Colorado replaces 'Mile 420' sign with 'Mile 419.9' sign because marijuana enthusiasts keep stealing it



A sign marking mile 420 of Interstate 70 was repeatedly stolen

Officials have replaced it with 'Mile 419.99' to deter thieves

The number 420 has long been associated with marijuana

Colorado officials hope the difference of one-hundredth of a mile will prevent thieves from stealing the mile marker 420 sign along Interstate 70.



Amy Ford of the Colorado Department of Transportation says the 'MILE 420' sign near Stratton was stolen for the last time sometime in the last year, and officials replaced it with a sign that says 'MILE 419.99.'



Ford says it's the only '420' sign to be replaced in the state that recently legalized recreational marijuana. Most highways aren't long enough to need one.

Marked change: The new Mile 419.99 signs on Interstate 70 in Colorado

The sign was targeted multiple times by people keen for 420 paraphernalia.



The number has long been associated with the smoking of marijuana, though its origins as a shorthand for pot are murky.



According to the Huffington Post, the term originated with a group of friends nicknamed the Waldos (for their habit of sitting on a local wall).



The Waldos would meet each other after school at 4:20 to partake of some marijuana and began using the term to signify anything from 'Do you want to smoke?' to 'Do you have weed?'



Lucky number: The original sign was the target of multiple thefts

The friends had various links to the band the Grateful Dead and the term began to be used by fans of the band.



The marijuana magazine High Times first used the term in 1991 and since then it's become the stoner's favorite number.



Every April 4 at 4:20, marijuana enthusiasts around the world light up to celebrate the drug and push for broader legalization.



Colorado has now legalized marijuana. The first stores selling the drug opened on January 1, 2014.



Smoking accepted: Colorado has now legalized marijuana

Mile 419.99, about 25 miles from the Kansas border, isn't the only place in Colorado with a fractional mile marker.



Cameron Pass in Larimer County has a 'MILE 68.5' sign after frequent thefts of the 'MILE 69' sign.