April 20 – “420” – has been a big part of cannabis culture for decades.
As more and more states decriminalize the use of cannabis, several of the nation’s major food outlets have started running marketing campaigns around 4/20.
And this year Jimmy John’s is hoping to entice cannabis lovers with this Deliciously Dope Dime Bag special on 4/20.
April 20 is an international counterculture holiday that is based solely on the celebration and consumption of cannabis.
The holiday came about in 1971 when a group of high school students in San Rafael, California used the term “4:20” in connection with a plan to search for an abandoned cannabis crop based on a treasure map made by the grower.
“It started with a group of bell-bottomed buddies from San Rafael High School in California, who called themselves ‘the Waldos,’” PBS reported. “A friend’s brother was afraid of getting busted for a patch of cannabis he was growing in the woods at Point Reyes, so he drew a map and gave the teens permission to harvest the crop, the story goes.”
“During fall 1971, at 4:20 p.m., just after classes and football practice, the group would meet up at the school’s statue of chemist Louis Pasteur, smoke a joint and head out to search for the weed patch,” PBS continued. “They never did find it, but their private lexicon — ‘420 Louie’ and later just ‘420’ — would take on a life of its own.”
With millions of cannabis users worldwide, most people today have heard or know about “420.”
And now that cannabis is legal in 38 states for medical use and in 24 states for recreational use, several big corporations have started to use the counterculture holiday as a marketing gimmick.
Jimmy John’s is one of America’s most popular sandwich chains.
And on this April 20, Jimmy John’s is hoping to entice cannabis lovers to stop by and grab a sandwich in honor of “the highest of unofficial holidays.”
For $10, customers will be able to get a “Deliciously Dope Dime Bag” at Jimmy John’s.
“This $10 meal is designed to quell the munchies with a ham and provolone sandwich topped with jalapeño mayo and pickles,” Dexerto reported. “Customers will also get a fudge chocolate brownie and a serving of Jimmy’s chips.”
But Jimmy John’s is not the only food “joint” taking advantage of 4/20.
&pizza is offering a deal called “Daze of Stonemas” that includes a Munchies Bundle for $20 “where customers get a pizza, a portion of knots, a drink, and a dessert.”
Jack in the Box teamed up with the website Weedmaps to release the Jack in the Box Edible Assortment Food Trucks in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco on April 20.
Even Popeyes is jumping on the cannabis train by offering a “Munchies Menu” throughout the weekend that includes a chicken sandwich deal, appropriately priced at $4.20.
On 4/20, Wienerschnitzel lovers can grab a free brownie shake with in-store and online orders by using the code Munchies.
Of course, cannabis is still illegal in many states like Georgia and Alabama.
Unless you live in one of the states that have decriminalized the use of cannabis, it’s probably best to avoid publicly celebrating this counterculture holiday.