April 20th is just a regular date, right? Well to many people in the world, 4/20 is so much more, to many people 4/20 is a day of celebration. When we discuss celebrations we think of family, friends, laughs, and memories. But when it comes to April 20th to many people it is a holiday. A holiday to get high. April 20th is known as “Weed Day”. 4/20 is considered Weed Day because it is said to be the numerical code when it comes to marijuana. When this date comes many teens and adults find it as an excuse to get high. Some people post pictures or videos on social media, while others post themselves doing marijuana on Snapchat. Adults and teens see it as a day to get high and forget all their problems, but this date does more bad than good. April 20th is not a day of celebration it is a day of concern.
Where did 4/20 come from?
4/20 has many theories of how it was created. Some say it was created because of a police radio code, but that is not true. The only known police department to have a 4/20 radio code is the San Francisco Police department but it is code for juvenile disturbance. According to some people, the music icon Bob Dylan wrote a lyric that said, “Everybody must get stoned,” but according to people it doesn’t make sense and Mr. Dylan has never confirmed that they are linked to each other.
But where did 4/20 come from?
According to an article on CNN.com, 420 began in the early 1970’s, among high school students. These students who called themselves “The Waldos” attended San Rafael High in Marin County, California. The group of friends would meet at 4:20 p.m. to get high. “The Waldos” liked this time because they were not in school and their parents were not home. They would say 420 as a code to keep their parents from knowing they were going to get high.
4/20 is known in the cannabis culture, which refers to consuming cannabis.
April 20: A day of concern not a day of celebration:
Many adults and teens get attracted to the entire 4/20 experience. They want to get high with their friends or family and many of them just want to be part of the holiday. Yes, it might be known to be a day to be cool and a day to fit in, but there are major repercussions when it comes to getting high. After reading the statistics found maybe those who want to get high, will think twice.
According to LIVE SCIENCE website, there was a study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine that analyzed how 4/20 is linked to fatal car accidents. The study was based on data found on fatal car crashes in the United States. The study focused on a 25-year period. According to the LIVE SCIENCE article, “The researchers found that, in total, there were 1,369 drivers involved in fatal car crashes after 4:20 p.m. on April 20, compared with 2,453 drivers involved in fatal crashes during the same time on April 13th and April 27th (a week before and a week after April 20th) combined. Which means 7.1 fatal crashes per hour on April 20th, versus 6.4 fatal crashes per hour on April 13th and April 27th.” (Rettner, LIVESCIENCE).
According to the study, 38% of 21-year-old drivers have the highest risk. Also, the researchers stated that the highest number of fatal crashes were in New York, Texas, and Georgia. Also, according to the study before 4:20 there was not an increase in fatal crashes.
According to Dr. John Staples, one of the lead authors of the study and a clinical assistant Professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia Center for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences,
“It is possible that some states with high base rates of cannabis consumption exhibit little increase in consumption on 4/20.” The study collected data in the last 25 years, which means it includes data from when marijuana became legal in some states.
According to LIVESCIENCE, “One-fifth of Americans now live in states that have legalized recreational cannabis, and legalization is set to occur for all Canadians in July 2018,” Staples said in a statement. “We hope that legalization doesn’t lead to more people driving while high.”
Drinking while driving or driving when intoxicated is dangerous and can cause severe damage. But we need to start realizing that driving while “HIGH” is just as dangerous. As 4/20 approaches be cautious of your surroundings. Driving Drunk is no longer our only concern, but we need to start concentrating on driving high as well because the statistics don’t lie. Access Counseling Group wants to help spread awareness about this dangerous, so-called celebration. For more information regarding 4/20 please contact our Frisco office and we will be happy to answer any questions.