The 420 Games: The Cannabis Olympics Are Here

The number 420 has become key to cannabis enthusiasts, with celebrations repeated every April 20th throughout the United States. Jim McAlpine came up with a novel way to mark this date: holding the 420 Games, a series of sporting events across the country meant to encourage responsible marijuana consumption and overcome social prejudices at the same time.

"The 420 Games are not intended to declare that everyone should consume cannabis. We are focused on showing those who choose to consume marijuana how to do so in a healthy and responsible way," explained McAlpine, the founder of these unique Olympics.

Last month dozens of marijuana lovers demonstrated that they were in shape by running an almost 7-km race through the streets of San Francisco. Among them there were even some retired competitive athletes, like Kyle Kingsbury, a former martial arts fighter. All of them publicly espoused marijuana's benefits in dealing with painful injuries.

This is not the only event that the organisers of the 420 Games are working on. This Sunday they are going to hold a SUP (Stand Up Paddleboarding) race on Lake Tahoe, located on the California-Nevada border, and in 2016 they want to organise hikes through the mountains and valleys of these two states.

In addition, all those who wish to can help finance the 420 Games and promote the idea in other cities by buying one of the t-shirts that they have designed. This is one way to support an initiative that seeks to sway the opinions of all those citizens who believe that cannabis and health don't mix.