Pubdate: Sat, 21 Apr 2007 Source: State Journal-Register (IL) Copyright: 2007 The State Journal-Register Contact: http://www.sj-r.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/425 Author: Kelsea Gurski HITLER'S BIRTHDAY, A DATE OF TERROR But Some High Schoolers See April 20 As A Day To Smoke Marijuana One day, two very different stigmas. Friday marked the eighth anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings. Thursday was the 12th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombings and the 14th anniversary of the deadly standoff in Waco, Texas. Not a good time in American history, to say the least. But, according to potheads and stoners nationwide, it's a great time to smoke weed. Commonly referred to as "420" (pronounced "four-twenty"), April 20 is the unofficial get-high holiday for cannabis aficionados - or students simply looking for an excuse to skip school and smoke up. Both local police and school officials said Friday they knew nothing about 420, but that's not the case with high school students. "When you say '420' ... everyone's first thought, I'm pretty sure, would be drugs and stuff," said Pleasant Plains High School senior Alex Womack, who has moved out of two circles of friends at his school because they started smoking the illegal drug. "Everyone who does drugs will make an effort to do them on 4/20, or around 4/20." Much of the student body is familiar with what "420" implies, Womack said, and students often joke about "420 Day" during school on April 20. He thinks the date is associated more often with marijuana than with Columbine, at least among those his age. The connection between "420" and marijuana use isn't well-known. It apparently stems from a group of California high school students who would meet at 4:20 p.m. to smoke marijuana after class, according to concept420.com, a Web site dedicated to the day. According to a related Web site, 420pot.com, which displays a countdown clock to April 20, the date is even referred to as "the stoners' new year." Officials of the Springfield School District said they were not aware of the unofficial holiday and don't notice an increase in confiscated contraband or other drug paraphernalia this time of year, according to John Graves, director of safety and security for the district. Their focus on April 20 typically is student safety, in light of the violent associations with the date, which also is Adolf Hitler's birthday (Hitler was born in 1889). "Are we on alert? Well, yes, we are," Graves said, "We're on alert every day within our schools, and normally, unless we become familiar with or advised of a specific threat or rumor that may be at one of the schools, it's kind of business as usual." Since the 1999 Columbine massacre in Colorado that left 13 people dead before the two student gunmen killed themselves, teachers and school staff are constantly on the lookout for possible threats, he said. Though this particular week in April has its black eye, "history has shown us that things can happen at any time at any place," Graves said. "But," he added, "the date of Columbine and the constant reminders we have of Columbine and Waco and Oklahoma City, you know, they would have to be on people's minds as far as tragedies that have happened (this time of year) in this country to the innocent." Staff writer Pete Sherman contributed to this report. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek