Saddleback College to close campus in observance of 4/20
California State Governor Jerry Dank signs ordinance establishing April 20 a statewide holiday
California’s governor signed the California Cannabis Industry Association and Weedmaps.com proposed OIL-420 bill that enacts April 20 as a statewide holiday at Oakland’s Telegraph Health Center cannabis clinic. Saddleback College, along with other community colleges within the state will close their campus in observance of the holiday.
Along with OIL-420, the state of California has passed the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 and the Adult Use of Marijuana Act or Proposition 64 that regulate marijuana within the state. The Bureau of Cannabis Control and Cannabis Regulatory Authority have set up a task force that will supervise and monitor public participation and observance of the holiday.
The CCIA and Weedmaps.com teamed together and worked on drafting the bill after Proposition 64 passed and allowed for the sale and taxation of recreational marijuana on Jan. 1. The CCIA wanted to create and promote a responsible and legitimate cannabis celebration. Weedmaps.com plans to promote free delivery services on the new statewide holiday.
“We celebrate everything from Arbor Day to Groundhog Day to a National Day of Prayer,” said Bill Sativa in a petition on change.org. “It’s high time we had a weed day. Because if we can set days aside to pay tribute to trees, a rodent or a space ghost, we can certainly designate one day to officially recognize a true American institution.”
According to Live Science, the term “420” and its connotations within marijuana culture originated in the 1970s from a group of individuals, called the Waldos, who lived in San Rafael, California. The group would meet at a local statue at 4:20 p.m. afterschool to search for a hidden nuggets of weed within the town. The Waldos were ultimately able to find the secret stash of weed after numerous decades of searching for their car keys.
