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This claim has been circulating on Facebook:

enter image description here

Although marijuana is now legal in Colorado, I don't see any particular attraction to mile markers from this state, as US mile markers are pretty standard--at least along interstate highways (where this photo appears to have been taken).

In any case, is there any truth to the claim that the* 420 mile marker has been a special target of theft? And if so, did the CDOT change the mile marker as claimed in the photo? I haven't done any in-depth investigation, but the low quality of the image makes it seem quite possible that it was doctored...

*The claim suggests that there is a single mile marker 420 in Colorado, which is clearly false, as, even if there is only a single (Interstate) highway long enough to have a mile 420, there would be one marker on each side of the road, one for east-bound traffic, one for west-bound.

(A personal note: I'd rather steal a 419.99 mile marker myself....)

Flimzy
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    For those who are wondering why 420 might get stolen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_%28cannabis_culture%29 – David Richerby Sep 15 '14 at 16:47
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    New sign will be stolen by [Nigerian scammers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/419_scams). – CodesInChaos Sep 16 '14 at 11:13
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    @Codes Don't you mean _princes_? –  Sep 16 '14 at 14:32
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    I'm surprised they didn't go with 419 and 127/128 of a mile, or some other Imperial abortion of a number. – Christofer Ohlsson Sep 17 '14 at 07:31
  • @ChristoferOlsson: Many places already have fractional mile markers. Especially within cities, it's common to see them every 1/10th of a mile (.1, .2... .9) so there was already a precedent. Also, "127/128" wouldn't fit well on the sign. – Flimzy Sep 17 '14 at 10:34
  • Anecdotally The term "420" is used in India to refer to a thief or confidence trickster. Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code covers offences relating to cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property. This section was also in use in other neighboring countries such as Myanmar, where the term 420 persists in popular culture to this date.[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_420_of_the_Indian_Penal_Code ] – Martin Sep 17 '14 at 11:49
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    I was driving in Washington (state) recently, and there was a blank mile marker between markers 68 and 70. Apparently it's another popular one to steal. – Aric TenEyck Sep 17 '14 at 12:48
  • @ChristoferOlsson You mean 419 miles and 79 chains? (Also, note that American customary units are not, in fact, the same as Imperial, though the distance measures agree between the two.) – David Richerby Sep 17 '14 at 20:45
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    @T.J.Crowder: 415 and 425 already exist at miles 415 and 425 respectively. – Flimzy Sep 19 '14 at 16:54

2 Answers2

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In January 2014, NBC News did an interview with "Amy Ford, the communications director at the Colorado Department of Transportation":

Ford couldn’t say how many times the 420 sign had been lifted in its history but said, “It was stolen frequently enough that we decided to switch our tags.”

Newspaper journalists aren't always the most reliable of information sources, but a direct interview with someone who appears to have the appropriate expertise and authority is the best I would expect to find on this topic.

They also include a second (uncredited) picture of the sign suggesting it isn't a simple photoshopped meme, but an extant sign.

Oddthinking
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    The [CDOT page on their senior management team](http://www.coloradodot.info/about/executive-director) confirms an Amy Ford is Director of the Office of Communcations. – E. P. Sep 17 '14 at 08:10
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Google Maps / Street View evidence:

Historical street view shows a 420 sign on I-70 Westbound in September 2011.

Glorfindel
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Sparr
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    My concern is that they appear to have put the new sign in the same place as the old sign, instead of 52.8' further down the road. – Michael Sep 15 '14 at 22:57
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    I think this is great evidence that the sign exists. +1. But not good evidence about who put the sign there nor why. – Oddthinking Sep 16 '14 at 00:12
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    @Michael: If that 99 is meant to be recurring then it is exactly equal to 420 since 0.99 recurring is exactly equals to 1 – slebetman Sep 16 '14 at 01:59
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    @slebetman in that case they omitted the bar over the last nine to indicate repeating. – Michael Sep 16 '14 at 02:02
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    @Michael: From [the article](http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/12/22277341-colorado-changes-mile-420-highway-marker-to-stymie-stoner-heists) linked in Oddthinking's answer: *While a difference of .01 mile doesn’t sound like much, the 419.99 marker stands more than 50 feet away from where the old sign was posted. “We are nothing if not precise,” said Ford.* – T.J. Crowder Sep 16 '14 at 06:04
  • @T.J.Crowder Ah thanks, I missed that. From Street View, it looks like it is directly across the road from the marker on the other side. – Michael Sep 16 '14 at 14:48
  • @T.J.Crowder Well as close to nothing as makes no difference, anyway. –  Sep 17 '14 at 08:28
  • @Michael Perhaps they're now referring to a slightly different point than before? –  Sep 17 '14 at 08:29
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    Well now it would be good to steal it because it's different for having .99 on it... – Jonathan. Sep 17 '14 at 21:27
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    @Michael Presumably, the marker on the other side also says 419.99, so the markers should be across from one another. Distances are measured from west to east on both sides of the highway. – phoog Jul 16 '18 at 16:00