Commerce Clause Covered With Weeds

New at Reason: Forget about the poor jonesing patients. Jacob Sullum examines how the fight over medical marijuana might eventually put some teeth back in the Constitution's Commerce Clause.

Comments

[Larry]

Not that anyone's going to read this comment now, but I thought it was amusing that the vote on the Hinchey amendment regarding medical marijuana was roll call vote 420. No shit.

[Larry]

Oops, I thought this was an old posting when I said "not that anyone's going to read this now." And I'm not under the influence of anything...

[Evilcor]

I'd love to know how many people over thirty get the 420 joke. Certainly not Congress.

[mobile (a little over 30)]

I've heard it before (on radio ads for shops selling "420 lifestyle accessories"), but I still don't know what it means. Somebody please tell me.

[Jesse Walker]

"420" is (allegedly) the police code for marijuana, and thus became a slang term for smoking the weed.

-Jesse (non-pothead, over 30)

[Larry]

420 is slang for marijuana or smoking pot or whatever. It does not seem to be a police term. See http://www.snopes.com/language/stories/420.htm
You will see a lot of TV and movie references to the number if you look. I saw a 4:20 clock on the Simpsons not long ago and also a movie show time mentioned in Sex and the City recently used that time. The yearly NORML conference has been on or around April 20 for the last several years.

[Josh]

Another 420 explanation is that 4:20 (after school) is when kids would get together to smoke up. If someone in a group scored some pot, they would let their peers know by using the time as a code.

Josh (just under 30, pothead)

[Brady]

Looks like my guy (Boyd) decided to vote no. This guy really likes to piss me off.

BTW, great article Jacob. Hopefully this will be voted on again and the number turn even further in the right direction.

[Kevin Carson]

Larry,

You SURE you're not smoking a little weed? Your slippage of time-sense reminds me of an incident way back when I was delivering pizza. We were shorthanded and running way late--delivery times were averaging over an hour. I got to this one house when the pie was an hour and forty minutes old. This guy answered the door in a haze of non-tobacco smelling smoke, and said, "Whoa, are you here already, man?"

[Brady]

SAN FRANCISCO -- Today is Saturday, April 20. Dude! Do you have any idea what that means?
http://www.marijuana.com/article.php?sid=3302

[James]

Urban legend has it that Adolf Hitler was born on April 20th (4/20).

I read an article in high times concerning the clocks that appear in the sky mall mag on most domestic flights. Apparently, many of them are set to 4:20 intentionally, sort of a signal to pot consumer travelers that smoking pot is indeed normal and many professionals indulge in their own privacy. Jacob's new book is good at bringing this out as well.

[Peter]

Brady, anyone,

Is there a general website showing voting records? My rep. (Loefgren) doesn't have her records posted on her website.

thanks

[Steve in CO]

Here you go:

http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=420

🙂

[Larry]

Kevin,

Sure I partake on occasion, but not during the week. Also, the usual effect of the substance for me is to make time go more slowly, therefore making it seem like the pizza took forever to arrive. Maybe your customer was being sarcastic. I always wondered how often pizza delivery drivers encountered pot smokers.

Another 420 reference is this year's California Senate bill SB420 which deals with medical marijuana.

[Douglas Fletcher]

This 420 thing is a really dumb slang term.

I mean, doobie, that makes sense. It's from the Sinatra song, doobie doobie doo. Sinatra, always the hepcat, pointing the way for us mortals.

[Jay D]

Hey...whadayaknow...my guy (Meehan) voted yes. Too bad for him I still vote 'L' across the board.

Mwahahahaha...

[jacob dreyer]

you idiots, april 20 is the day everybody smokes pot. even people who normally on't smoke pot are supposed to smoke pot that day. all this nonsense about time of day and police codes run counter to THIS ex potheads long, long experience.

[Segar Karen]

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DATE: 01/20/2004 01:05:08
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