Need assistance getting a cannabis business license? Schedule a Free Consultation
Cannabis enthusiasts in Vermont are looking forward to celebrating one of their favorite holidays this month: 4/20.
The day is renownedly known all over the world as the “pot holiday” and exists to celebrate all things related to cannabis.
The event has gained traction locally and within the state as cannabis was legalized in 2018 and as the Vermont Cannabis Control Board began laying frameworks for a regulated market in 2022.
While most are unsure of how the term “420” came about, the holiday, however, precedes the legalization of cannabis in Vermont and has ties that go back to the late 20th century on the other side of the country.
The story goes that in 1971, in San Rafael, California, a group of five high school students came up with a plan to find an abandoned cannabis crop using a treasure map made by the grower. They agreed to meet at a specific time, which they referred to as “4:20”, to begin their search.
The group became known as the “Waldos,” and saved postmarked letters and other artifacts from the 1970s referencing “420,” which they archived, and when the Oxford English Dictionary added the term in 2017, it cited some of those documents as the entry’s earliest recorded uses.
The numerical sequence was revived again in the 1990s when Steve Bloom, a reporter for the cannabis magazine High Times, was at a Grateful Dead show when he was handed a flier urging people to “meet at 4:20 on 4/20 for 420-ing.” His company, the High Times, published it, and the term grew in popularity.
For local cannabis entrepreneur Scott Sparks of the Vermont Bud Barn, April 20 closely mirrors the community’s enthusiasm for marijuana. Sparks says the day is about celebrating cannabis and fostering community relationships.
“Now that cannabis is legal in Vermont and ‘out of the closet,’ people can enjoy openly discussing the plant and their relationship to it, as well as sharing stories from their pre-legal days,” said Sparks. “It is a great way to build community relationships.”
Sparks said that the celebration also presents an opportunity to put on events that further draw locals into learning more about cannabis. To celebrate, Sparks plans to host an event for cannabis retailers and consumers.
“Cannabis retailers have very few opportunities to be part of or to put on “events,” but 4/20 is one that we have to acknowledge. It brings the cannabis community together in a fun way to celebrate our love for the plant and cannabis culture in general,” said Sparks.
To properly celebrate, Sparks has filled the day out with celebratory music, food, and events.
“We will be hosting about eight southern Vermont cultivators in a tent out front of our store from about noon to 4:20 p.m. on Saturday, 4/20. We will also have Paradox Pastry showcase their incredible donuts and assorted baked goods, and our always popular food truck neighbor, Jamaican Jewelz, will serve up the best Jamaican food. That evening, we will be moving the celebration over to Stone Church, where the growers will be on hand to introduce themselves and discuss their brands. The bands playing are The Trichomes and Club d’Elf. Vermont Bud Barn will be supplying free munchies while they last.”
For Eli Harrington, a cannabis advocate, grower, and CEO of Vermontijuana 4/20 today is a nostalgic opportunity to remember celebrations of the past.
“It’s remembering the evolution of having smoke-outs on the green to having licensed businesses and retail partners to sell products in a legal regulated market. Its wild to see how far things have come in that context,” said Harrington. “I think 4/20 has really shifted into something that is more consumer-focused and now even has a commercial aspect to it.”
“A lot of us stoners who were watching Half Baked ten years ago are now legal business owners. Now we are thinking about discounts, promotions and specials.”
Harrington said that growers in the area would also symbolically start their cannabis seeds on April 20.
“On the cultivation side, people have considered it as an unofficial start to the season, but people have the tendency to always start things early. That’s the connection on the grower’s side. People are stir-crazy by late April and they want to go outside and garden,” noted Harrington
