Tomorrow is April 20 or “four-twenty” — a phrase that’s gone from an inside joke for stoners to a recognizable piece of pop culture. We don’t even blink now when 420 ads pop up on billboards, magazines, or websites. Dispensaries have entered the mainstream and while not exactly Sears or Walmmart, they’ve become — dare I say it? — ingrained in our economic fabric.
But it took a while to get here. Longer than it should’ve.
After voters had their say, medical marijuana use in Nevada was legalized in 2001. But there wasn’t anywhere to legally buy the stuff until laws changed in 2013, allowing the first dispensary in the state to open two years later.
Voters approved recreational use in 2016 and the first sales requiring a simple proof of age took place on Friday, June 30, 2017. Lines wrapped around the block as hundreds queued up at Essence Cannabis on the northeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara, technically just outside the Strip border. Ricky Nault was the first customer through the door, earning a round of applause from the staff.
Now, more than 70 legal dispensaries in Southern Nevada are rolling out their best 420 discounts. So where did the term come from anyway? The phrase is traced back to a tight-knit group of young Grateful Dead fans in the ‘70s, referring to a time when the youngsters would light up after school. It evolved to reflect April 20 as well and now we’re celebrating sales, parties, events, festivals, and celebrity endorsements — all tied to the business of weed. Maybe it will become a national holiday at some point?
