420 is World Cannabis Day. Check out our great ways to celebrate Virginia's new favorite plant!
Whether you are brand new to cannabis, you use medical marijuana to treat the symptoms of a VA qualifying condition, or you are an old-school reefer enthusiast, there are plenty of things to celebrate in Virginia for 420 this year!
To help you get your party on right, Virginia Marijuana Card is having a blowout sale, offering $42 off of the price of new and renewal marijuana evaluations. On Tuesday, April 20th, 2021 only, schedule a marijuana evaluation appointment and enter the code 420BLOG for your special deal on this special day!
With adult-use marijuana being legal to possess, and personal-use cannabis plants being legal to grow starting July 1, 2021, you may feel more ready than ever to celebrate 420—and we hear you loud and clear!
However, you still need a valid VA medical marijuana card to legally possess marijuana before July 1. Additionally, no dispensaries will be licensed to distribute adult-use marijuana before the state manages to set up an infrastructure to support it, most likely not before 2024. Check out this article to understand the difference between adult-use laws and medical marijuana laws in Virginia.\
What Does 420 Mean?
Does 420 mean the marijuana product itself? Does 420 mean using marijuana? Does 420 mean having marijuana? The answer to all these questions is yes.
420 is a term that has come to mean all things cannabis. Vocal inflection and meanings within your own particular circle indicate which meaning related to marijuana that 420 refers to in any given use.
But where did the phrase 420 come from? And what can you do to celebrate the day, April 20th in Virginia? Let’s take a look at the history and origin of 420, and get some ideas for how everyone involved in Virginia cannabis culture—medical or otherwise—can join together to celebrate our favorite plant.
From San Rafael California to Virginia - How Did 420 Catch on in the US?
There are plenty of tales about where 420 originated:
Some say 420 was a civil code against smoking marijuana in California.
Others say 420 was a police code for catching people smoking marijuana in California.
Least favorite explanation: It’s a reference to Hitler’s birthday.
Fun Fact: Regardless of where it came from, the 2003 California medical marijuana act was named SB420.
Even though stoners will always be looking for pop culture references to 420, and there will always be tales to tell about its beginnings, the most supported origin story of 420 lies with a group of five San Rafael California teens, who just happened to be well-connected.
They were called the Waldos (for the highly imaginative reason that they hung out by a certain wall every day after school). The Waldos were involved in extracurricular activities, and they usually met up around 4:20 every day.
At some point, one of the Waldos learned of the tragedy of a Coast Guardsman who planted a marijuana plant and could no longer maintain his cultivation hobby. One of the young men had a treasure map, and they made a plan to find the secret garden of cannabis. They would meet on April 20th at 4:20, and embark on their mission to find the motherload of forgotten marijuana, blazing all the while.
One of the Waldos had a brother who did behind-the-scenes work for the Grateful Dead, and 420 started catching on within the band’s culture and eventually in the Deadhead community.
It was at this point that then High Times writer Steven Bloom attended a concert and was handed a flyer using 420 as code for smoking marijuana. He then published it in one of his articles, and the rest is history.
Seven Ways to Celebrate 420 in Virginia
Whether you are an old-school stoner, or you are just getting started with medical marijuana, we’ve got plenty of fun ideas for how you can celebrate this now famous day for cannabis. For some of these ideas, you don’t even need product to get started—just an open mind and possibly a generous heart.
Celebrate all day on April 20th, or celebrate every day at 4:20. Either way, this day is about the togetherness that plant medicine has inspired all over the country.
1. Get a Virginia Marijuana Card to Enjoy Medical Marijuana Now
As of right now, you need a Virginia marijuana card to legally celebrate 420 with marijuana. Fortunately, it's easy to qualify when you contact us for help!
Plus, for 4/20 only, we’ve got a special deal for patients to get $42 off their first or renewal marijuana evaluation with one of our compassionate doctors. If you need a Virginia marijuana card, contact us on 4/20/2021, to schedule an appointment, enter 420BLOG for $42 off your evaluation, and you could be getting the relief you need before you know it!
2. Visit a Virginia or DC Cannabis Dispensary
Once you have your marijuana card, you can visit any open dispensary in Virginia and purchase whatever your cannabis-loving heart desires.
Flower is coming to VA dispensaries, but it may be more of a wait, because it was only recently approved for distribution. However, there are plenty of other amazing products available. Virginia dispensaries carry edibles, tinctures, and topicals, and DC dispensaries do carry flower. The main thing about visiting a DC dispensary is that you still need to be mindful of Federal prohibition of crossing state lines with a Schedule I substance.
3. Plan Your Own Cannabis Garden
You may not be able to cultivate yet, but you can spend 4/20 this year dreaming about what you’ll put in the ground in just a few short months. Starting July 1, 2021, adults 21 and over can cultivate up to four marijuana plants as long as they are out of public view, properly labeled, and out of reach of anyone underage.
Spend some time on 4/20 shopping for cannabis seeds, planning your setup, and purchasing all the supplies you need for growing your own plant medicine at home.
4. Watch A Classic Stoner Movie
If you’re feeling like digging deep into the history of marijuana, you could go with Reefer Madness to have a laugh at the crazy propaganda against our favorite plant. Click the hyperlink to find the whole movie on YouTube. This 1937 movie was such a cultural phenomenon that they even made a musical based on it with Kristen Bell in 2005.
If you’re looking for less of a period piece for your marijuana-related entertainment on 4/20, you could go for a classic like Up in Smoke or Dazed and Confused. For more stoner movie ideas, check out this list.
5. Try Your Hand as a Cannabis Chef
Cooking with cannabis is not an easy art to master. But the trial and error portion of learning this new skill could be just as fun (if not more fun) than perfecting your craft on the first try. Just be careful to pace yourself so you don’t end up passed out on the floor before your brownies are even finished baking.
Consider getting a cookbook for yourself like this one, called Bong Appétit: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Weed [A Cookbook]. Or check out Cooked With Cannabis on Netflix for some high inspiration.
6. Learn How to Mind Your Cannabis Ps and Qs
You may not be sharing your stash with other Virginia marijuana cardholders due to COVID, but it’s not too early to learn that “bogarting the doob” is never good. No one likes getting called out for poor marijuana etiquette, but knowing the unspoken rules will make you look as suave as a good sativa will make you feel.
Check out Higher Etiquette: A Guide to the World of Cannabis, from Dispensaries to Dinner Parties, written by Lizzie Post, great granddaughter of etiquette queen Emily Post, to learn why pinkies are always up, even when passing around the bong.
7. Donate to a Cannabis Charity That Helps Everyone Live Their Best Lives
Think about spending that extra $42 you save off of a marijuana evaluation through Virginia Marijuana Card when you schedule on 4/20 and enter 420BLOG, on helping others.
You can help others through cannabis by donating to charities that conduct studies and help people get access, like Realm of Caring. Or you can help people whose lives have been devastated by unequal law enforcement for nonviolent cannabis-related crimes, through organizations like The Last Prisoner Project.
Either way, you are celebrating the togetherness that cannabis inspires, while helping yourself and others feel good about plant medicine.
Doctors Who Care. Relief You Can Trust.
At Virginia Marijuana Card, our mission is helping everyone achieve wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana. Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce stigma for our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
Call us at (877) 303-3117, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
Check out Virginia Marijuana Card’s Blog to keep up to date on the latest medical marijuana news, tips, and information. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to join the medical marijuana conversation in Virginia.