How to have the best 4/20 at UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley is known for a lot of things: hosting the Free Speech Movement in the 1960s, being affiliated with 89 Nobel laureates, discovering 16 chemical elements, oh, and having one of the biggest 4/20 celebrations nationwide.

If you’re wondering what’s so special about April 20th, then let me tell you: 4/20 is basically the pothead’s field day, a holiday dedicated entirely to the smoking of mary-jane and just, ya know, chillin’. Because UC Berkeley has a long history of hippie liberalism, it’s no surprise that it’s home to a lot of stoners.

California voters legalized the recreational use of marijuana in the November 2016 election, so this 4/20 marks the first one since weed was legalized. That’s cause for celebration in itself!

Taking your first hit

Let’s imagine your ideal 4/20 at Berkeley. You wake up at 2:00 p.m. and push the mandala tapestry hanging from the ceiling away from your face. You look through your closet for something to wear, pushing past five hangers of tie-dyed shirts, and finally settle upon the perfect outfit.

You slump into your favorite frayed jeans, Birkenstocks, and that Bob Marley t-shirt you bought from a flea market in Oakland. Settling into your desk, you pull out your top drawer to reveal the joints you rolled last night. You may or may not have been high at that time. Picking the perfect joint from the pile, you light it and smoke out your window, all the while admiring your beautiful view of the Campanile.

Indulging in an edible

You walk out of your co-op and stroll along Telegraph Avenue, stopping by the local dispensary on the way to buy a pot brownie. You tear off a piece and put it in your mouth. It doesn’t taste very good, but then again, edibles never do. Realizing it will take an hour or two to kick in, you buy time at the vendors’ tables, admiring their selection of dream catchers, patches, and spiritual crystals.

You then venture to browse the shelves of Big Al’s, Hi-Times, and Whelan’s. You strike up conversation with the employees behind the counter about bongs vs. pipes and they’re very accommodating, because, hey, you’re a regular.

Venturing to Memorial Glade

By this time, it’s nearing 4:00 and your edible has kicked in, so you make your way towards Memorial Glade. The field is packed with a huge crowd of people and you find yourself nodding along to Snoop Dog and Flume blaring out of someone’s boombox. You join your friends on the hammock they stretched across two trees and the clock strikes 4:20. Suddenly, the entire sky erupts into an enormous cloud of smoke.

By this time, it’s nearing 4 o’clock and your edible has kicked in, so you make your way towards Memorial Glade. The field is packed with a huge crowd of people and you find yourself nodding along to Snoop Dog and Flume blaring out of someone’s boombox. You join your friends on the hammock they stretched across two trees and the clock strikes 4:20. Suddenly, the entire sky erupts into an enormous cloud of smoke.

It’s breath-taking, it’s beautiful, and even if you didn’t come to the venue faded already, you are sure to catch second-hand high from the amount of marijuana smoke in the air.

Satisfying your munchies

Feeling the munchies creep in, you and your friends leave Memorial Glade to get some food. Walking through Sproul Plaza, you notice student groups selling Krispy Kreme donuts for a fundraiser ingeniously titled “420 Glaze It”. You buy a box and your friends help you wolf down the sugary, sweet, fried delicacies.

Still hungry, you remember that this is also the first 4/20 since the Taco Bell Cantina opened up on Durant Avenue. Your crew walks through the doors and are met with a packed room. Everyone must have had the same idea. You wait in line, seemingly for ages, and finally get the Crunchwrap Supreme and Blue Raspberry Freeze your taste buds have been craving.

Ending your day right

Crawling into bed at the end of the day, you enjoy the best sleep you’ve gotten all semester. The next morning, you wake up and it’s back to the old grind.

You should finish that problem set you’ve been holding off… oh wait, it was due yesterday.