April 20 or “4/20” is fast approaching, This eagerly anticipated date could be the most successful in the celebration’s history.  For the cannabis industry, the 2019 holiday is expected to harvest more sales revenue than ever before on what was coined “4/20” in the early ’70s.

Where did 4/20 originate?

It might be a well-known event for weed culture enthusiasts, but a significant portion of cannabis consumers aren’t actually familiar with 4/20’s roots.

Some people believe that the name suggests the number of chemicals contained in cannabis. However, there are not 4/20 chemicals in cannabis, but 315. April 20 is not the best time to plant weed either, nor is it a police radio code for cannabis.

Many believe the event’s history is rooted in California and dates back to 1971. It was fall when a group of five California teenagers – nicknamed “the Waldos” – caught wind of a story that claimed an unattended cannabis plant could be found somewhere near San Rafael school.

Upon learning this information, the Waldos decided to meet up at 4:20 p.m each day by the Louis Pasteur statue, which can be found outside the high school. This specific time was chosen because it granted them enough time to leave sports practice and make their way to the statue, where they would set off on a treasure hunt from.

One of the Waldos’ original members, Steve Capper, claims that he and his fellow Waldos would cluster inside a car, light up a few joints and get high whilst cruising around Point Reyes Forest in search of the potent plant.

“We would remind each other in the hallways we were supposed to meet up at 4:20,” said Caper, adding that, “It originally started out 4:20-Louis, and we eventually dropped the Louis.”

Nowadays, the term “420” applies not only to the time of day but also, to the date. Numerous events commence on April 20 every single year to celebrate the green plant and the blossoming industry. One such example is the High Times Cannabis Cup, which will be held in Central Valley, California on April 20, 2019.

Flowhub’s cannabis industry analysts anticipate record-high 4/20 sales

According to a recent report from Colorado-based point-of-sale software provider Flowhub, legal cannabis sales are predicted to soar on the looming cannabis holiday, which celebrates everything about the plant, from it’s potency and medical potential to the diversity in strain choices and extracts.

In order to come to this conclusion, Flowhub analyzed cannabis sales growth from April 20, 2017, to April 20, 2018. During this period of time, pot sales climbed 30 percent.

“This number was bolstered by the fact that 420 happened to fall on a Friday last year,” said the VP of Marketing at Flowhub, Anne Fleschman. “Retailers can expect to see a similar growth trajectory during the 2019 holiday which lands on a Saturday for the first time for most markets that have legalized adult-use or medical marijuana.”

Flower raked in 54 percent of sales during last year’s 4/20 celebrations, whereas concentrated cannabis products yielded 29 percent of sales and edibles trailed closely behind at 12 percent. Flowhub’s team of analysts believe that this specific segment of the legal weed market will account for the majority of this year’s 4/20 sales.