Marketing 4/20

Awful segue I know.

MSNBC article is even worse than I was in the above post. They had the following headline:

Capitalist buzz builds around stoner ‘holiday’
Blunt efforts to make a buck off ‘420,’ once just a counterculture affair

Now if you don't know about "420", here's from Wikipedia:

4:20 or 4/20 (pronounced four-twenty) is a term used in North America as a discreet way to refer to the consumption of cannabis and, by extension, a way to identify oneself with the drug subculture around cannabis. Phrases such as "420 friendly" sometimes appear in roommate advertisements, indicating that the current occupants are tolerant of cannabis users.

Origins and observances:

Although many diverse theories exist to explain the origin of the term, one central root of the phrase stems from a group of teenagers at San Rafael High School in San Rafael, California in 1971; the teens would meet after school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke cannabis at the Louis Pasteur statue. The term became part of their group's salute, "420 Louis!", and became popularized in the late 1980s by fans of The Grateful Dead. Many North American cannabis users continue to observe 4:20 as a time to smoke communally. By extension April 20 ("4/20" in U.S. dating shorthand) has evolved into a counterculture holiday, where people gather to celebrate and consume cannabis.

As an alcohol and drug counselor I have been aware of this counterculture for quite a few years now, which is probably why the coincidence of stoning Stephen with 4/20 caught my funny bone. In schools around the country, 4/20 is often a day to dread- or at least increase awareness. I have known heavy users who would get up at 4:20 am to start the day right, probably smoke during the day and then make sure that they gather again with friends at 4:20 pm. More marijuana smokers in recovery are likely to relapse on 4/20 than just about any other day.

In some ways it has become the stoner's version of New Year's Eve or St. Patrick's Day, which says that drinkers shouldn't shake their heads in dismay. Rituals like this are part of life- and an essential part of drug using behavior. In fact the "high" begins with the first stages of the planning which is a basic part of the ritual.

Well, as the article mentioned above says the urge to make money even gets into the counter culture. Harold and Kumar is using the 4/20 connection, for example, to get people in the ritual for the movie. Nothing is free from commercialization.

So if you are in recovery- be careful out there this weekend.