The

420
Code
For all ents

Before we climb
these trees
and fly,
we say these words
for those
still dry.

The 4 Virtues

The stoner went out into the woods and

made sure no one was around.
He took out a small bag of trees and a
pack of rolling papers. He crumbled the
trees with his hands and sprinkled them
onto a page. He rolled it up and licked it
shut and admired what he had made.
He smelled it, and it smelled great. He
struck a match and lit the tip and took a hit.
He held the smoke in his lungs, and then
he let it go. As the smoke poured out of his
mouth, he tasted it and smiled.
There is a smokers ethic, a morality of
Mary Jane, a testament of trees. This is the
420 Code. It has served us well since the
very first hit, and it will serve us well until it
is embraced by all, and once it is embraced
by all, we will no longer need it.
The 420 Code consists of 4 Virtues and
20 Rules of Thumb. The 4 Virtues are
Openness, Honesty, Freedom, and Fun.

Openness means a welcoming of new

experience. Openness means a receptiveness
to new ideas. Openness means that you
know that you do not know everything.
From Openness, flows Honesty.
Honesty does not mean confessing you
smoke to the cops. Honesty does not mean
you are blunt or rude. Honesty means that
you live as you are. Honesty means that you
do what you know you should. Honesty
means that you are honest, not with others,
but with yourself.
From Honesty, flows Freedom.
Freedom is not freedom from
responsibility or consequence. Freedom is
the ability to do as you please. If you are
open and willing to change your mind, if
you are honest with yourself and live as you
should, then you are free. Even if you are
locked behind bars, you are still yourself.
Only you can take away your freedom.
From these three, flows Fun.

Fun is the 4th and most important of

the virtues: you must not be too serious, for
all the worst things are done seriously. If
others do not accept the Code, you must
laugh, not cry. If another hurts you, you
must not let yourself down. Do not judge
others: no one else can fail the Code, you
can only fail it yourself.
If people do not live by the Code, do
not rebuke them, but learn from their
mistakes. For it is not by judgement, nor
criticism, nor preaching, that others are
brought to the Code, but by fun.
The stoner took another hit from his
joint and looked around the woods: they
were beautiful, speckled with greens and
yellows and browns, and the air was thick
with mystery and wonder.
And so he went exploring, on the
lookout for the 20 Rules of Thumb.

The 20 Rules
of Thumb

How do you avoid the

Tragedy of the Bowl?

The stoner sat in the passenger seat and

packed a bowl. His friends sat in the other
seats and watched his fingers break apart the
trees and place them in his pipe.
When he was done, he passed the pipe
behind him, and he said, Do you know
about the tragedy of the bowl?
A few of his friends nodded.
Please explain it to me.
A friend in the back seat replied, The
tragedy of the bowl is when a pipe is passed
around a circle and only enjoyed by the first
few smokers, while the rest get only ash.

And how may this tragedy be avoided?

the stoner asked.
One friend suggested, Have everyone
bring their own trees?
The stoner laughed at this and shook
his head and said, This tragedy may be
avoided by remembering the 1st Rule of
Thumb: Corner the bowl. By lighting only
the edge of the trees, enough green will be
saved for all.
One of his friends said, But only good
smokers will do this. And while we are
honest, others will burn the entire bowl and
take everything for themselves!
The pipe made it back to the stoner.
He looked down into the bowl to see how
much or how little was left.
When he knew the answer, he smiled,
and he said, You do not get high by how
much you smoke, but by how much you
smoke by the 420 Code.

What is the
Nature of Glass?

An old friend visited the stoner, and the

stoner said, I have not seen you in forever.
Let me smoke you out.
So the stoner got his bong, and he
poured fresh water into it. He took out a
bag of trees and sprinkled them into the
bowl of the bong. Then he took ice from his
freezer and loaded the ice catch. He picked
up the bong. It was beautiful and heavy
and cold. The stoner had smoked out of
this bong more than 420 times, and he had
always enjoyed it.
He handed the bong to his friend, and
his friend put a lighter to the bowl and took

a deep rip. When he exhaled, he coughed,

and he dropped the bong.
It shattered on the ground.
Ill pay for that, the friend said.
The stoner replied, No, for I knew what
would happen when I bought that piece, as
the 2nd Rule of Thumb states, The nature
of all glass is to break. It was good that you
offered, but since you were just smoking
not swinging the bong around, nor using it
without my permission I will not accept,
for then our friendship would not be free.
The stoner retrieved another piece, and
he loaded another bowl, and the two friends
smoked. They talked about life and love and
the 420 Code. They had a lot of fun and left
on good terms.
Later that week, the stoner received a
package in the mail. Inside the package was
a beautiful triple-bubbler with a note.
The stoner read the note, but it was private
and will be kept secret for now.

Where Do You Smoke?

The stoner and a friend were walking

down the street when the friend suggested
they smoke. Sure, the stoner said, but
lets go someplace private.
His friend said, Are you embarrassed
to smoke? If you were honest, you would
shout it from the rooftops. If you were open,
you would smoke in plain view.
But the stoner replied, If you wanted
to sow trees throughout town, would you
plant them in peoples lawns and gardens?
No, the friend replied. There they
would be cut down without thought.
Then where?

You would sow them in the woods and

the meadows and on the sides of riverbanks,
where they would grow wild and free.
The stoner replied, And so it is with
smoke, for the 3rd Rule of Thumb says,
Watch your smoke. Do not blow it onto
others, for that is like littering. Instead,
find a place where you may smoke without
upsetting others, for this will give you peace
of mind. And by considering where you
exhale, you will spread more than smoke.
The stoner lead his friend to a great tree,
surrounded by bushes. They could see all
around, but they remained hidden. It was
the perfect place to smoke, and so they did.

There are secrets everywhere,

including inside the 420 Code.
Can you find all 20 bees?

How Do You
Observe 4:20?

The stoner walked through the town

square. He heard the cars going by. He
felt the people brushing up against him.
He smelled the oil and the sweat and the
thousand other city smells. But because
he followed the 420 Code, he was high
above it all. And when he glanced up at the
clocktower, he saw the time was 4:19.
So he stopped walking, and he stared up
at the clock. And while he was staring, he
heard a voice, and the voice asked, Why do
we have a number?
And the stoner answered, We have a
number because a name can be forbidden

and a word can be prohibited, but nothing

can destroy a number. Even at the end of
the world, numbers will remain. And so this
number is our protection against the world.
That is correct, the voice replied, and
how should we observe 4:20?
The stoner answered, There are those
who say you should smoke at 4:20. In The
Legends of Mary Jane, it is said that she once
smoked 420 days in a row at exactly 4:20,
took a one-day break, and then did it again.
But you do not need to smoke. All you need
to do is follow the 4th Rule of Thumb: To
observe 420, observe it.
Whenever and wherever you encounter
this number, look at it and think about
all the peace and happiness that trees have
brought you and others around the world,
and in that moment, be open and honest
and free and fun.
The clock ticked over to 4:20.
The stoner smiled.

A SHORT EXCERPT FROM

The Book of the Bong

Since ancient times, the bong has
served a spiritual function for the
greatest of sages.
They believed that the use of
the bong was a sacrament that
brought them to the highest high
by channeling the four elements.
Earth was embodied in the trees.
Fire released their true nature.
Water removed their impurities.
And air was their passageway.
No other experience brought the
sages closer to the true human
consciousness they sought.

Who Takes
the First Hit?

The stoners friends watched as he loaded

his pipe: he picked apart his trees, sprinkled
them into the bowl, and packed them down
with his thumb until they looked like a
well-kept garden.
Then he picked up the pipe, and he
passed it to the left.
His friend to the left said, Dont you
want to take the first hit?
The stoner replied, If I were down or
late or off, then perhaps. But surrounded by
friends, on a night like any other, I follow
the 5th Rule of Thumb: Give the gift of
green. For while the one who packs may hit

if they please, they gain much by passing, as

the grass is always greener when its smoked
by a friend.
So the friend took the pipe. She held
a lighter to the corner of the bowl and
inhaled. She held in the smoke, smiled, and
exhaled a cloud.
She laughed, and then she coughed. Her
eyes got red, and her smile turned, and she
passed to the left.
And each of the friends in the circle
smoked and laughed and passed. The stoner
saw the clouds and smelled the trees, and by
the time the pipe had made it back to him,
he was already high in his mind.
And when he smoked, he soared.

25 24 08 37 64 32
42 18 20 16 43 19

Indica or Sativa?

The stoner said, Two natures arise from

the substance of trees: indica and sativa. The
Metaphysics says more about this, but I will
not bore you with the details.
The stoner explained this to a cat while
rolling a joint on the couch. The cat stared
up at the stoner from the carpet of the small,
stuffy, hot apartment.
They were not alone.
The nature of indica is to be and reflect.
The nature of sativa is to do and think.
Neither is bad except to excess.
The cat looked around the room.
This friend has an excess of indica.

The stoner gestured to a friend who was

asleep on the couch.
This friend has an excess of sativa.
He gestured to a friend who was pacing
around the room.
As for me, I observe myself and remain
balanced, for this is the 6th Rule of Thumb:
Balance indica and sativa.
The cat licked himself while the stoner
licked the joint.
Some of my friends object to this,
saying that their dealer does not discern,
or that both are not always available. But
indica and sativa are not strains, but natures,
and you may embody either, regardless
of which you smoke. Balance is not about
planning. You cannot plan how to climb a
tree. Instead, you must watch yourself and
be mindful of every branch.
The cat walked away from the stoner.
This was good, for cats were bad at climbing
trees. They tended to get stuck.

How Do You
Get a Friend to Try?

When he was younger, the stoner had a

friend who did not smoke.
The stoner wanted her to try trees, for
he was certain if she tried them, she would
love them. So he would tell her, When
you smoke, your thoughts wander down a
thousand hidden paths in a vibrant green
forest, where sunlight streams through the
leaves and makes the dust sparkle like stars.
But every argument the stoner made
pushed his friend further away, and she
never smoked, and the stoner always
regretted his failure, and he wondered about
what might have been.

Years later, the stoner saw his friend at

a party. To his surprise, she was smoking a
joint that she had rolled herself.
So the stoner approached her and said,
I thought you would never smoke!
She replied, I didnt think I would. But
then I met a group of friends who were
open, honest, free, and fun. They smoked
every night, and though they always offered,
they never pressured.
One night, I was feeling particularly
great, and I accepted their offer, and Ive
smoked ever since.
It was then that the stoner learned the
7th Rule of Thumb: Offer, but do not insist.
And when he explained it to others, he said,
For no argument makes a better case than
being open, honest, free, and fun. Rather
than trying to persuade others, you should
follow the 420 Code.

What is the Best

Way to Climb?

A friend of the stoner asked him, What

is the best way to climb?
The stoner replied, Let me tell you a
story, and this was it:
A man was walking down the street,
smoking a blunt. He passed a man who
was smoking a joint, and the joint smoker
thought, Blunts ruin the taste of trees.
Thats why joints are the best way to climb.
A woman saw the joint smoker pass by
her window. She remarked to her friends,
You never get high when you smoke a joint.
Thats why bongs are the best way to climb.
She took a deep rip from her bong and

passed it to a friend. The friend took the

bong and a rip while he thought, Smoking
from a bong burns so many trees. Thats
why pipes are the best way to climb.
That night, he told his roommate
his preference, and the roommate said,
Smoking from a pipe is unhealthy. A
vaporizer is the best way to climb.
And while the roommate was taking
a hit from his vaporizer, the man with
the blunt passed by outside and thought,
Smoking with a vaporizer is unnatural. A
blunt is the best way to climb.
While the stoner told this story, he
was grinding up trees to make butter for
brownies. And as he poured the trees into
the butter, he said, Do not judge a person
for how they smoke, for this is not open,
nor restrict yourself to one way, for this is
not free. And the 8th Rule of Thumb says,
There is no best way to climb.

How Do You
Fly the Highest?

The stoner was rolling a joint when a

pothead exclaimed, Im sick of you telling
us what to do! If youre such an expert, I
challenge you: Lets see who can get the
highest by this time next week.
The stoner accepted. They would meet
in one week, and whoever was higher would
win. The loser would have to leave town
and never return.
So the pothead baked brownies while
taking bong rips. He burned blunt after
blunt. He bought an expensive vaporizer
and kept it running all week.
Meanwhile, the stoner did nothing.

His friends said, What are you doing?

The pothead has almost smoked the town
dry. You have to hurry!
But the stoner just laughed.
When the hour was almost at hand, the
stoner and the pothead met to see who was
higher. The potheads eyes were red. He was
confused and could barely walk, and he
exclaimed, I have you beat!
The stoner pulled out the joint he had
rolled the week before.
He lit it and took a single puff.
Everyone stared at the stoner as he grew
more stoned than ever before. He flew
higher than he had ever flown. He smiled
a smile so obviously baked that everyone
knew he was the winner. For the 9th Rule of
Thumb states, To get the highest, take a break.
And the pothead, knowing he had lost,
turned to leave town forever, but the stoner
stopped him, held out the joint, and asked,
Do you want a hit of this?

10

Must You Obey

the 420 Code?

You must! said the stoner. But then he

added, Unless you disagree with it.
While he said this, he was picking trees
out of the carpet and placing them back
into the bowl of a bong.
It was said that no person had ever
recovered more than half of the trees they
lost to a carpet, but it was wrong not to try.
While he was doing this, a friend asked,
How could you agree with those who
disagree with you?
The purpose of the Code is not to tell
people how to act, but to get them to think
about how they act. When a friend pockets

another friends lighter, or holds the joint

for too long, they act not out of greed, but
thoughtlessness. And it can be simply said,
They knew not what they did.
I dont understand what youre saying,
the friend replied.
Sorry, Im very high, the stoner said.
What I mean to say is the 10th Rule of
Thumb: It is not against the Code to disagree
with it. Do not hold to my words when they
are wrong, but think for yourself, for only
by thinking for yourself do you think at all.
And how may we think for ourselves?
the friend asked.
The stoner passed him the bong: the
entire bowl had been recovered.

Write and doodle in this book. Not

only will you make it yours, you ll
make yourself a part of it.

11

How Do You
Share Your Trees?

Seven of the stoners friends arrived

at his apartment and gathered in a circle
around his table. The stoner took out his
bag of trees and opened it, and his friends
were dismayed when they saw that he had
but a single nug.
A friend said, Do not smoke us out. For
there is not enough for all of us, and when
we are gone, there will be none for you.
But the stoner smiled and began to
divide the trees among the seven pipes.
Because he was giving them this charity,
they listened as he spoke: You have heard
it said, Repay trees with trees, but this is

not free, for even the potheads trade trees

for trees, neither losing nor gaining a puff.
Instead, share with anyone who wishes to
partake, and do not concern yourself with
your reward. For this is the 11th Rule of
Thumb: Share your trees freely.
A friend objected, But people will take
advantage of us.
Then let yourself be taken advantage of,
the stoner replied. For you will not reform
a person by debt, but by charity. Those to
whom you have given will see the light of
your lighters and turn to the 420 Code.
The friend said, And if they dont?
The stoner leaned back from his seven
pipes, and his friends saw that every bowl
was filled. Each of the friends took a pipe
and smoked, and they all got high, and they
marvelled at his wisdom.

12

What Do You
Say to the Cops?

The stoner rolled a joint of his finest

trees and brought it to a party.
There, a circle of friends gathered around
him, and he passed the joint to the left.
Each person took two puffs and passed, and
the joint had just made it back to the stoner
when the cops arrived.
The stoners friends fled to the four
corners of the party and denied him. But
the stoner smoked the evidence, and when
the cops shone their lights upon him, he
stared back. Though his eyes were red, and
his eyelids drooped, and his smile was
crooked, the cops had nothing on him.

They asked, Who else was smoking?

The stoner said, Am I free to go?
No. Empty your pockets.
I do not consent to a search.
Then you must be hiding something.
Come, tell us who your so-called friends
were, and we will let you go.
But instead, the stoner replied, I wish
to remain silent.
This made the cops furious. They
screamed. They yelled. They threatened, and
then they cajoled, speaking sweet words and
making false promises.
But the stoner said, I would like to
speak to my lawyer.
All this was in keeping with the 12th
Rule of Thumb: Know what to say.
By memorizing these four phrases, you
may remain free. But more importantly,
your friendship will remain honest, for no
harm done by the cops is greater than the
harm you do by betraying a friend.

13

Where Do You
Sit in the Circle?

While the stoner packed a bowl in a small

blue pipe, a circle gathered around him. But
the stoner saw many of his friends crowd to
his left, and it almost made him weep.
You have heard it said, Left is law, but
you have learned the wrong lesson. Do not
serve yourselves, but the circle as a whole.
The stoner glanced at his best friend,
who sat to his right. I say unto you the
13th Rule of Thumb: The seat of highest
honor is the one to my right. By putting
yourself last, you put the circle first.
When the stoner finished packing the
bowl, he passed it to the left.

14

How Do You
Buy and Deal?

One night, a snow storm froze the town.

To their horror, the stoner and his friends
discovered they were dry.
The stoner sent a message to his dealer,
and his dealer replied that he had trees if
they could make the trek.
So they drove through the snow until
they reached a telephone pole that had
fallen across the road. There, they parked
their car and trudged through the frozen
wasteland toward the dealers house.
When they arrived, they went inside
and found their dealer warming his hands
in front of his fireplace. He smiled and sold

them trees and smoked them out. Then he

asked, How can I increase my business?
The stoner said, You can increase your
business by following the 420 Code.
The dealer asked, How may I do this?
The stoner replied, A good dealer is
prompt. A good dealer only deals with those
he knows and does not reveal his buyers
to anyone. A good dealer is careful and
knows the four phrases. A good dealer does
not charge exorbitant amounts, but only
what his time and risk are worth. A good
dealer does not throw away his earnings,
but saves them. A good dealer does not
relentlessly expand, but seeks to serve his
current buyers. A good dealer does not fight
legalization to protect his profits, but works
to make his job legitimate. And when a
good dealer smokes out his buyers, he does
not expect them to pitch in.
The dealer said, All this, I have done.
The stoner said, Of course you have.

Why do you think I buy from you?

As the stoner and his friends trudged
back to their car, they smoked, and while
they smoked, the stoners friends asked him,
How can we be good buyers?
The stoner replied, A good buyer is
prompt. A good buyer does not tell anyone
who their dealer is without the dealers
permission. A good buyer is careful and
knows the four phrases. A good buyer does
not expect a discount or an advance. A good
buyer is patient. And like a good dealer, a
good buyer follows the 420 Code.
One of his friends replied, That is a lot
of stuff to remember.
The stoner said, Then just recall the
14th Rule of Thumb: Buy like you are a
dealer, and deal like you are a buyer. If you
do this, you will never be dry.

15

How Do You Act

When a Friend Quits?

The stoner had a friend he used to

smoke with every day, but he had not seen
him in weeks. When the friend finally came
over, the stoner loaded a bowl in his honor,
carefully crumbling and packing the trees.
He passed the pipe to his friend, and his
friend said, No thanks.
The stoner asked, Do you have
somewhere you need to be?
The friend said, No.
The stoner asked, Do you have
something you need to do?
The friend said, No.

The stoner asked, Then why do you not

want a bowl?
The friend replied, When I first began
to smoke, I felt that trees helped me become
the person I wanted to be. They helped
me realize that much of what I had felt
was solid was actually smoke. They gave
me many great friends and many great
experiences. But recently, I felt rooted in
place. I found myself wanting to smoke
less, but smoking more. I found myself
wanting to accomplish great things, but
accomplishing nothing. I could not be
honest, nor open, nor free, and I was not
having fun. Trees, I decided, were growing
between me and who I wanted to be. And
so, I gave away my trees, and I gave away
my glass, and I quit.
And the stoner said, You have made
a good decision for you. You must always
strive to be the person you dream of
becoming. And you must not let others

dissuade you from your path. Instead of

smoking, would you like to go for a walk?
The stoner put away the pipe without
taking a hit, and the two of them went for a
walk, for the stoner knew the 15th Rule of
Thumb: Let trees have leaves.
If a friend quits, do not argue or
offer, for this may tempt them away from
themselves, and a friend will not do such a
thing. And any group that says it is wrong
to leave should be left.

A Game for your Circle

Load a bowl and read a line from
the Code. Whoever first names the
Rule of Thumb its from takes a hit
and picks a new line. If the circle
is stumped, the friend to the left
takes the hit and picks a new line.

16

How Do You
Make Friends?

One of the stoners friends liked to

smoke, but he never had trees. So, whenever
the stoner smoked him out, this friend
would make the munchies.
He could cook all manner of foods:
from sandwiches, to soups, to stews, to
curries, dips, salads, pastas, and pizzas,
French fries, stir fries, apple pies, waffles,
cakes, kabobs, cornbread, and every other
sort of deliciousness. Every meal he made
made him better at making them, and they
were always well-received, but still, he felt
guilty for never providing trees.

So one day, he told the stoner, I am

sorry that I never smoke you out, while you
are always so generous with me.
The stoner took a bite of a burrito,
chewed, and swallowed. Then he said, Do
not apologize. For while some friends say
that the greatest gift is to smoke another out,
this is not true, for the 16th Rule of Thumb
is such: To make friends, make munchies.
The stoner bit into the burrito. It was
hot and delicious. He focused on the taste
and the smell and the texture on his tongue.
He listened to the sound of his chewing. He
occupied himself with that bite, not the
next. He chewed, and he swallowed, and he
smiled at his friend, for munchies that are
good get better the more you think on them,
and no munchies are better than those
made by a friend.
So dont thank me, said the stoner. Let
me thank you.

17

How Do You Treat

a High Flier?

The stoner and his friends were

celebrating a beautiful day. So the stoner
refilled his bong with fresh water and
packed the bowl heavy with green. When it
was ready, he passed the bong and a lighter
to the left.
One of the friends did not have much
experience with a bong, and so the stoner
explained how to smoke, using the simple
instructions from the Book of the Bong. The
friend understood and did as the stoner had
said. Though at first it was difficult, he soon
inhaled a thick cloud.

But while the friend was exhaling, he

tried to say, Thanks, and the word caught
in his throat. He began to cough, doubling
over, spitting smoke everywhere. The stoner
knew what happened when people choked
on a bong rip: they soared.
So the stoner kept an eye on his friend
to make sure he was okay. But a pothead in
the circle knew what would happen as well,
and he teased, Are you freaking out?
The friend did not reply.
The pothead said, Somebody called the
cops on us. The cops are coming.
The friend still did not reply.
You know, the pothead said, If you
smoke too much weed, you can die.
The friend looked up at the pothead
in terror. And finally, the stoner stood and
walked over to his friend and said, Come
with me. He led his friend to a quiet room,
and the friend sat on the floor. The stoner
said, Everything is okay. You are high, but

soon you shall return to the ground. Is there

anything you would like?
The friend tried to speak but could not.
So the stoner went into the kitchen
and poured a glass of water and grabbed
some munchies. He took them into the
quiet room, and he gave them to his friend,
who finally managed to speak, and he said,
Thank you so much.
And the stoner walked back out in the
room. And the pothead said, He got too
high and I was just having some fun. Its his
fault for smoking too much.
Fun comes not from lies, the stoner
said, and the 17th Rule of Thumb is clear:
If someone flies too high, help them safely land.

Help save trees by giving to the

Rainforest Trust:
420friends.the420code.com

18

Should You
Always Fly High?

The stoner had a meeting with the

men in suits, so he planned not to smoke
beforehand, for this is the 18th Rule of
Thumb: Know when not to fly.
So he put away his pipes and his trees,
and he kept them out of sight, for it is not
good to resist temptation, but to avoid it.
And he left his home without smoking.
However, as he was on the way to his
meeting, he ran into a friend who had just
survived a terrible ordeal. And the friend
offered a joint to the stoner, saying, Please
smoke with me to celebrate.

The stoner knew that he should not, but

he told himself that he did not want to be
rude, and he could not resist, so he took a hit.
And as the stoner traveled to his event,
he felt himself rising higher and higher. And
the world began to reveal itself in greater
splendor, and his thoughts began to ripple,
and he began to worry, thnking, Why did
I smoke? Now that I am stoned, everything
is ruined. I will be too high to function. I
will destroy all that I have worked for.
But then he remembered that the 18th
Rule of Thumb had a second part: Know
when not to fly, but do not wish to fall. For
many a high was ruined by regret, and none
were improved. So he told himself, Much
of your fear is mere paranoia, and you will
do well, regardless.
And he did.

19

What Happens to
Missing Lighters?

I lose lighters all the time, said a friend

to the stoner. Where do they go?
There are many theories, the stoner
replied. Some say one pothead takes them
all. Others say that the lighter companies
send teams of people to retrieve them. And
still others say that this is one of the 420
mysteries of trees, never to be known.
But what is the truth?
The truth, the stoner replied, is the
19th Rule of Thumb: Lighters come and go.
And so, when one is missing, do not be mad,
but know that it is out there, free.

20

What is the meaning

of the 420 Code?

The stoner grew weary and returned to

his smoking spot in the woods.
He took out a single page of rolling
paper and his bag of trees, now almost
empty. He broke up the last of his trees with
his hands, and he sprinkled them onto a
page. He rolled it up and licked it shut and
admired his work.
He tucked the joint into a hole on the
side of a tree, and then he began:
My work is almost done, but I must still
reveal the Final Rule of Thumb, the one
which all the others have built toward, the
most important one of all.

I have spoken to you only of trees, but

the Code is not just for smoking, but for
living. And the Rules of Thumb are not only
for when you are high, but for when you are
down, as well. For anyone can be good in
the sky, but it is the ground that tests us.
And so, each Rule of Thumb has one
meaning, which I have given to you. But
each has a deeper meaning that reaches
beyond trees, to all of life, and this meaning
you must find for yourself.
So I say to you the 20th Rule of Thumb:
It is up to you to interpret the Code.
Through your study, you will come to
a deeper understanding than I ever could
have given you. For goodness comes not
from a book, but from within. By thinking
on the Code, you will reveal or discover
or invent a broader understanding of each
Rule of Thumb, and this understanding will
help you embody the 4 Virtues of Openness,
Honesty, Freedom, and Fun.

These 4 Virtues are the entirety of my

teaching, and the Rules of Thumb are but
illustrations. But if you accept the 420
Code, you must measure yourself against
your interpretation of them.
If someone attacks you or the Code,
do not attack them. For they may have a
different interpretation, and if you fight,
you will both be pulled to the ground. But
if you are friends with everyone, everyone
will be friends with you.
This is the path to the highest high,
where the grass is always greener. You may
join me there if you wish. But if you do not,
I must bid you farewell.
A bee buzzed by the stoner and landed
on a leaf. The stoner looked at the bee, and
the bee looked back. They shared a moment
together before it buzzed away.
And the stoner followed after it,
traveling deep into the woods, and he was
never heard from again.

Thanksgiving
Written on the paper of that final joint
was a message: Many friends helped me
discover the Code: Salim, Justin, Daniel,
Lauren, Chai, Amin, and Dani advised
on the words, suizopop.mx consulted on
the design, and K.A. Smith provided the
illustrations. But my greatest patron was
Jersey. If you know him, smoke him out.
Friends must help each other, so please,
do not keep this book for yourself, but be
like Jersey: Find a friend who would enjoy
the Code and give this book to them.
Through the 420 Code, your friendship
will grow from a tiny seed to a towering
plant, and together you will fly higher than
you ever could alone.

The 20 Rules of Thumb

1. Corner the bowl.
2. The nature of all glass is to break.
3. Watch your smoke.
4. To observe 420, observe it.
5. Give the gift of green.
6. Balance indica and sativa.
7. Offer but do not insist.
8. There is no best way to climb.
9. To get the highest, take a break.
10. It is not against the Code
to disagree with it.
11. Share your trees freely.
12. Know what to say.
13. The seat of highest honor is to the right.
14. Buy like a dealer; deal like a buyer.
15. Let trees have leaves.
16. To make friends, make munchies.
17. Help high-fliers safely land.
18. Know when not to fly,
but do not wish to fall.
19. Lighters come and go.
20. It is up to you to interpret the Code.

First Digital Edition

The420Code.com
/r/420Code