Yesterday was April 20, just another day on the calendar for most people. For others, though, the date carries a certain significance. What I am "reefering" to is that it's a day that just goes to pot for some people, where they have joint sessions and end up in the weeds.

Okay - I suppose that's enough with the puns... I'll just pull out a box of stoned wheat thins and... D'OH!

Seriously though - yesterday's date (4/20) is a subculture term for smoking pot. According to lore, it was coined in the early 70s:

Since it's also a convenient date, there are pot festivals nationwide on that date. Some involve the use of medicinal marijuana, and some are just promotions for legalization (including groups like CAMP, although in typical stoner fashion, they are putting theirs off until May).

My favorite 420 is made by Sweetwater Brewing in Atlanta. It's a delicious, crisp American-style pale ale. The company denies any reefer connection, but their trucks are covered in tie-dye art, so who are they kidding, really?

Marijuana was criminalized back when hemp was made illegal because W.R. Hearst felt it was too competitive with his paper business, and "bought" the legislation. After that came over-the-top scare campaigns like "Reefer Madness", and obscene "mandatory sentences" that sent young people to jail for possessing a single joint.

Today's culture still seems to be undecided about what to do with pot. Some people and companies realize that when consumed at home in modest quantities, there is no more to fear than someone having a cocktail after work. Some companies have taken it step further. A hotel in CA has announced it is "pot friendly", where guests are welcome to toke up in their rooms. I do have to wonder about the smoke detectors, though...

Still - despite marijuana being in the forefront of culture for over 40 years now, legalizing it still does not seem to be a good idea to a lot of people. A CNBC poll shows that 55 % of Americans are against legalization, while 33% are for it (the other 18% were too stoned to answer... Kidding!). Despite the valid argument that legalizing would increase tax revenues and decrease crime, still only 1/3 of the populace thinks it should be legalized. The splits occur along generational lines, so it's like that as time progresses, so too will the attitudes toward legalization.

So whether or not you celebrated yesterday, we raise a bong and say... um... what we were we talking about?....