People buy marijuana products July 1, 2017, at a dispensary in Las Vegas. Nevada dispensaries were legally allowed to sell recreational marijuana starting at 12:01 a.m. that day.
Demonstrators in 2011 push for marijuana legalization in Las Vegas.
The move to legalize weed recreationally in Nevada took decades of activist and legislative efforts.
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The origins of the term “420” and its connection to cannabis culture were long shrouded in mystery, with various myths circulating about its meaning. Some claimed it referred to a police code for marijuana possession, while others suggested it came from Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women No. 12 & 35”
(with 12 multiplied by 35 equaling 420) [16].
However, the most widely accepted explanation traces back to a group of high school students from San Rafael, Calif., who called themselves “the Waldos.” In fall 1971, these five friends — Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz and Mark Gravich — would meet at 4:20 p.m. at their school’s statue of chemist Louis Pasteur to smoke cannabis and search for an abandoned marijuana crop in Point Reyes based on a treasure map they had received[16].
Their original phrase was “4:20 Louis,” which eventually shortened to just “420” as their code for cannabis consumption.
Though they never found the hidden cannabis patch, their private lexicon took on a life of its own[16].
The Waldos preserved postmarked letters and artifacts from the 1970s referencing “420,” which they later stored in a bank vault. When the Oxford English Dictionary added the term in 2017, it cited these documents as the earliest recorded uses of the term[16].
How 4/20 became a holiday
The spread of “420” beyond the Waldos’ circle can be attributed to their connection with the Grateful Dead. One Waldos brother was a close friend of Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, which allowed the Waldos to hang out in the band’s social circle, where the slang spread throughout the Deadhead community[16].
The transformation into a holiday gained momentum in the early 1990s when Steve Bloom, a reporter for High Times magazine, received a flyer at a Grateful Dead concert inviting people to “meet at 4:20 on 4/20 for 420-ing in Marin County at the Bolinas Ridge sunset spot on Mt. Tamalpais.” High Times published the flyer, helping to institutionalize April 20 as a day of cannabis celebration[16].
Today, 4/20 is marked by gatherings in parks, music festivals, and college campuses, where cannabis enthusiasts come together to celebrate. Major events include the Mile High 420 Festival in Denver and large gatherings at Hippie Hill in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park[9].
History of cannabis in the U.S. Early restrictions (1900s-1930s)
Cannabis regulation in the United States began in the early 1900s. By the mid-1930s, cannabis was regulated as a drug in every state, with 35 states, including Nevada,[10] adopting the Uniform State Narcotic Drug Act[2].
The first federal regulation came with the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, which effectively made cannabis illegal across the United States by imposing tax and regulatory burdens. This legislation was largely driven by Harry Anslinger, who oversaw the passage of the act following campaigns that often played on racial fears and misinformation[28].
Controlled Substances Act (1970) After the Supreme Court found the Marihuana Tax Act unconstitutional in 1969 (Leary v. United States), Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in 1970. This legislation classified marijuana as a Schedule I drug, deeming it to have “no accepted medical use” and a “high potential for abuse”[18].
Under the CSA, cannabis became federally illegal for any purpose, including medical use. This classification placed cannabis in the same category as heroin and LSD, making it subject to the strictest controls and penalties[11].
First wave of decriminalization (1973-78)
Despite federal prohibition, a wave of state-level decriminalization began in 1973 when Oregon reduced the penalty for possessing up to one ounce of cannabis to a $100 fine. By 1978, 10 states had enacted similar decriminalization measures, including Alaska, Maine, Colorado, California, Ohio, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina and Nebraska[2].
Medical marijuana movement (1990s-2000s)
A significant shift occurred in 1996 when California voters approved Proposition 215, becoming the first state to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. This legislation allowed people suffering from various ailments to use cannabis with a physician’s recommendation[7].
By 2000, seven more states had enacted medical marijuana laws: Oregon, Alaska, Washington, Maine, Hawaii, Nevada and Colorado. This trend continued to expand throughout the 2000s and 2010s[11].
In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational cannabis use through ballot initiatives, marking a historic turning point in cannabis policy[2].
Legal status of cannabis State level
As of 2025, recreational cannabis is legal in 24 states and Washington, D.C., representing nearly half of the United States.
This indicates a growing acceptance of cannabis use across the country[3].
In addition to the states that have fully legalized recreational use, 14 more states permit cannabis for medical purposes only. This means that a total of 44 states have some form of legal cannabis access[3].
Federal level
Despite widespread state-level legalization, cannabis containing over 0.3% THC remains illegal under federal law. As a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, it is considered to have “no accepted medical use” and a “high potential for abuse and physical or psychological dependence”[19].
This creates a significant conflict between federal and state laws. Under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, federal law technically preempts conflicting state and local laws, though enforcement priorities have varied by administration[19].
Early legislation in Nevada
The state’s journey with cannabis began in 1917, when Nevada joined the early wave of marijuana prohibition sweeping across America, banning the plant decades before federal prohibition took hold[6][7].
What followed was one of America’s harshest cannabis enforcement regimes.
While other states gradually softened their approach to marijuana possession, Nevada stood alone as the only state where possessing any amount of cannabis — even a single joint — constituted a felony offense[24]. This unusually severe stance persisted for decades, creating a stark contrast to the state’s permissive reputation regarding other vices.
The first signs of change emerged in 2001, when Nevada made a historic shift.
State lawmakers passed groundbreaking legislation that decriminalized possession of up to one ounce of cannabis, reducing it from a potential felony to a fine-only misdemeanor[1].
This marked Nevada as the first state to achieve cannabis decriminalization legislatively rather than through ballot initiatives, signaling the beginning of a new chapter in the state’s approach to marijuana policy.
Legalization in Nevada
Nevada’s path to medical cannabis legalization required voters to repeatedly affirm their support before a functioning program emerged.
The initial breakthrough came in 1998, when Nevada voters approved the Nevada Medical Marijuana Act with a substantial 59% majority[17]. But unlike in many states, this single vote wasn’t sufficient. Because the measure sought to amend Nevada’s state constitution, it required passage in two consecutive general elections[27]. Nevada voters responded by supporting the initiative even more strongly in 2000, with approval climbing to 65%[27].
The legal framework took shape in June 2001 when the Legislature passed Assembly Bill 453, which officially established Nevada’s medical cannabis program effective Oct. 1, 2001[1].
This created a peculiar situation where patients had legal protection to possess and use cannabis, but no legal means to purchase it. This contradiction persisted for over a decade. It wasn’t until 2014 that Nevada finally authorized a dispensary system, and patients had to wait nearly another year before the first medical cannabis dispensary actually opened its doors on July 31, 2015[20] — almost 15 years after voters first approved medical marijuana.
Recreational marijuana legalization
Recreational marijuana became legal in Nevada on Jan. 1, 2017, following passage of Question 2 (also known as the Nevada Marijuana Legalization Initiative) on the Nov. 8, 2016, ballot with about 55% of the vote[21]. This initiative allowed adults 21 and older to legally possess, purchase and consume cannabis for recreational purposes.
The first licensed sales of recreational cannabis did not begin until July 1, 2017[22]. Nevada’s implementation of recreational sales was notably quick compared with other states — the eight-month period between the ballot measure passing and the first sales beginning was the fastest turnaround of any state that had legalized recreational marijuana at that time[23].
Push for federal reform
For decades, cannabis remained firmly classified as a Schedule I substance under federal law — deemed as dangerous as heroin with “no currently accepted medical use.” But in recent years, the federal government’s hardline stance has begun to show cracks.
The significant sign of a shift was perhaps the August 2023 recommendation from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) suggesting that marijuana be reclassified from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. This proposed rescheduling represents a fundamental acknowledgment that cannabis possesses “a currently accepted medical use in treatment” and carries a lower abuse potential than substances in Schedules I and II[12].
The movement for cannabis legalization has gained momentum across the U.S., supported by a multifaceted argument that spans personal freedoms, economic considerations and social justice concerns.
Perhaps most compelling is the social justice dimension. Research demonstrates severe racial disparities in enforcement patterns. According to American Civil Liberties Union data, Black Americans face cannabis possession arrests at more than 3.5 times the rate of white Americans, despite essentially identical usage rates across racial groups[5].
Finally, legalization opens the door to consumer protections impossible under prohibition. Legal markets enable quality control standards, contaminant testing, and age verification systems—regulatory measures that protect public health while acknowledging the reality of cannabis consumption[5].