Idaho is now using mile marker 419.9 in place of a 420 mile marker on U.S. Highway 95 in hopes it will discourage marijuana enthusiasts from stealing it.
Thefts of 420 mile marker signs have been common in Colorado and Washington, where marijuana is legal for recreational use,
noted BuzzFeed News.
The number 420 and its association with marijuana dates back to 1971 when some high school friends in California marked the end of the school day (4:20 p.m.) so they could find a place to smoke pot, said
BBC News. The rock band The Grateful Dead and its fans eventually picked up the term and popularized it.
High Times magazine, a publication focusing on marijuana, began using the number as well in the 1990s in reference to marijuana.
With the legalization of marijuana, the 420 mile markers have become a sort of trophy for those supporting the marijuana culture.
Colorado transportation officials started fighting back last year with its new 419.99 mile marker signs.
"So this is our way to test it out. So far it's working," Amy Ford, a spokesperson with the Colorado Department of Transportation, told
KUSA-TV last year. "It's a traffic safety thing. It's a helpful thing to have these signs on the road. But people kept ripping them off."
When Idaho started experiencing the same theft problem, it went with same solution with the sign just south of Coeur d'Alene,
according to Mashable.
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