JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Medical marijuana patients and those who want to learn more about the benefits of legal cannabis, get ready to celebrate 4/20.
420 At Wildcrafters: Cannabis Celebration is taking place on April 20 starting at 3 p.m. at the booze-free bar in Riverside.
The free, 18 and up event will feature live music from The Band Be Easy, as well as a DJ set from Jsun "the infader." The purpose -- to educate the community on the benefits of becoming a legal cannabis patient.
Host Teeroy from 93.3 The Beat will also be there. There will be alcohol-free, infused cocktails available, as well as local vendors, dispensaries, food, giveaways and more.
"Meet and hang out with like-minded individuals and get your medical card onsite!" the Facebook page for the event says.
There will also be a private VIP party starting at 7 p.m. with a special acoustic set by The Band Be Easy. For VIP tickets, call 904-405-8627.
The term "420" became synonymous with smoking marijuana throughout the late 1970s. While there are several theories swirling online about the origin of the term, from claims 420 was police code for "marijuana smoking in progress" to false assertions that there are 420 chemicals in cannabis (there are reportedly 483), the real origin dates back to 1971.
According to multiple reports online, a group of high school kids in San Rafael, California, would meet up at 4:20 p.m. after school each day to search for an abandoned cannabis crop in the Point Reyes Forest. They never found it, but their meeting time evolved into their own secret code word for meeting up to smoke marijuana.
The group of teens had several connections to jam band the Grateful Dead, and through interactions with band members and its fan base, the term caught on, thanks in part to a "High Times" writer getting his hands on a flyer advertising a 4:20 meetup on April 20, 1990.
The date is now marked by cannabis consumers worldwide, including Northeast Florida.
The event is free, but it is limited to those 18 and up. The address is 2105 Park St. in Jacksonville.