is 4/22.</p>
<p>I first heard the term about 4 yrs ago when my son was still in high school. When my D was looking for a room to rent on Craigslist I noticed quite a number of listings that stated 4/20 friendly household.</p>
<p>Formerly clueless–I learn something new every day. . .</p>
<p>10th anniversary of Columbine. Thought about it as I entered the local HS for some volunteer work this morning.</p>
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<p>hmm, sorry about that - it’s a pretty common website. Bloodhound is an old virus (it used a security weakness in IE from like 2004), and has since been associated with a lot of false positives if you have your virus scanner’s settings set to “high”. I wouldn’t worry about it unless you haven’t updated windows since 04 :)</p>
<p>Ah, so that’s why one of my Facebook friends said “Happy 4/20.”</p>
<p>Learn something new every day. ;)</p>
<p>It is interesting to note the references this has in our pop culture. In the movie “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” the score of the football game was 42-0. Also you will notice that most of the clocks in Pulp Fiction are set at 4:20. Quinten’s little joke.</p>
<p>KROQ in L.A. announces 4:20 p.m. nearly every day during my afternoon commute…</p>
<p>****in’ potheads. </p>
<p>[420</a> drug term meaning origin](<a href=“http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/marijuana/a/420meaning.htm]420”>Teen Drug Use Warning Signs and Advice)</p>
<p>Just spoke with college soph son. He had his advising appointment today. He said the professor was 45 minutes late. He made a quick comment regarding art professors and 4/20. I let the comment pass. Don’t know if my son knows that I know what 4/20 means.</p>
<p>I think that’s part of the appeal, that it’s supposed to be this ‘secret’ stoner term. The stoner kids at a local high school were getting really blatant–a few even had 420 shirts made up, so the juvenile judge decided that 4/20 is also a good day to drug test the teens on probation. At least they’ve learned discretion. :)</p>
<p>My son got the most recent Rolling Stone magazine with Kings of Leon on the cover. One of the band members said, “Marijuana is a gate drug. It leads to sweatpants and cheetos.”</p>
<p>4/20 is a ‘secret’ term? Huh? Granted maybe it’s just because I’m a teenager, but there is no real secrecy regarding the term among high school/college kids…</p>
<p>Jeez, this is dumb. Sorry I asked.</p>