You either look forward to it all year or roll your eyes every April: 4/20 is coming. This year, the unofficial holiday for weed smokers falls on a Monday.
If you’re celebrating 4/20 in Florida, make sure your medical marijuana card is up-to-date, as smoking weed recreationally isn’t legal in the Sunshine State. And whether or not you celebrate the pot-centered day, there are a few food specials and discounts to look out for.
Here’s what to know about 4/20, what we know about how 420 became a code for weed and some 4/20 food specials from Jimmy John’s, Wingstop and more.
In 2026, 4/20 falls on Monday, April 20. In 2025, it fell on Easter Sunday.
If you smoke pot, you likely know that 4/20 is weed day, a day for a “puff, puff, pass” session (or many) with your pals.
Here’s a not-so-fun fact: April 20 was also Adolf Hitler’s birthday. You may have heard a rumor in grade school that 4/20 is a holiday based around the late, great Bob Marley’s birthday, but that isn’t true. Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945.
The true origin of why marijuana lovers spark up on April 20 every year (or even associate the time 4:20 with smoking pot) isn’t clear, but there are a few rumored possibilities.
One of the most popular theories behind why April 20 became a day for getting high is a story of a group of high school students in the 1970s in California, who allegedly would meet to smoke pot every day at 4:20 p.m.
But there’s little hard evidence to support this and it isn’t likely that a group of high school kids habitually smoking pot in the ‘70s could lead to “420” being a code for getting high across the globe.
Although a group of Californians published a slew of documents to prove this theory’s legitimacy, it’s hard to tell if it’s truly the origin of the holiday or using “420” as slang for smoking pot.
According to a Vox article on the origins of the holiday, “One common belief is that 420 was the California police or penal code for marijuana, but there’s no evidence to support those claims.”
So if it isn’t super-secret police-speak for illegal consumption of marijuana, it isn’t Bob Marley’s birthday and it wasn’t invented by a group of teenage stoners in the ‘70s, then what is it?
The answer isn’t clear. No one really knows why or how, but for many weed smokers, April 20 is simply a day to smoke pot or advocate for its legalization in states where marijuana is only allowed with the possession of a medical marijuana card.
Got the munchies? Most dispensaries run 4/20 deals every year, but there are also usually a few food deals and discounts to score on the weed-centered holiday.
Here are some deals to look for this 4/20:
You can’t smoke weed in public spaces in Florida, even if you have a medical marijuana card.
Florida voters had a chance to make possession of recreational marijuana legal in the Sunshine State in November 2024, but the amendment didn’t pass.
According to Floridastatecannabis.org, “It is illegal for anyone, including registered medical cannabis patients, to smoke marijuana in any public place in Florida.”
Yes. Delta-9 THC and Delta-8 THC products, which some refer to as “diet weed,” are legal in Florida, as long as they don’t contain more than 0.3% THC.
Although you’re not legally allowed to buy and smoke real pot in Florida without a medical marijuana license, you can buy low-level Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC products from your local smoke shop without a medical license. The only requirement to buy low-level THC products in Florida is being 21 or older.
Delta-8 products have milder psychoactive effects than the cannabinoid that gives “real” weed its high. Marijuana and hemp are both types of the cannabis sativa plant. The kind of weed that you buy in medical dispensaries comes from marijuana plants, whereas CBD and Delta-8 THC come from hemp plants.
“Delta-8 THC is one of over 100 cannabinoids produced naturally by the cannabis plant, but is not found in significant amounts in the cannabis plant,” the FDA’s website says. “As a result, concentrated amounts of Delta-8 THC are typically manufactured from hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD).”
Lianna Norman is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.