Happy 420 everyone, the international day of smoking cannabis and celebrating our favorite plant. If you’ve ever stopped to wonder why 4:20pm became the time to smoke weed, then read on as we debunk some theories and explain the true origin.

Some have linked Bob Dylan to the infamous number
While listening to Dylan’s song “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” you’ll hear the term “everybody must get stoned” repeated over and over again. Here’s the fun part: when you multiply 12 x 35 you’re left with the number 420. As crazy as this coincidence may seem, there’s no confirmation that Bob Dylan has any ties to 4:20.

Others believe that it’s connected to the plant itself
The cannabis plant may have over 400 chemical compounds, but it has never been confirmed that the exact number is 420.

What about the penal code?
You may have heard theories that the number is linked to the police or congress, with some claiming it’s the dispatch code for cannabis possession. This one is clearly false, as 420 is actually radio code for homicide.

The list goes on
We’ve heard it all, from the day that Bob Marley died (a quick google search can squash this one), tying to Adolf Hitler’s birthday or the clocks in Pulp Fiction. But what’s the real story behind 420? It all started back in 1971 with some high school kids in San Rafael, California. They referred to themselves as “The Waldos” and used the term “420 Louis,” to say that at 4:20pm they would meet by the Louis Pasteur statue to smoke.

As it turns out, one of these kids’ older brothers was friends with a member of the Grateful Dead, and they began smoking with the band at their rehearsal studio in San Rafael. The band began using the “420”, and it quickly spread amongst their fans.

The term really took off when High Times senior editor Steve Bloom noticed a flyer at a Grateful Dead concert that referenced “420” and wrote about it in the magazine. Since then, the term has grown in popularity and is now inextricably linked to consuming cannabis.

So in honor of the Waldos, make sure you’re stocked up on Goods and happy high holidays.

It’s no secret that cannabis has an abundance of positive effects, from easing stress to helping induce sleep. While it hasn’t always been depicted in the most positive light (we’re looking at you, Reefer Madness), we’re here to dispel the myth that cannabis consumption turns you into a zombie. Most cannabis users know that Indica strains are more physically sedating while Sativa strains provide uplifting cerebral effects, but there are a few other factors to consider when planning a productive day paired with cannabis. Keep in mind effects may differ greatly from person to person, but read on for some general tips.

Choose your strain wisely
You may already know that you want to reach for a Sativa dominant strain with invigorating effects to keep your productivity up, but keep in mind that not all strains were created equal. You’ll want a strain that energizes and uplifts you, such as The 11 or Moonshine Haze #6.

Be mindful of cannabinoids
Cannabinoids are the chemical compounds found in cannabis that imitate the compounds our bodies naturally produce, resulting in the relief of ailments such as anxiety or insomnia. When it comes to productivity, steer clear of CBN, which will lull you into a state of unbeatable restfulness, and instead reach for a high presence CBD product that can keep your energy up and promote focus.

Know your terpenes
Terpenes are the aromatic compounds that give cannabis its scent and each provide their own unique effect, such as restfulness or pain relief (learn more about them here). Similar to strains and cannabinoids, you’ll want to look out for terpenes that produce a boost of energy and invigoration. Limonene and Terpinolene are both common terpenes known for their energizing effects.

Don’t dose daringly
Low and slow is the name of the game if you’d like to keep productivity up while consuming cannabis. Regardless of how you choose to consume, be sure to allow ample time for the product to kick in before you go back for seconds.

Create a to-do list
Failing to plan means planning to fail when it comes to productivity and cannabis use. Set yourself up for success by creating an action plan before you reach for that pre-roll.

If you have a creative project that you’ve been sitting on for a while, see how smoking Spark enhances the experience. If you’ve been putting off a mundane task for a while, then try hitting Delight before tackling the dishes (your roommates can thank us later). Want to squeeze in a workout but can’t muster up the energy? There’s a strain for that too. There might be some trial and error involved, so be sure to start with some doable tasks that you can have fun and Feel Good while doing.

Got your own tips on how to use cannabis to increase productivity? Share them with us!

Do’s and Don’ts: Asking Your Partner to Smoke with You for the First Time

One stopping factor for people who have never smoked before (or who do not smoke regularly) is that they have no one to smoke with. The stigma of cannabis is fading, but that doesn’t mean all uncertainty is eliminated when it comes to smoking the plant. But if you are curious, and looking to get your hands on the green, who better to experience it with than your partner?

Maybe one of you smokes cannabis and the other doesn’t, or you both do, or have before, but never together. Whatever your specific situation, we’re here to help you feel good about it all. If you are asking your partner to smoke with you for the first time, here are some do’s and don’ts.

Do: Be open with your communication

Communication can be the make or break of any relationship. Maybe this is something you do well in your relationship, maybe not. Here’s a chance to get better. If you want to smoke with your partner, broach the topic. Tell them this is what you want to do and why. Be direct, but don’t pressure or make them feel awkward. Something like: “Would you ever want to smoke with me sometime? I’d love to experience it with you.”

If they are immediately put off by the idea, back off. In time, maybe they’ll change their minds, but at least they know your intentions and what you want and are open to. If they seem hesitant but curious, keep talking. Let them see into your world and why you enjoy it. Bring them in by being communicative and inclusive.

Don’t: Pressure them into smoking with you

This may seem like a no-brainer, but the first time you have this conversation is important. It will set a precedent and dictate everything that is to follow. If they are unsure, and you try to convince or pressure them, get angry, annoyed, or anything negative, they will feel all of that, and it could turn them off forever.

Keep emotion out of it, listen well, and know that not everyone will want to or be open to using cannabis, just like not everyone likes to drink alcohol. Respect someone’s wishes. If you give them the space to think about it, and show them that they can trust you, maybe they’ll come around. This approach will only yield good results and it will build trust and intimacy between the two of you in the long run.

Do: Prepare yourself for a good smoke

This one is crucial. Do not smoke with your partner for the first time empty-handed, empty-headed, or scrambling to find things. You can wing your Sunday afternoon but do not wing this. Preparing yourself properly will depend on how you’re consuming your cannabis. Are you smoking flower? What are you using to smoke: a bowl? Bong? Vape pen? Are you eating cannabis-infused chocolates or cookies? Each one should be taken with its own considerations.

Another option is to have a grinder at the ready. You can grind up the flower, and either roll a joint, a blunt, or a spliff (if you are both okay with tobacco). Show your partner the proper way to roll one. Pre-rolls are also becoming increasingly popular where the joint comes rolled for you, saving you time and energy.

If this is your first time smoking with your partner, be conscious of quantity. Start with a low dose and go slow. You do not need to light the world, or your partner, on fire the first time you smoke. Smoking flower out of a bowl can be nice and intimate. A vape pen generates less smoke and is highly portable because it’s thin and discreet like a pen and can easily slide in and out your pocket. High CBD strains, because they are less psychoactive might be a nice option to start with to see how your partner responds.

Have plenty of water around. They may cough, or have dry mouth from smoking. Have yummy snacks available for you both to munch on during your smoke. Cookies, brownies, chips and salsa, candy like skittles or starburst can really make the taste buds pop and enhance your high.

Smoking cannabis is about experience. This is something you are helping to create for them, so be prepared for anything. You are sharing the effects of a fascinatingly complex plant for the first time. Cherish it.

Don’t: Be overbearing

We know it’s your first time smoking together, but try to relax. Let the effects of the plant work naturally and go with the flow. Be conscious of your partner’s needs, mood, and try to anticipate, but at the same time, do not suffocate them with a barrage of questions, or the constant need to check in.

Find a good balance and read the room. If they are fully engrossed as they watch Animal Planet, let them enjoy the new experience. If they seem tired and want to sleep, no need to keep the party going. If they seem to want to talk, engage them in conversation. If they seem fidgety or unsure, check in. While they should enjoy themselves how they want to, remember this is their first time, so they might want or need some guidance too.

Regardless of whether this is your first time, don’t dote on someone. No one wants to be treated like a child who can’t move or think for themselves. If they seem like they are one puff away from comatose, they’ve probably smoked too much. Go slow. Your tolerance is not their tolerance. If you want them to smoke with you again, it’s best to respect their limits and make everything as smooth as possible and that includes knowing when to check in, and knowing when to let things happen.

In honesty, being high shouldn’t require any different logic than not being high does, but it’s good to think about these things beforehand.

Do: Make them feel comfortable

You are their confidant, teammate, buddy, lover, guide. They are getting high with you, someone who can support them.

It’s best to choose a location you aren’t going to leave anytime soon. Choose somewhere comfortable, preferably the privacy of your own home, where you aren’t going to be interrupted or bothered. There’s always a chance, but It’s likely they aren’t going to want to go out into the world high.

Do you have two hours? Five? You’ll want to start slow of course, but knowing how much time you have will help you decide what to smoke and how much. One-on-one is best for first-timers unless you have a third party you both love and trust. But since this is your first time, make it special and intimate for the two of you.

Smoking cannabis can make our minds work in ways we never imagined. If you’re both having fun and feeling comfortable, chances are it can lead to sex. Maybe you find yourself cuddling on the couch together after an hour. Maybe you are seeing such a beautiful side of your partner you can’t keep your hands off them. Maybe you’re making out or giving each other soft, tender kisses. If you’re making them feel comfortable, they’ll open up more, you’ll both learn more about the other, and your relationship will see immediate positive effects.

Don’t: Be reckless or inconsiderate

That means no smoking and driving. Or smoking at work, or in preparation for it. Don’t antagonize anyone or cause trouble. Be especially cognizant of your surroundings and how your actions will affect those around you. When more cities like Los Angeles open their public consumption lounges, it’s good to consider these do’s and don’ts when that time comes.

Do: Connect

One of the most spectacular things about cannabis is its psychoactive element. Highs can be consistently the same, or your experiences can differ greatly from smoke to smoke. While alcohol is a social lubricant, cannabis can be seen by some as a wisdom lubricant. The plant can take your mind to places it’s never been before. You’ve thought about something the same way your entire life and then suddenly you seen an entirely different side of the equation.

Share these connections with your partner. Recount your first time smoking. Use the activity as a chance to go deeper, to put your beautifully complicated lives in slow motion so you can think about things from an entirely different plane.

Do: Introduce them to something new

That documentary about the planets you’ve been wanting to watch? The 500 piece puzzle that is collecting dust in the closet? Better yet, how about music? Play them music you know they like, but also music they don’t like, or they don’t think they like. What better time to expose them to newness than when their mind is open. Some excellent weed culture music could be:

• Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”

• David Bowie

• The Doors

• Janice Joplin

• Tame Impala

How about television and movies? Weeds, Friday, and Pineapple Express are all certain to bring on the giggles.

Smoking with your partner for the first time could be many things: awkward, scary, exposing. But it also has the potential to be remarkable. These do’s and don’ts are meant to act as a guide for first-timers and veterans alike. They may not all work for you. You may come up with some of your own.

The veteran can be a go-with-the-flow leader acting only on intuition, or they can be analytical, knowledgeable about every aspect of the experience: location, apparatus, form of cannabis. You may pitch an experience over the illusion of what getting high will be like.

Gone are the days of getting high in the back of your car parked in some dark alleyway. In many states cannabis is no longer illegal (here’s a list of which states have legalized). People are recognizing and putting aside old stigmas and embracing newer technologies.

Whether you’re going deep, and coming up with the solution to world peace, or you’re loopy, lucid, and laughing, have fun with it. Your experience is all what you make of it. And there’s a whole wide world waiting to be discovered.

If you’re looking for your closest dispensary, here’s something to get you started.

Alright, so we’ve established what terpenes are and their benefits (if you missed that part, find it here). Up next, we’re diving a little deeper into the make up of terpenes and finding the right ones for you.

Hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons are made up almost entirely of terpenes: monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes. In other words, hydrocarbons are terpenes. And terpenes are hydrocarbons. They are a large and diverse class of organic compounds, produced by every plant, flower, and even some insects.

This is where terpenes and essential oils are different. Essential oils are comprised of terpenes, much like cannabis is. Terpenes found in most essential oils are either monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes and can be classified even further.

Monoterpenes — The “Sunny” Constituent

Monoterpenes produce a warming sensation on the skin. They’ll make you think of and smell citrus. Two such examples are pinene and limonene, two of the most common constituents that make up essential oils.

Oils containing monoterpenes include:

• Limonene — found in Bergamot, Carrot, Fennel, Lemon, Neroli, Orange and other Citrus Oils

• Pinene — found in Coriander, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Pine, Black Pepper, Oregano

• Camphene — found in Juniper, Fir, Spruce, and Pine

Sesquiterpenes — “Calming and Soothing” Constituents

Oils with high percentages of sesquiterpenes promote relaxation. These calming and soothing terpenes are perfect for relaxing after a stressful day. Essential oils for sleep (think lavender and vanilla) are another great way to help your body ease into its natural state.

Oils containing Sesquiterpenes include:

• Caryophyllene — found in Lavender, Clary Sage, Marjoram

• Azulene & Chamazulene — found in Chamomile

• Cadinene — found in Patchouli, Lemon, Cedarwood

CBN

Speaking of promoting sleep and relaxation, remember when we mentioned CBN (cannabinol) earlier, one of the cannabinoids found in cannabis? Cannabinoids and terpenes are the ones doing the dance, creating beautiful magic and music (scents, flavors, benefits). So just what is CBN?

If THC is the all-star performer, and CBD is its chill, but no-less-cool cousin, then CBN is the sleeper of this incredibly complex cannabinoid family. And by sleeper we mean the one sitting in the back of the class, unassuming, waiting and watching before showing its true power. In a way, CBN has literally been sleeping. As THC oxidizes (exposure to oxygen over time), it converts to CBN. While leaving cannabis exposed to air like this will age the product, it will also develop higher levels of CBN.

And these CBN-rich products are on the way. Sunday Goods disposable vaporizer pens Delight, Spark, Soothe, and Rest have different ratios of the cannabinoids, including our delightfully clever CBN (found in Rest), which is sedative but not intoxicating. Most flowers contain only trace amounts of CBN at around 1%, compared to THC contents which can go as high as 30%. Even at such a trace amount, a little bit of CBN can go a long way, or at least until your head hits the pillow.

The exciting thing about CBN and cannabis in general is that THC, CBD, and CBN are just three of hundreds of cannabinoids present in the plant, and scientists are just starting to understand their effects and how they interact with each other. Only time will tell how many other ones we didn’t know were there, or were “sleeping.”

Which Terpenes are Right For Me?

The only way to know that? Start trying some! First, buy some lab-tested cannabis so you know which terpenes are actually present. When you enjoy a certain cultivar (remember these are strains) you’ve bought or noticed something you like, make note of it. Let your senses guide you. What tastes and smells good to you?

Whether you’re experimenting with terpenes, a new cannabinoid friend on the scene, CBN, or all of the above, have fun with it and find out what feels good.

Now, where to find them…

• Myrcene: has a peppery, spicy, balsam smell. Where can I find it? Mango. Parsley. Hops.

• Limonene: has a strong citrus odor and flavor. It’s slightly sweet but also tangy and bitter. Where can I find it? Citrus fruits.

• Terpinolene: has a piney or woody aroma, with hints of citrus and herbal spice. Where can I find it? Apple. Cumin. Lilac and tea tree.

• Beta-Caryophyllene: has a dry, sweet, woody, spicy clove scent. Where can I find it? Black pepper. Basil. Oregano. Rosemary. Lavender. Cinnamon.

• Alpha-Pinene: is known for its pine smell! Mostly found in European and North American pines. Where can I find it? Conifer trees. Eucalyptus. Sage. Ironwort.

• Humulene: neutralizes ozone in the atmosphere with sunlight via ozonolysis. A primary constituent in beer making. Where can I find it? Common sage. Ginseng. Spearmint. Ginger.

So you’re wondering what terpenes are? You might know that they have something to do with smell, and they’re good for us, but so many explanations out there seem to resemble a complicated math equation we’ve done a thousand times: we can get there in the end, but we don’t know how we got there.

Well, we’re here to help. We’ll take you through terpenes and how we can use them to help us Feel Good.

What Are Terpenes?

Terpenes are aromatic molecules found in plants that evaporate easily, quickly telling us what they smell like. The absorbing fragrance and particular psychoactive flavor in a cultivar (when you think strain, you are actually thinking about a plant’s cultivar) are determined by the predominant terpenes. Plants developed terpenes (and terpenoids) to keep away herbivores that might eat them and to attract beneficial predators and pollinators. In cannabis, these volatile molecules enhance your high while carrying numerous medical benefits.

Terpenes appeared on the cannabis scene in an interesting way, and it didn’t happen until recently. Indoor grow facilities allowed growers to breed THC-heavy genetics and a curious thing happened: these heavyweight cultivars were testing high in labs but scoring low with patients. Upon closer inspection, breeders found a lack of flavor and aroma. The missing ingredient? Terpenes!

Heightened Effects From Terpenes

Breeders and growers alike quickly found out that certain terpenes bond to cannabinoid receptors in the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) and enhance the effects of other important compounds in the cannabis plant, including the two most infamous: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). When terpenes were accidentally removed through selective breeding, their content decreased, and the plant as a whole… just wasn’t as good.

Imagine that cannabinoids and terpenes are dance partners, boosting and regulating the effects of one another in the body’s ECS. For a long time, THC was considered the only chemical with psychoactive importance in cannabis. Nowadays, we know that other cannabinoids like CBD and CBN (which will be explained more in-depth later) along with terpenes can either increase or decrease the effects of THC and other chemicals in the body that interact with the ECS.

Terpinolene, for example, which is found in apples or cumin, induces sedation (sleepiness) and provides antioxidant, anti-cancer, and antibacterial effects. Humulene, on the other hand, found in ginseng or ginger, is an anti-inflammatory agent and hunger suppressant.

Taste and Flavor of Terpenes

Mother Nature is infallible. Did you know that the smell of terpenes aids in guiding you toward the cannabis your body wants? If a variety of weed smells good to you, it could be your body’s way of telling you exactly what it wants. And by extension, what might bring benefits.

Now that we know which terpenes can work to ease specific ailments, we can use cannabis more effectively. We can enjoy their healing qualities in many ways—after all, terpenes are found in all plants. One way to complement the positive effects from cannabis is essential oils. Prominent terpenes found in cannabis are also present in many varieties of essential oils, and can be:

• Absorbed through the skin

• Ingested

• Diffused and inhaled for aromatherapy purposes

Tune in next time for part 2 of our terpene blog, where we’ll explore the make up of terpenes and finding the right ones to help you Feel Good.