On Saturday, September 24th and October 1st, Colorado’s Denver and Boulder will both play host to the newly innovated 420 Games, which is a series of athletic events held to dispel the myth of cannabis users being nothing but lazy stoners, and to show they are capable of using said drug to lead healthy, active, and responsible lives. Prior to its move to Colorado, the 420 Games have been held in California and Washington, and they’ll make their way to Oregon in late October. Participants can reserve a spot to partake in a 4.20 mile fun run around scenic areas alongside hundreds if not thousands of other fellow cannabis users. However, participants will be asked not to smoke cannabis or eat edibles on the day they participate as it is designed to be a family friendly event.
These games were organized by cannabis entrepreneur and gym owner, Jim McAlpine, who created them to be the antithesis of the Cannabis Cup. “I look at those events as consumption-based events. They’re really focused on weed, on ‘Let’s get high.’ My events from the outside look like your average 5K run.” He is advertising the events as a “fitness first, cannabis second,” as he sees that consumption based events “give the industry—and cannabis—a bad name.” He elaborates, “There’s always going to be a place for the stoner lifestyle. And I don’t look down on stoners. I was a stoner once, and I don’t want to see stoners ostracized or chastised. I want to be a beacon of hope to show people that you can still use cannabis and change your lifestyle and be very active. I use marijuana every day, and I’m very successful. It’s not the plant that holds them back — it’s their lifestyle, and they need to rearrange their priorities.”
The 420 Games will be held at Berkeley Lake Park in Denver on Sept 24th and Boulder Reservoir in Boulder on Oct 1st before moving on to Portland, Oregon on the 29th. Tickets are on sale now on the official website at 420games.org
LC-Squared
Staff Editor
