4/20 in the age of coronavirus, explained

In normal times, April 20 would be 4/20, the unofficial holiday for celebrating marijuana. People would be preparing to rally near state capitols, in concerts, and at huge fairs to fill the air with thick, pungent smoke.

But April 20 this year, on Monday, doesn’t come during normal times. With a coronavirus pandemic still going, much of the United States and the rest of the world are staying at home as much as possible to avoid the spread of Covid-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. That means the large crowds and rallies that have previously taken place in Denver, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and many other places around the world are not going to happen.

Yet 4/20 will go on. Before the big day, I got emails from marijuana companies asking, for example, if I was “throwing a virtual 4/20 smoke sesh.” (No, I’m not.) One such company advertised “awesome marijuana-inspired Zoom backgrounds so you can tune in and drop out, immersing yourself fully in the 4/20 experience” — in reference to the backgrounds that can be made for the video conferencing service, Zoom, used by workplaces globally and, apparently, marijuana users throwing virtual 4/20 parties.