The 4/21 Weed Break

The 4/20 Movement

April 20th is a day of note for cannabis lovers, an informal but well-recognized holiday in which weed-loving weed enthusiasts make a point of indulging, together or alone, in honor of the date: 4/20. The numbers 420 (for those who don’t know) have come to symbolize pot-smoking time, ever since Steve Bloom, a reporter at High Times, a magazine for cannabis connoisseurs, published an article in the early 1990s about a flier he was given at a Grateful Dead show suggesting that people meet at 4:20 on 4/20 for “420-ing.”

More than simply a day and time to smoke, over the last 30 years, 420 has become a symbol of weed counterculture movement designed to celebrate cannabis and reduce the stigma around use. It’s definitely working. Attitudes about cannabis have shifted dramatically over the last 30 years, with significantly more people supporting decriminalization, coupled with reduced stigma about use and perceptions of harm from use.

As someone who has worked in the mental health and addiction field as an for nearly 30 years and in recovery from heroin addiction, I celebrate many of these changes. Nobody should feel shame or be arrested simply for using a substance. The double standards between alcohol and cannabis in adults are illogical. However, like with alcohol, when we reduce real and perceived harms of any substance and combine that with commercialization and availability, heavy use increases significantly, as do associated problems.

With Normalization Comes Consequences

There is a reason alcohol is responsible for nearly 180,000 deaths a year in the US alone and is one of the most costly personal and public health concerns in the world. It is widely available and accessible. Normalization does not necessarily occur with accessibility alone though. It takes effort. Targeted advertising to women in the 1950s reduced the stigma against women smoking causing massive increases in women smoking, with consequences we all know too well; the same is true for the stigmatization of alcohol consumption in women over the last 20 years. Jokes about “wine o’clock” and Mom Water–actually vodka-infused water– were part of a larger movement but with significant corresponding rises in heavy drinking and associated consequences in women.

Why We Need the 4/21 Weed Break

Let’s not make the same mistakes with cannabis by ignoring the side-effects of commercialization on the most vulnerable, particularly young people. I’m hoping that we find some balance with cannabis like we have done with alcohol in the Dry January and mocktail movements, especially with young people. I hope that the date 4/21 will become, over time, as significant a date for weed-consumers as 4/20, but for different reasons: I propose 4/21 becomes the Dry January New Year’s Day of Weed for those who want to take a break. Let’s foster a cultural movement to help empower people to disrupt daily use to take a step back and make sure they are not losing sight of the power of any substance when it is used daily.

Weed has Changed

The problem is not that people use weed occasionally. Good for them. The problem is there has been a significant increase in regular and daily cannabis use and people are using much more potent THC than at any point recorded. In 2022, 16.5% of young people aged 18–25 met criteria for Cannabis Use Disorder, which is higher than the substance use disorder rates of any other substance, including alcohol. These numbers don’t necessarily mean anything until we dig into the consequences of regular use. Regular use of higher potency cannabis, in those under 25, is associated with increases in psychosis, depression, and suicide, to name a few serious consequences.

But we are not talking about those consequences. We are not talking about it because the consequences of cannabis can be slow and subtle. We are not talking about it because we want cannabis to be a panacea after years of being villainized. We want to celebrate it, but without consequences. What is striking about the cultural zeitgeist of weed being harmless for daily use is that many people who start to think they may need to change their use, even for a break, often feel dismissed by peers and individuals who use other substances alike. The common refrain “you can’t get addicted to weed ‘’, is not only wrong, but highly stigmatizing. Online groups have been a source of tremendous value to people who want to moderate or abstain, but they are still in the shadows. There is no movement at this point. We need to foster a movement where 30-day weed breaks are embedded in culture as much Dry January has become.

Dry January

Dry January has grown significantly since its introduction from Alcohol Change UK 11 years ago in large part due to the heavy drinking during the pandemic. Last year, approximately 25% of people who drink alcohol participated, with significantly more intending to participate, both, a significant increase even from a couple years earlier. Moreover, the largest group participating is young people where it is completely normalized. Several research studies have shown people participating in Dry January report having a better relationship with alcohol after completing a full 30-days. Importantly, dry January gave people who may have been drinking more than they wanted or were seeing some consequences from heavy drinking permission to take a break without the stigma.

T-Breaks

Among regular cannabis users, there is something called a t-break or tolerance break in which regular users stop anywhere from a few days to a month to reset their endocannabinoid system which has habituated to daily THC. Unlike Dry January, a T-Break billed more as a reset, then back to regular use. The results of a recent naturalistic (non-randomized) study highlight that a break over two and one half weeks appears to be associated with positive health benefits, while a shorter break may have no, or even negative outcomes. Other studies highlight that guided breaks may be most beneficial. While T-breaks are far from a cultural movement, that they even exist suggest there is a desire to do something to help people disrupt regular use, regardless of their long-term goals and we should celebrate and create a space for those individuals without stigma. 421 can be that space.

The 4/21 Weed Break

As we move away from the draconian laws that led to imprisonment of people for simple possession of cannabis, especially people of color, and move towards a culture that is accepting of cannabis use, let’s not forget that many people feel their cannabis use has gotten a little out of control. Just as 420 grew as a celebration of freedom , 4/21 can be a day to celebrate anyone who is looking for freedom from the need to use everyday. It is a day for people who have ever said to themselves, “I think I should take a break”. It can be the start of a 30-day adventure with friends or a month of mindful self-reflection that ends with more clarity and intention about one’s relationship with cannabis, whatever they choose to do on 5/20.

Fred Muench, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, the former President of the Partnership to End Addiction, and Founder of Clear30, an anytime 30-day digital weed break for young people (www.clear30.org). Clear30 is free until 421. Other free resources for breaking include Weedless and the University of Vermont T-Break Guide.

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