Will Young “kept quiet” about his traumatic experiences at boarding school because he didn’t want to upset his parents.

The 43-year-old singer revealed last year he was left with PTSD because of the “appalling” experiences he had as a child and he’s now acknowledged he felt pressured not to confide in his mother and father because he was constantly told how “fortunate” he was to be there as a result of his parents’ hard work.

Speaking to Times Radio, he said: “One of the things about when you’re a child is you can often… I felt very fortunate, ironically, to be sent to the school. My parents actually didn’t have a lot of money at the time. We were there on a deal.

“And so the messaging coming – and this often happens when people are in abusive situations – is that you’re very fortunate to be in that situation. So you keep shtum. What that can lead to is survivor’s guilt. People feeling, ‘Well, I could have done more.’ But of course you can’t as a child.

“‘Now, if my parents had known, they would have taken me out of that school in two seconds. But you know, the messaging coming across from the school and from people around was, ‘Aren’t your parents working hard? You know, to send you.’

“‘My dad just set up his business. It was a recession in 87. You know, ‘Aren’t they working so hard?’ So you keep quiet as a child, Absolutely.”

The ‘Leave Right Now’ hitmaker claimed last year staff at the school would throw children “against radiators”, watch them getting changed, and rip out the only phone they had to communicate with their guardians.

He said: “We weren’t allowed to wear pants under our football shorts, so my d**k used to fall out of my football shorts when I got tackled. Less washing.

“I saw kids being made to change on the football pitch because they had worn pants. Teachers looking at our penises in the shower, in the bath.’

“It was appalling. That’s why I’ve got PTSD. There was such a sense of injustice from things that I experienced and witnessed. I think I escaped – not that it didn’t damage me.”

People with chronic lung conditions and cancers which are likely to be fatal are around two-and-a-half times more likely to end their lives than those without such conditions, figures in the UK suggest.

One year after being diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or low survival cancers, people had an elevated rate of death due to suicide, the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) found.

The suicide rate for such patients was 2.4 times higher than the rate for people with similar socio-demographic characteristics who had not received a diagnosis.

Campaigners said the figures show the need for a law change on assisted dying, but others called for more support for dying people and for high-quality palliative care to be extended to everyone who needs it.

According to the Samaritans charity that helps those at risk of taking their lives, suicide is complex and usually a combination of individual, community and societal factors interact to increase risk.

The ONS research found that 17,195 people in England died by suicide between January 2017 and March 2020, including 455 people with COPD, 465 people with chronic heart conditions and 58 with low survival cancers.

In many instances, people diagnosed with these conditions would meet the definition of having a terminal illness, the ONS said. The ONS figures only cover deaths in England, so the deaths of people who travelled abroad to end their lives will not have been captured by the research.

For people with low survival cancers there were 22.2 deaths per 100,000 versus 9.1 deaths per 100,000 people without a diagnosis, and the suicide rate for COPD patients was 23.6 deaths per 100,000 versus 9.7 deaths per 100,000 people.

For those with chronic ischemic heart conditions, the suicide rate was nearly two times higher (16.4 deaths versus 8.5 deaths per 100,000 people without such conditions).

Further research will examine suicides among people with severe health conditions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr Vahe Nafilyan, head of the ONS Health Modelling Hub, said: “The analysis we have published today helps better understand the complex issue of suicide in patients diagnosed with certain chronic health conditions.”

The campaign group Dignity in Dying said the data shows that instances of terminally ill people taking their own lives “are not isolated tragedies but warning signs” of serious patient safety implications under the current law.

Chief executive, Sarah Wootton, said: “The data today confirms that the blanket ban on assisted dying is not only uncompassionate and unequal, but deeply unsafe for our terminally ill citizens, and it must act as a clarion call for Parliament to examine the full impact of the current law.

“This is not simply a matter for debate but of patient safety, of the utmost urgency.”

Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the mental health charity Sane, added: “It is unforgiveable and inhumane that people who are dying should have to resort to ending their lives alone and abandoned, but this data indicates that this the case for many under the current law.

“For those who are nearing the end of life and wish to ease the dying process, their motivation is to shorten death, not shorten life, and therefore traditional suicide prevention measures are not an appropriate response.”

Care Not Killing, a UK alliance which opposes a law change, said the figures do not demonstrate the need for a change in the law on assisted dying.

Chief executive, Dr Gordon Macdonald, said the numbers instead suggest that “much more work needs to be done to support dying and vulnerable people by providing them with universal access to treatment for both their physical and psychological needs”.

He continued: “This means extending high quality palliative care to all those who need it, not reaching for a cheap short-term solution of facilitating a rise in people committing suicide or having their lives ended by the state.”

A Samaritans spokesman said: “Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy, and while the data shows that there seems to be an association between certain severe illnesses and risk of suicide, there remains a significant amount which the data doesn’t tell us.

“Being diagnosed with a severe illness is one of the most difficult things people will go through, creating huge emotional, physical, practical, and financial challenges.

“Therefore, it is important that anyone living with a severe illness, or supporting someone who is, is aware of the support that is available.”

Queen Elizabeth’s Barbie doll is a tribute to the British monarch’s influence as an “important historical female figure” who has made an impact along with other “leaders, creators and pioneers”.

Mattel has unveiled the Tribute Collection Barbie to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, which marks 70 years of service, making her the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

The extraordinary reign of the queen – who celebrated her 96th birthday on Thursday (21.04.22) – has seen her lead with duty, support humanitarian efforts and live a life of public service, unifying the nation in celebration, reflection and community and historian-and-professor Kate Williams says the unique doll is a fitting tribute to the great woman.

Kate – the author of ‘Our Queen Elizabeth’ – said: “Queen Elizabeth II’s reign has been one of extraordinary impact, holding a position that few women have. The longest reigning British monarch, and the first to reach a Platinum Jubilee, The Queen has dedicated herself to service and duty and seen the world change immeasurably. In 1952, when she came to the throne, women were not encouraged to work and politicians expressed doubts about a young female monarch – but she showed them wrong, proved herself an adept leader and diplomat.

“As Her Majesty celebrates this milestone jubilee it is wonderful to see an iconic brand like Barbie share important historical female figures impact as leaders, creators and pioneers to new generations.”

The Queen Elizabeth II Barbie doll is instantly recognisable in an elegant ivory gown and blue riband adorned with decorations of order. The tiara is based on Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara – famously worn by The Queen on her wedding day – and miniature medallions on ribbons are inspired by the Royal Family Orders. The pink ribbon was given to The Queen by her father George VI, and the pale blue by her grandfather George V. The silver brooch pinned underneath the sash represents the Garter Star Brooch, the insignia of the highest order of chivalry in the United Kingdom, the Order of the Garter.

The doll is presented in a box inspired by the styles present in Buckingham Palace, made from a 3D ornate die-cut border which frames the doll, and an inner panel showing a throne and the red carpeting inspired by the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace.

The box is printed with a crest-shaped logo and a badge commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne.

The Queen Elizabeth II Tribute Collection Barbie will be sold at Amazon, Harrods, Hamley’s, Selfridges and John Lewis from April 21, 2022 ahead of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend between 2nd -5th June 2022.

Lynda Carter keeps her Wonder Woman costume on stand-by in case “of emergency”.

The 70-year-old actress – who played the titular role in the classic live action TV series based on the popular comic in the 1970s – revealed she never threw out her iconic outfit from her time on the show, and she joked she’s always got it close by in case she has work to do.

Sharing a photo of herself holding the framed costume, she tweeted: “1. Some outfits are never sent to the back of the closet.

“2. It’s really more of a “break glass in case of emergency” situation.”

Fans were delighted by the post, with many hailing Carter’s impact on them growing up.

One follower wrote: “I always picked to be Wonder Woman when we played super heroes as kids. You were the one who made me fall in love with superheroes. Thank you for showing the world ‘girls’ can save the world too.”

Another added: “It weirdly makes me feel better about the world, knowing that Wonder Women is one pane of broken glass away.”

And a different fan said: “So break the glass already! You’re needed! What are you waiting for, a written invitation?”

Lynda played Wonder Woman and her alter ego Diana Prince in the classic series, while Gal Gadot took on the role in the 2017 blockbuster and its 2020 sequel ‘Wonder Woman: 1984’ – but the original star made a cameo in the latter.

She made a post-credits cameo appearance as the warrior Asteria, and she will be part of ‘Wonder Woman 3’.

Gadot previously said: “”First of all, Lynda has mentored me from the very first moment that I got cast as Wonder Woman. She was always there, talking to me, giving me tips and everything.

“She’s a true champion of what Patty [Jenkins, director] and I have been doing, and it was so great that we managed to find the right opportunity to bring her to the last movie and now to the third one.”

Robbie Williams curated an artwork collection with Ed Godrich.

The ‘Angels’ hitmaker has been collaborating with the interior designer for five years and is finally ready to display the 14 pieces – including those by artists such as Damien Hirst, Banksy and Jean-Michel Basquiat – in the ‘Black and White Paintings’ exhibition celebrating 1990s rave culture, followed by an auction at Sotheby’s in London.

Regarding the exhibition, which will run between 13 to 25 May, the 48-year-old singer said: “Art is really whatever you want it to be.

“Just like music it has the ability to soothe and provide company when you’re lonely.”

Robbie and Ed are gearing up to sell one of their own creations for the first time – a picture titled ‘Beverly’, expected to go for £20,000 at the Contemporary Curated auction – and the star believes in the “power” music and art have in affecting his approach to life.

He added: “Art and music have punctuated my ups and downs but, more importantly, they both have the power to change how I feel in a moment.”

The ‘Let Me Entertain You’ hitmaker compared the dynamic he and Ed share to that of a band.

Robbie explained: “Ed’s and my outlook on life and sensibilities are eerily similar. In music terms, Ed plays the piano, while I write the melodies and the words.

“To continue the metaphor, we also write songs separately and bring them together. We’re in a band.”

Meanwhile, Ed believes the work they make together “take on the rhythm of whatever is playing”.

He added: “I create art and can spend hours discussing art with Robbie because we have similar brains, which are in no way combative, just progressive and full of ideas the whole time.

“Our paintings take on the rhythm of whatever is playing – and that’s usually electronic music.

“Everyone will see something different in each picture, whether that’s the influence of the music playing at the time, or something else.”

Robbie revealed he started “collecting” when his solo career took off after he left boy band Take That while sharing tips for “burgeoning collectors”.

He said: “I started collecting when I wrote Angels, that gave me the financial capacity to collect.

“For you burgeoning collectors, my advice would be to buy what you like – it hasn’t let me down.

“It’s important to engage with the art you buy, and you have to have an emotional reaction to the piece.”

Marshall City (Liberia) (AFP) – Floating on a river boat near a Liberian island, vet Richard Ssuna watches intently as animal carers wade towards the shore hurling fruits and imitating chimpanzee calls as they go. 

The beach is empty, but the sound of rustling and chimpish grunts begins to fill the green undergrowth. Slowly, an ape knucklewalks out onto the beach to grab some food.    

He’s a high-ranking member of his troop, explains Ssuna, as more chimpanzees follow. The younger ones gambol and hoot in delight as carers throw them bananas, palm nuts and cassava. 

Sixty-five chimps are spread across six uninhabited river islands near the Atlantic Ocean, about 55 kilometres (34 miles) south of the West African country’s capital Monrovia.

But their joy in feeding belies a dark past. 

The chimps are the remainders of a group of about 400 ex-test subjects of a US-funded research project — and have survived decades of invasive experiments. Some of the animals underwent several hundred biopsies.

“They were traumatised,” says Ssuna, who’s also a director of Humane Society International (HSI), a rights group that now cares for the primates. 

Chimp testing in Liberia began 1974, when the New York Blood Center (NYBC) funded biomedical research related to hepatitis B and other diseases at a complex by the Farmington River.

During Liberia’s devastating 1989-2003 civil war, the chimpanzees nearly starved to death as the country imploded around them.

Research staff in the impoverished country had to dig into their own pockets to provide basic sustenance. 

The researchers retired many of the chimps to the river islands in the mid-2000s but their ordeal continued. 

For reasons that remain unclear, NYBC cut funding in 2015 — in a move that provoked global outrage — abandoning the apes on the tiny river islands incapable of supporting them.

Activists picketed NYBC headquarters in New York and Hollywood stars such as Joaquin Phoenix and Ellen Page signed a petition urging the blood bank to reinstate funding. 

Brian Hare, a US-based primatologist who launched the petition, wrote at the time: “Effectively they have left these poor chimpanzees to suffer from dehydration and starvation”.

‘Victim of torture’

Liberia is one of the world’s poorest countries, where 44 percent of the population lives on less than $1.90 per day, according to the World Bank.

Local staff at the research centre kept showing up to work to help the chimps when NYBC cut funding — at a time when an Ebola epidemic was raging in Liberia. Rights groups and US financial giant Citigroup also provided relief funds during the turbulent period.

Under pressure, NYBC eventually struck an agreement to split the long-term care costs for the chimps with the Humane Society in 2017, pledging $6 million.

NYBC did not respond to questions from AFP about why it withdrew funding. 

Years on, the former lab chimps now enjoy veterinary care and two daily meals. But many still bear the scars of their grim past.  

At another island, during morning feeding, Ssuna points to a grizzled ape who’s missing an arm. The vet says the animal is “essentially victim of torture.”

The chimp, named Bullet, lost the limb as a infant when poachers killed his mother and ripped him from her arms. He then ended up at the research lab.

The carers are trained to form close attachments with the chimpanzees and to be gentle, explains Ssuna, who says certain stimuli can trigger negative memories in chimps, as in humans.  

None of the chimpanzees can be released into the wild, and are confined to the islands for life. 

They never learned to fend for themselves and there are also fears they would spread disease if humans came into contact with them. 

Keeping them fed is a serious operation.

Carers prepare about 200 kilogrammes (440 pounds) of food every morning, and 120 kilos (264 pounds) in the afternoon — amounting to about 10 tonnes a month. 

Care will continue until every ape on the islands dies, according to Ssuna.

He estimates that their lifelong care will last some 50 years. Many of the chimps are around 20 years old and have a lifespan of about 60. 

There are also a small number of babies. HSI plans to vasectomise the males to prevent further births. 

“The future is very bright, as much as we would like to leave them back in the wild,” says Ssuna back on the mainland after the feeding, standing near the rusted animal cages of the old research complex. 

“They’re in a better place.” 

(Reuters) – A lawyer for Alec Baldwin said on Thursday that an investigation by New Mexico has cleared his client of wrongdoing in the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust,” pointing out that its report stated the actor believed his gun held only dummy rounds.

New Mexico’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau on Wednesday released the findings of a six-month investigation of the shooting during the filming of the Western movie last October. It blasted Rust Movie Productions LLC for “willful” safety lapses leading to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and fined the company $137,000, the maximum amount possible.

In response to the findings, Baldwin’s attorneys said in a statement that his authority on the production was limited to approving script changes and creative casting and that he had no authority over matters that were subject to the investigation.

“We appreciate that the report exonerates Mr. Baldwin by making clear that he believed the gun held only dummy rounds,” the statement posted on Baldwin’s Instagram account said. “We are pleased that the New Mexico officials have clarified these critical issues.”

The agency was not immediately available to comment on the statement.

Hutchins was killed during a rehearsal when a revolver that Baldwin was holding fired a live round that passed through her and struck the movie’s director Joel Souza in the shoulder, wounding him.

The investigation found the production firm had been aware that firearm safety procedures were not being followed and demonstrated “plain indifference” to the hazards, the New Mexico Environment Department said in a statement.

Rust Movie Productions spokesman Stefan Friedman said in a statement on Wednesday that the company disagreed with the findings and planned to appeal.

The probe found that Rust management ignored concerns raised by crew members about firearm and pyrotechnics misfires on set.

The report said Rust management failed to give staff responsible for firearms safety sufficient time to inspect ammunition received to ensure no live rounds were present.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the Santa Fe County District Attorney have ongoing criminal investigations into the death of the cinematographer.

(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden pledged $800 million in more weaponry for Ukraine on Thursday and said he would ask Congress for more money to help bolster support for the Ukrainian military as it faces a fresh onslaught by Russia on its eastern flank.

Addressing Americans from the White House’s Roosevelt Room, Biden pledged to send heavy artillery, dozens of howitzers, and 144,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as tactical drones, as he called on Congress for supplemental funding to provide additional aid for Kyiv.

Biden also announced $500 million in direct economic assistance to the Ukrainian government as it battles to save the lives of people under siege by Russian forces.

“We’re in a critical window now of time where they’re going to set the stage for the next phase of this war,” Biden said, referring to Russia’s tactical shift to the east. The United States and allies are “moving as fast as possible” to provide Ukraine with the equipment and weapons it needs.

Biden said the new assistance will expend most of the remaining funds available for this purpose and that he will make a supplemental funding request to Congress next week. He said the amount is being discussed.

“That’s being decided now. I’m asking the Defense Department to put together a proposal,” he said.

The U.S. House of Representatives will consider the additional aid for Ukraine as soon as next week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters. There is strong support among Democrats and Republicans for assisting Ukraine.

The Pentagon said that the new package would include 75 155mm long-range howitzers, 72 tactical vehicles to tow them, and more than 100 Phoenix Ghost drones.

Biden spoke after face-to-face talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who is in Washington for a variety of meetings.

The president announced plans to ban Russian-affiliated ships from docking at U.S. ports, as previously reported by Reuters, further ratcheting up pressure on Moscow. A senior administration official said the move was aimed at further isolating Russia.

Biden also said his administration will allow Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion of their home country to come to the United States temporarily if they have American sponsors, a move that could affect thousands of refugees.

The new arms package is the same size as an $800 million one announced last week

Biden said the new weapons are needed as Ukraine battles a major offensive from Russia in the east, where the flatter terrain requires a different set of weaponry.

On Wednesday, he convened U.S. military leaders in an annual White House gathering that took on special significance as the war enters a risky new phase.

Russia has said it has entered a new stage of its operation and is methodically seeking to “liberate” the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Western allies anticipate Russia’s campaign could last many months, grind to a stalemate and test the battlefield capabilities of Ukrainian fighters.

Biden disputed Russian claims of control of the embattled city of Mariupol, saying that “there’s no evidence that Mariupol has completely fallen.” He added that Russia “should allow humanitarian corridors to let people at that steel mill and other places (that) are buried under rubble to get out.”

Russia says it launched what it calls a “special military operation” on Feb. 24 to demilitarize and “denazify” Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies reject that as a false pretext.

U.S. forces are not fighting in Ukraine but are indirectly engaged, arming, training and financing its forces.

The U.S. aid announced last week included artillery systems, artillery rounds, armored personnel carriers and unmanned coastal defense boats, broadening the scope of materiel sent to Kyiv to include new types of heavy equipment.

Adding this week’s package brings total U.S. military aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded to well over $3 billion.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose, Steve Holland, Patricia Zengerle and Idrees Ali; Editing by Robert Birsel, Chizu Nomiyama, Heather Timmons and Jonathan Oatis)

LONDON (Reuters) – British finance minister Rishi Sunak and his Canadian counterpart Chrystia Freeland walked out of an International Monetary Fund meeting in Washington on Thursday when Russia’s delegate spoke, a British finance ministry spokesperson said.

“(Sunak) described Putin’s assault on Ukraine as an assault on the rules and norms that are the foundation of our economic way of life,” the spokesperson said.

Earlier on Thursday, Britain ramped up trade sanctions on Russia, targeting luxury goods including caviar, silver and diamonds through import bans and higher tariffs, seeking to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

(Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by William Schomberg)

By Daniel Trotta

(Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Education has canceled student loan debt for 40,000 people and offered credits to help another 3.6 million pay off their loans under a plan announced on Tuesday designed to aid low-income borrowers and public servants.

“Student loans were never meant to be a life sentence, but it’s certainly felt that way for borrowers locked out of debt relief they’re eligible for,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in the statement.

The measures add to other steps taken by the administration of President Joe Biden, including a pause on nearly all student loan collection, but they stop short of demands from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party for comprehensive student loan forgiveness.

In his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden called for canceling $10,000 in student loan debt for each borrower, a commitment of more than $400 billion. Since he was elected, the White House has said Congress must take action for wider student loan relief.

The government said it was addressing “historical failures” to communicate to borrowers all the benefits they were eligible for in federal student loan programs.

At least 40,000 borrowers will receive immediate debt cancellation under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.

Several thousand borrowers with older loans will also receive forgiveness through income-driven repayment (IDR) forgiveness, plus another 3.6 million borrowers will receive at least three years of additional credit toward IDR forgiveness, the Education Department said in a statement.

Those programs cap the amount lower-income borrowers are required to pay and forgive the remaining balance after a set number of years.

Student loan debt is seen as a drag on the economy, burdening young professionals for years after graduation, while the wide availability of loans has contributed to rising tuition.

Some 43.4 million borrowers are carrying about $1.6 trillion in outstanding student loans from the Federal Loan Portfolio, an average of more than $37,000 each, according to the Education Data Initiative.

The Biden administration canceled more than $17 billion in debt for 725,000 borrowers in its first year in office while also extending a pause on loan repayment that has provided at least temporary relief for 41 million borrowers, the Education Department said.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Ezra Miller has been arrested after allegedly throwing a chair at a woman.

The ‘Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore’ actor was apprehended by police in Hawaii at around 1.30am on Tuesday (19.04.22) morning for second-degree assault after being found during a traffic stop, 20 minutes after cops had responded to reports of an alleged incident at a get-together at a private residence in the Leilani Estates subdivision in lower Puna.

The Hawaii Police Department issued a news release which read: “During the course of their investigation, police determined that the individual, later identified as Ezra Miller, became irate after being asked to leave and reportedly threw a chair, striking a 26-year-old female on the forehead, resulting in an approximate half-inch cut.”

The woman refused treatment for her injury, while Ezra was released after 4am pending further investigation.

The ‘Flash’ star’s arrest came three weeks after they were charged with disorderly conduct and harassment following an incident at a karaoke bar.

At the time,police said: “Miller began yelling obscenities and at one point grabbed the microphone from a 23-year-old woman singing karaoke and later lunged at a 32-year-old man playing darts. The bar owner asked Miller to calm down several times to no avail.”

On the same evening, the ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ actor was accused of “threatening to bury” a couple he’d been staying with.

The unnamed couple also accused the star of stealing their belongings and filed for a restraining order against Ezra, but later dropped their application to order the actor to stay away.

In addition, Ezra is also involved in a separate case relating to an alleged traffic violation in Hilo until April 26, where the actor was said to be being “uncooperative and refused to leave the area and continued to obstruct the sidewalk.”

Los Angeles (AFP) – Tens of thousands of Americans will gather in parks and city plazas under a fog of marijuana smoke on Wednesday to celebrate a drug that remains illegal in much of the country.

April 20th has become synonymous with pot, a day when THC-infused clouds drift, people play bongos, and everyone feels a bit of love for each other.

But why did 4/20 become so important?

What is 4/20?

Basically a day that celebrates all things Mary Jane.

In more than a dozen US states where weed is legal, big rallies will take place in public spaces, with participants lighting up everything from regular spliffs to bongs to joints the size of a baby’s arm. If you can imagine it, there’s someone smoking it.

Outside of the big gatherings, smaller groups of people will get together to indulge in a collective toke.

Aficionados insist these more intimate smoke-ins are more in keeping with the origins of 4/20, which began as something off-the-grid but has grown into full-size festivals, complete with sponsors and the option of purchasing VIP tickets. 

Why April 20th?

In the US system of dates, April 20 is 4/20, and the day-long celebration of reefer seems to have metamorphosed from the number.

There are a few competing theories where the number came from, and none of them is commonly accepted.

One holds that 420 is the number of chemicals in marijuana, though this seems to be an undershoot (it’s closer to 500, according to Vox), or an overshoot (“scientists have successfully isolated 113 discrete cannabinoids,” weed bible High Times reported.)

Another theory has it that 420 is the California penal code for possession of the drug (it’s not; Penal Code 420 explains that it’s a misdemeanor to prevent access to public lands in the state, according to findlaw.com, a website for legal professionals).

Many suggestions involve well-known pot heads The Grateful Dead in some way, and include the claim that 420 was the favored hotel room number on their psychedelic tours. Was it implausible for all six musicians (plus hangers-on) to be in the same room? Yes, and a band spokesman is widely quoted as saying it’s not true.

Nor is 4/20 the date that Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, or Janis Joplin died. While they all passed at age 27, their deaths were in July, September and October, respectively. 

One of the more satisfying theories about 4/20 is that 4:20pm was the time that a group of stoners in 1970s California would gather to get high. The Waldos describe themselves as “a group of five wisecracking friends…who originated the term ‘420’ in 1971 at San Rafael High School.”

Their website offers what they say is proof of the term being used as code for these gatherings and the act of smoking, in the form of letters exchanged after they left school.

Whatever the truth, the term has entered the lexicon — the Oxford English Dictionary acknowledges that it is “North American slang” for marijuana, while the Encyclopaedia Britannica, no less, notes the expression is “in current use” (and also gives us “hippie lettuce” as an alternative term for the drug).

Los Angeles (AFP) – As pot smokers prepare to light up for “4/20” — the annual counter-cultural celebration of cannabis held on April 20 — the United States’ legalization experiment blazes ahead.

Here are five things to know about marijuana in America:

Eighteen of the 50 US states, plus the capital Washington, have so far legalized recreational weed use for adults.

Most states allow at least some medical use — ranging from oils with low levels of the active ingredient THC to near-legalization.

Just a few conservative states such as Idaho, Wyoming and Nebraska have held off.

Oddly, marijuana remains illegal under federal law — in fact, it is technically a “schedule one” controlled substance, on par with heroin.

So in theory, a cannabis user is still breaking the nation’s laws.

But in practice, federal prosecutors do not pursue people or businesses that are complying with their state’s marijuana laws, nor have they challenged those laws in court.

While New Jersey has already legalized recreational weed, legal sales will only begin this Thursday.

Rhode Island, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Louisiana and Oklahoma are the states considered most likely to allow cannabis use next.

But that could soon be moot, if efforts to decriminalize marijuana nationwide work out.

A Democrat-led bill to eliminate punishments for possessing or selling the drug was approved by House lawmakers this month.

It faces a sterner test in the Senate, where the Democratic majority is as thin as a rolling paper. It would also need President Joe Biden’s signature.

How much is legal weed worth?

Legal weed is already big business — worth around $25 billion in the United States last year — and is only expected to grow faster.

Efforts are under way to clear financial red tape for legal cannabis operators, who often struggle to secure basic services such bank accounts, loans and even credit card machines at checkouts due to the sector’s “grey zone” legal status.

States reported $3.7 billion in cannabis tax revenue from sales last year.

And the recent House bill projected that annual legal sales will pass $40 billion by 2025.

What about the illegal industry?

As big as the legal sector has grown, it is still dwarfed by illegal marijuana sales.

Illicit cannabis was estimated to be worth $65 billion in 2020 across the nation.

This is not just confined to states where weed remains illegal.

Even in California, the first US state to approve medical marijuana use back in 1996, as much as 80 percent of cannabis sales remains outside the law.

These range from loyal customers sticking with their original dealers — either from preference for the product, or lower prices thanks to the lack of taxes — to counterfeit operations that consumers may assume are legitimate.

Who supports it?

Overall, the US public is strongly behind legalization.

A Pew Research poll found last year that 91 percent of adults think marijuana should be legal, either medically, recreationally or both.

Roughly half of US adults last year told Gallup they had tried cannabis, up from one-third in 1999.

Legal cannabis companies have drawn celebrity funding or endorsements, from musicians Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa to actor Seth Rogen and former boxing champ Mike Tyson.

Billionaire Elon Musk is also a fan, controversially lighting up a joint during a “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast livestream, and tweeting his outrage about prisoners who are still behind bars for the historical offence of selling weed.