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No. The most common tale is that 420 is the police radio code or criminal code (and therefore the police "call") in certain part(s) of California (e.g. in Los Angeles or San Francisco) for having spotted someone consuming cannabis publicly, i.e. "pot smoking in progress"; that local cannabis users picked up on the code and began celebrating the number temporally (esp. 4:20 a.m., 4:20 p.m., and April 20); that the number became nationally popularized in the late 1980s and, more ferverently, in the early- to mid-1990s; and is colloquially applied to a variety of relaxed and/or inspired contexts, including not only pot consumption but also a "good time" more generally (in contrast to the drug war surrounding).

And Chris Dolmetsch reported (1/8/03) that he "used to write for a local newspaper and I once toured the Hamilton, NJ police station for a story. While I was in the dispatch center, I glanced at their list of dispatch codes and there it was, plain as day: a 420, marijuana smoking. So I don't know how these guys determined that it's not a police code anywhere but it's not true."

Most, however, insist that 420 is not police radio code for anything, anywhere. Checks of criminal codes (including those of the City of San Francisco, the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, the State of California, and the federal penal code) suggest that the origin is neither Californian nor federal (the two best guesses). For instance, California Penal Code 420 defines as a misdemeanor the hindrance of use ("obstructing entry") of public lands, and California Family Code 420 defines what constitutes a wedding ceremony (Marco). One state does come close: "The Illinois Department of Revenue classifies the Alcoholic Liquor Act under Part 420, and the Cannabis and Controlled Substances Tax Act are next, under Part 428." (RB 5/19/99)

Related FAQ pages:

• Well, then what does 420 mean?
• Why did it come to mean that?
• What are some other explanations of what it means?
• What does 420 have to do with Phish?
• Am I crazy, or is the number 420 everywhere recently?

He said, "Son, that's just the way it is." Some things will never change.
... But don't you believe them ~ Bruce Hornsby