WASHINGTON — As you may or may not know, April 20 is something of a high holiday among cannabis connoisseurs.
The numerical code 420 holds special significance for pot smokers around the world as a time and day to gather together to smoke marijuana.
How this particular three digits became such a universally recognized short hand is hard to pin down, but according to Chris Conrad, curator of the Oaksterdam Cannabis Museum in Oakland, California, it dates back to 1971 and a group of high school friends who called themselves The Waldos. These friends would gather after school at exactly 4:20 p.m. to smoke weed, and used the code 420 to discuss plans in front of unsuspecting adults. From there, the use of the term spread across the country, and eventually the world.
Fast forward about 50 years, and marijuana is no longer spoken of in code. In fact, it's big business. Many states have legalized marijuana for both medical and recreational use, and websites are dedicated to the latest cannabis news and reviews.
One such website is Leafly. According to the website, Leafly is meant to help people discover cannabis products and order them from legal licensed retailers.
Now that April 20 is here again, Leafly has teamed up with several artists across the country to commission murals, which can be purchased as NFTs.
Murals have gone up in Chicago, Portland, Toronto and here in Washington, D.C.
The D.C. mural, created by artist Shawn Perkins, aka SP The Plug, is located at 3124 Georgia Avenue Northwest. Titled "Green Means Go," it depicts a Black woman in sunglasses and bold jewelry enjoying a joint.
Proceeds from the purchase of Perkins' NFT mural benefit the Center for Black Equity, an organization with the goal of improving the lives of the Black LGBTQIA+ community.
For information on how to purchase the mural, click here.