What Does 420 Friendly Mean?

We’ve searched Craigslist, OKCupid, and Airbnb to answer the question “what does 420 friendly mean?” Here in Denver, CO the 420 friendliness level is very high.

There are lots of flavors of “friendly”. Kid friendly. Smoker friendly. Gay friendly. Family friendly. Pet friendly. Name a lifestyle trait, and others are either friendly to it or not.

So what does 420 friendly mean? This somewhat cryptic phrase refers to friendliness to cannabis culture. To put it another way, people who are 420 friendly are down to get high — or at least don’t mind if you do.

The Legend of 420

Cannabis is the plant of many nicknames. Weed, herb, ganja, marijuana, kush, pot, grass, dope, bud, reefer, the wacky tobaccy, the devil’s lettuce, the green goddess, the list of weed slang goes on and on.  In today’s legalization landscape here in Colorado, we can call it what we want to call it without fear of the cops or side-eye from a judgy public.

Things weren’t always so rosy. Back in the 1970s, weed was still highly illegal. Enthusiasts had to speak in code, shop the black market, and partake in secret. As legend has it, “420” became code for smoking weed in 1971 in San Rafael, California. A group of high school boys called themselves “The Waldos” because they hung out by the wall at school. They started using 4:20 as the time of day they would meet to go seek out a secret stash. The term was later popularized by the Grateful Dead, who picked up on the codeword while they were in San Rafael, CA.

What Does 420 Friendly Mean Today?

Since its origins back in the 70s, 420 has stuck as a euphemism for cannabis. 4:20 is the unofficial hour to partake, and April 20th has become the international “high holiday” to celebrate cannabis culture and progress. Its usefulness as a discrete codeword lives on today, particularly on the Internet. How to know if your future roommate, girlfriend, or houseguest is down to toke? Drop a 420 bomb. Let’s look at a few common Internet hangouts where “420 friendly” comes in super handy for separating friends from foes.

What Does 420 Friendly Mean on Craigslist?

A search for “420 friendly” on Denver’s Craigslist yields over 700 results. Most of the listings are for room rentals that are chill with chillin’. For example, check out this adorable room in Conifer, CO. The private deck has a rocking chair that’s just yearning for someone to sit in it with a freshly loaded bowl. Way to go, Conifer room. That’s about as 420 friendly as it gets.

The phrase is also used for seeking out the best roommate scenario. Take this 420 friendly musician, for example. He just wants a chill roommate who has a job and who doesn’t steal his organic veggies. Our hearts went out to him when we read his roommate search story:

“Hey I’m 32, I just moved here in early July and I’m loving it! Unfortunately, I have one roommate that sucks balls and is starting to be a burden. He lost his job right when I got here and hasn’t really looked for one since. I’ve been trying to be chill but He’s only hoping to go farm pot in Oregon the end of next month but by then he will not have had a job in 3 months. If that’s the case, that’s definitely not what I signed up for. Especially because he’s eating my food(whole foods), trying to bum weed off me (top shelf), and adding made up fees to the rent, while asking for it early.. so yeah, deal breaker. I can’t come home and walk through the living room or go to the fridge without him stopping me for some bullshit, cause he’s always on the couch. I’m really chill, so this is a huge bummer for me.”

Don’t worry, 420 Friendly Musician. Your roommate match is out there.

What Does 420 Friendly Mean on Dating Apps?

Another super-useful place for the 420 friendly filter is in the wild west of dating apps. We signed on to OKCupid and went catfishing a little bit, just to see what the 420 search results would yield. As it turns out, single 420 friendly folks are not alone. There are 61 gents in the Denver area that identified themselves as 420 friendly. Here are a few of our favorites:

Keep doing your Mile High City thing, DarthMegatron90 and LoveToTheMax. You’ll find your blazin’ babes soon enough.

What Does 420 Friendly Mean on Airbnb?

Aside from daters and roommaters, Airbnb guests and hosts are also using the 420 friendly tag to match up. Airbnb has a search bar that lets lodging-seekers get very specific about what they’re looking for. People traveling to Denver are curious about our blossoming cannabis industry. They’re likely to want to try it, so it’s good for guests and hosts to be on the same page about puffing on the property. Using “420 friendly” as a search term, we found that there’s no shortage of options in the Mile High City. Here’s one of our favorites, a Victorian Suite from 1885, that mentions 420 in the house rules. “No parties. No smoking in the house. Front porch for cigarettes or 420 is fine.”

For travelers who are looking for hosts that are more than just “fine” with it and will go so far as to facilitate your strain sampling, there are specialty websites dedicated to 420 friendly vacation rentals. Check out Bud and Breakfast, TravelTHC, and My 420 Tours’ curated selection of 420 friendly hotels.

What 420 Friendly Does NOT Mean

Just to clarify, 420 friendly does not mean tobacco and cigarette friendly. It’s entirely possible — especially in fitness-obsessed Colorado — that someone can be strongly pro-420 and strongly anti-cigarettes at the same time. 420 friendly does not mean willing accomplice to illegal drug activity (ahem, please stop asking us to mail you moonrocks, ahem). Nor does 420 friendly mean weed dealer in places where it’s still illegal. Finally, 420 friendly doesn’t mean that a person is always high, currently high, or even likes to get high. In its weakest sense, it means tolerance and acceptance of those who do like to partake. For those listing rooms on Craigslist and Airbnb, 420 friendly could only mean “I don’t, thanks, but I don’t mind if you do.”

Where is the 420 Friendliest Place on Earth?

Maybe we’re biased here at My 420 Tours, headquartered in sunny and legalized Denver, Colorado. But we’ve been a few places, and we truly believe that this is the best place not only to get high but also to immerse yourself in cannabis culture. Combine our state’s status as one of the first two states to legalize recreational weed with our reputation for warm western hospitality, and that makes Denver the 420 friendliest place in the country, if not the world. It’s basically Disneyland for weed lovers.

Out here in the Mile High City, you can toke in peace and seek out others who are as 420 friendly as yourself. Get in touch with the cannabis community through events, activities, workshops, and exclusive behind-the-scenes tours. My 420 Tours your gateway to all things weed in Denver and beyond.

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