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‘Mile 420’ marker replaced in Colorado


joc

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Sorry pot heads, if you’re looking for a sign it’s no longer “420” on Colorado’s Interstate 70.

That’s because while buying marijuana may now be legal in Colorado, stealing a sign with a slang reference to the drug is still frowned upon. But state officials said that just wasn’t stopping the repeated theft of a sign with a popular numerical term that for many is a common reference to marijuana.

It sounds like the kind of solution only a pot smoker would come up with. But it turns out marijuana signage enthusiasts are the ones forcing Colorado officials to think creatively.

On Colorado’s Interstate 70, there is a sign marked “MILE 420.” And for those not in the know, “ 420” is a common shorthand used by fellow pot smokers. Like the effects of smoking the plant itself, the term has hazy origins but is said to have originated as code amongst a group of California teens when they wanted to signal each other for a smoking excursion.

So, after the sign has been stolen a number of times in recent years, Colorado officials decided to move the sign slightly up the road and change its name to MILE 419.99.

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41999_zpsa7eff5a5.jpg

Edited by joc
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will this stop sign thefts?

If so, how is it lame? If not, which I tend to believe, then it's just a waste of time. But obviously they have to do someting to try to stop the need to replace their sign every few months or whatever.

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I think "419.99" would be far more interesting a sign to have in one's parlor than "420." Indeed I suspect publicity by Colorado here to draw attention to itself.

That is one thing I notice about the States -- so many of its road signs are shot up with bullet holes. The replacement bill for these must be huge, but of course the right to be a brainless cowboy is guaranteed by the Constitution.

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I suppose it's like those signs for places like Gayville, South Dakota, Intercourse, Pennsylvania, Looneyville, Texas, and so on, which have to replace their signs on a regular basis.

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Sorry pot heads, if you’re looking for a sign it’s no longer “420” on Colorado’s Interstate 70.

That’s because while buying marijuana may now be legal in Colorado, stealing a sign with a slang reference to the drug is still frowned upon. But state officials said that just wasn’t stopping the repeated theft of a sign with a popular numerical term that for many is a common reference to marijuana.

It sounds like the kind of solution only a pot smoker would come up with. But it turns out marijuana signage enthusiasts are the ones forcing Colorado officials to think creatively.

On Colorado’s Interstate 70, there is a sign marked “MILE 420.” And for those not in the know, “ 420” is a common shorthand used by fellow pot smokers. Like the effects of smoking the plant itself, the term has hazy origins but is said to have originated as code amongst a group of California teens when they wanted to signal each other for a smoking excursion.

So, after the sign has been stolen a number of times in recent years, Colorado officials decided to move the sign slightly up the road and change its name to MILE 419.99.

LINK

41999_zpsa7eff5a5.jpg

LMAO! Good one!

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Mile 420 from where.

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Mile 420 from where.

Tulsa.

Oh no, that's 24 hours, isn't it.

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Tulsa.

Oh no, that's 24 hours, isn't it.

its only 16 miles to the Cumberland Gap.
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its only 16 miles to the Cumberland Gap.

proclaimers_zpse0803192.jpg

"But I would walk five hundred miles......"

Rather than have to listen to that godawful song!!!!!

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I'm not surprised by this. Round where I grew up in Wisconsin, there is Richard Bong Rec, big park, lovely camping. Of course for years kids kept stealing the Bong part of the sign, the sign kept getting bigger in attempt to make it more difficult to steal... Now it's made from huge hewn logs set into cement and it's the size of a car. It hasn't been stolen since they switched to that one, lol.

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I'm not surprised by this. Round where I grew up in Wisconsin, there is Richard Bong Rec, big park, lovely camping. Of course for years kids kept stealing the Bong part of the sign, the sign kept getting bigger in attempt to make it more difficult to steal... Now it's made from huge hewn logs set into cement and it's the size of a car. It hasn't been stolen since they switched to that one, lol.

Named after the top scoring US Fighter pilot of WWII, I presume.
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Named after the top scoring US Fighter pilot of WWII, I presume.

Yeppers :) Original plans were to make it Bong Air Force base, named after the pilot. Plans changed, and it became a park instead. If you look on Google maps, you can still see the outline of the original airstrip area.

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Yeppers :) Original plans were to make it Bong Air Force base, named after the pilot. Plans changed, and it became a park instead. If you look on Google maps, you can still see the outline of the original airstrip area.

That was probably for the best. Imagine the jokes that would promote.

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That was probably for the best. Imagine the jokes that would promote.

It still promotes some jokes. A bunch of us go camping there for a weekend every year. We sometimes call the gathering "The Bong party" and snicker a bit. We usually just call it "The Campout" though :)

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I think "419.99" would be far more interesting a sign to have in one's parlor than "420." Indeed I suspect publicity by Colorado here to draw attention to itself.

That is one thing I notice about the States -- so many of its road signs are shot up with bullet holes. The replacement bill for these must be huge, but of course the right to be a brainless cowboy is guaranteed by the Constitution.

Indeed it IS! And I know for a FACT that some of those road signs were just ASKING for it! :w00t: We have ruffianly road signage in Alabama as well...
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I remember reading a story in one of my books that thieves kept stealing a sign because it had the triple six. So when the road got renamed they replaced the sign with the new number. :/

But stealing a sign about a legal drug? Way dumber.

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I'm still not 'in the know'.

What does 420 mean to pot smokers? The OP says it's shorthand...but for what?

Edited by supervike
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proclaimers_zpse0803192.jpg

"But I would walk five hundred miles......"

Rather than have to listen to that godawful song!!!!!

Damn you ealdwita, now I'm going to have the stupid song stuck in my head all day! :w00t:

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