House of the Week – 4/21/23
MUNDANE MYSTERIES: What’s The Meaning Behind “4/20”?
Weed is coming to Maryland on July 1st, following last year’s vote to legalize cannabis when 67.2% of our fellow citizens decided to make left-handed cigarettes legal. But even if you’re not a marijuana enthusiast, you’re still probably aware that April 20, or 4/20, is the unofficial holiday for those who partake. It’s a day when pot smokers around the world come together to, well, smoke pot. But why the code 420?
Well, there are a lot of theories as to why that particular number was chosen, but most of them are wrong. You may have heard that 420 is police code for possession, or maybe it’s the penal code for marijuana use. But neither of those are true. There was a California Senate Bill 420 that referred to the use of medical marijuana, but that bill was named for the code, not the other way around.
As far as anyone can tell, the phrase started with a group of high school students back in 1971, when a bunch of kids at San Rafael High School in California got in the habit of meeting at 4:20pm to smoke weed after school. When they’d see each other in the hallways during the day, their shorthand was “420 Louis,” meaning, “Let’s meet at the Louis Pasteur statue at 4:20 to smoke.”
Somehow, the phrase caught on, and when the Grateful Dead eventually picked it up, “420” spread throughout the greater cannabis community like wildfire in a grow house. What began as a silly code shared between classes is now a worldwide event for smokers & legalization activists. Which isn’t really a bad accomplishment for a bunch of high school stoners, when you think of it!
Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me an email: [email protected].
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MUNDANE MYSTERIES: What Are Electrolytes & Do You Need More of Them?
Some folks, like myself, will reach for a sports drink like Gatorade instead of plain water following an intense workout, because sports drinks are supposedly filled with electrolytes, which we’re supposed to replenish after strenuous activity…right? But what exactly are electrolytes? And does your body really need to be filled with them?
Electrolytes are a catch-all term for substances that help your body with a variety of processes, including chemical reactions & fluid balance. They’re called electrolytes because, when they’re dissolved in water, their positive or negative electrical charges contract muscles & control hydration levels.
Sodium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, chloride, phosphate, and bicarbonate are all considered electrolytes. Too much or too little of each can lead to a different reaction by your body, including weakness, muscle contractions, fatigue, or confusion. You usually get all the electrolytes your body needs through a regular, healthy diet. But, while there are a number of different medical conditions that can affect your overall electrolyte levels, usually electrolytes are thrown off balance by exertion & the loss of fluids through sweating.
So, what should you do if you’ve lost electrolytes? Should you try replacing them? Well, the Harvard School of Public Health says you’re not likely going to suffer any ill effects from a moderate treadmill jog or light weight training, as electrolyte depletion typically takes only place after an hour or more of strenuous exercise. And only after sweating considerably for a prolonged period of time should you consider rapid electrolyte replenishment with a sports drink, especially ones that contain a good bit of sugar.
So, unless you’re engaged in a serious, intense athletic endeavor or have a bigger underlying medical condition, you probably don’t really need to be too concerned about your electrolyte levels.
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