The stoner walked through the town square. He heard the cars going by. He felt the people brushing up against him. He smelled the oil and the sweat and the thousand other city smells. But because he followed the 420 Code, he was high above it all. When he glanced up at the clocktower, he saw that the time was 4:19.
So he stopped walking and he stared up at the clock. And while he was staring, he heard a voice, and the voice asked, “Why do we have a number?”
And the stoner answered, “We have a number because a name can be forbidden and a word can be prohibited, but nothing can destroy a number. Even at the end of the world, numbers will remain. And so this number is our protection against the world.”
“That is correct,” the voice replied, “And how should we observe 4:20?”
The stoner answered, “There are those who say you should smoke at 4:20. In The Legends of Mary Jane, it is said that she once smoked 420 days in a row at exactly 4:20, took a one-day break, and then did it again. But you do not need to smoke. All you need to do is follow the 4th Rule of Thumb: To observe 420, observe it.
“Whenever and wherever you encounter the number, look at it and think about all the peace and happiness that trees have brought you and others around the world, and in that moment, be open and honest and free and fun.”
The clock ticked over to 4:20.
The stoner smiled.