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UK: Why you may smell cannabis across Somerset this afternoon when '420' celebrations are expected to take place Jo-Anne Rowney and Jonathan Coles Somerset Live Saturday 20 Apr 2019 Cannabis users across the world will be lighting up today to celebrate 420. If you're a bit baffled by it all, don't worry - everything you need to know about the unofficial celebration is listed below. And, if you are out and about in the Westcountry, there's a good chance you may well detect a whiff of cannabis in the air or see people enjoying a joint in the sunshine. A number of people may gather in Castle Park, Bristol, this afternoon to celebrate 420 - like they did last year. What is 420? The code 420, also seen as 4:20 or 4/20, and pronounced four-twenty, is a code-term for consumption, reports the Mirror. This number specifically refers to smoking cannabis at 4:20pm and on April 20, which is 4/20 in US date form. It comes from somewhere in San Rafael, California, in the late 70s, as a code the police used for Marijuana Smoking in Progress. When locals heard the police call, they began to start using the term when referring to the drug. The 'celebration' has now grown, and is marked today with rallies, parties and protests. People meet to smoke cannabis and advocate for it to be legalised. Where did 420 start? There are plenty of urban legends and theories about where it all began. The most prominent is the police code used in the 70s that has already been mentioned. In 1971, students at a high school in California apparently organised to meet at 4.20pm to find a plot of land to plant a cannabis plant. People often use 420 as a phrase to meet up, or on dating sites to show they're okay with cannabis - "420 friendly". Businesses also use it in their names as an indicator. Is cannabis legal in the UK? David Blunkett, Home Secretary in Tony Blair's Labour Government, announced that in 2001 cannabis should be transferred from class B to C, removing the threat of arrest for possession, but not for distribution. The transfer eventually happened in January 2004, after class C penalties for distribution had been stiffened. Early in January 2006, then Home Secretary Charles Clarke said that on the basis of advice from the Advisory Council, a decision was made not to return cannabis to class B - this came into affect on January 26, 2009. Possession of a class B drug is punishable with an unlimited fine, up to five years in prison, or both, and supply and production can result in a 14-year sentence. What does it do to your health? According to the NHS, cannabis can make you feel "chilled out, relaxed and happy" but it has adverse effects. You can feel dizzy and sick, tired or suffer from memory loss. Long-term it raises the risk of psychotic illness and exacerbate existing mental health issues. https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/you-smell-cannabis-across-somerset-2780610
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