420 Games: competition for smokers

Students, accountants, businesspeople, stay-at-home moms… everyone can participate in the 420 Games, a sporting event held in California to dispel the stereotype of the lazy, lethargic stoner who stuffs himself with junk food.

The 300 participants wearing bib No. 420 will take part in several events spread out over the course of the year: a 4.20-mile race (just under 7 km), a golf tournament, a cycling marathon, and a stand-up paddle race on Lake Tahoe.

Read more: Where does 420 come from?

«People who use cannabis have been labeled as idiots, slackers, and fools. This race is here to show that’s not who we are,» says Jim McAlpine, an executive at a snowboard company who created the event. «We want to show that we’re motivated and athletic people.».

McAlpine skis, mountain bikes in the mountains, swims long distances in open water, and uses cannabis in the form of “space food” to help him focus. With the possible legalization of cannabis in California In November 2016, McAlpine said it was time for someone to take a stand against the misinformation and propaganda surrounding this plant.

Michelle Dunsing, 45, has been using cannabis for more than 20 years and says she’s participating in this race to support a lifestyle that’s often misunderstood. «It’s great that people are really showing who they are,» she says. «I smoke while cleaning the house, I go to work, and I’ve raised two wonderful daughters. I’m a productive member of our society.».

The race winner receives 500$ in credit medical marijuana, and all participants were treated to a two-hour reggae concert and free beer. Steve DeAngelo, a leading cannabis advocate and founder of the Harborside Health Center, the world's largest clinic, had come to cheer on the crowd.

Participants were not allowed to smoke joints on the premises, but they could use a portable vaporizer or eat a cannabis-infused food before the race. And of course, you didn't have to be a customer to participate!