well, I did hear that the junkies hanging around the grow operations and dispensaries down in denver got way out of control, there were a bunch of break-ins, more petty crime, etc.
nothing really changed in the smaller towns, especially ski towns. sure, now there's a storefront where you can go buy legally, but it seems like most new transplants don't seem to realize that weed was ALWAYS here, and pretty much the whole town smokes. fun facts: vail resorts has a strict policy of only drug testing if there is an 'incident' because they tried mandatory drug testing and couldn't come close to staffing mountain operations. wal-mart and home depot in Avon have the highest employee turnover rate in the country because of their national drug testing policy. legalization didnt really change anything. the newbies are still mostly idiots that get busted for smoking blatantly in public like retards, the ganjala is called that for a reason, and if you know what a safety meeting is, you've been here long enough to figure it all out.
unfortunately, legalization has made the tourist hordes more aware of the local reality, which has resulted in a few 'incidents' like this hilarious piece of journalism:
New York tourist rips Vail in hilarious letter because people were talking about pot | Westword
but on the other side of the coin, the people you are most likely to see in the pot shops are second homeowners in their 50s with their noses pressed against the glass like giddy schoolchildren because they can relive their wild party years for a couple nights a year in their ridiculously overpriced ski/in ski/out condo.
/separate rant:
for the mountains at least, legalization is not the problem. the problem is I-70, which is a major pipeline for the seriously dangerous drugs. quite a few kids I knew growing up have overdosed on heroin, several have died. Leadville has the second highest rate of AIDS in the country, primarily because of IV drug use. meth is a big problem, especially in grade school, which is terrifying. and the further you get away from the moneyed resort areas, the more tweakers and junkies you will find. poverty is a big problem in mining and ranching communities, and meth is overwhelmingly prevalent. we also have some of the highest suicide rates nationally as people drop everything and move to the mountains to live their dream life, only to realize later that their problems followed them here.
so to summarize, we have much bigger problems than legalizing a largely harmless plant that has far more benefits and is far less damaging than alcohol. in my opinion, people are flooding our state because of overly successful advertising campaigns and the so-called 'white gold rush.' winter sports are big business, and that money has almost completely destroyed my home. the park service has openly acknowledged that social media is the single most destructive tool that has caused overcrowding and vandalism at our state's most scenic destinations.
Hanging Lake faces challenges from too many visitors
every idiot you can imagine just has to take a selfie at hanging lake, or maroon bells, or the best hot springs I used to enjoy, or the cave systems, or the best ski runs, or formerly little known powder stashes, and openly invite their brainless twitter followers to partake, while geotagging the location. it all makes me want to puke.
you know, I do appreciate the fact that people love the mountains, and a lot of them want to save what remains before its overrun. and yes, I do understand that to save it we have to show it to the public so they can love it and want to protect it.
However, when 85% of our population is seasonal, we have a big problem. each new person I meet, the initial conversation goes almost exactly like this:
Natives don't ask people where they are from, unless they're hitting on them and trying to get a number. THEN we will pretend to be interested, because boobs. or whatever it is you're interested in.
and it really sucks, because I typically like people, and enjoy meeting new people. and a decent number of newcomers are nice enough, even though they're hopelessly naive. it also has very little to do with being actually born here, because I grew up with a lot of sh*theads who have thankfully moved to other states. if you have the mountain mindset, you will find a great community.
That community however is vastly outnumbered by greedy and careless people who vacation here and leave trash EVERYWHERE, or who move here to cash in on that thur wite gold, or move out here half cocked with the idea that it would be cool to live in a ski town for a season to 'find themselves'.
Most people I know don't even ski, in one of the best areas for skiing in north America. walk into any storefront or hotel in the winter, and you are very likely going to hear someone complain that its too cold(cold? really? in January at eight thousand feet in the rocky mountains, in a valley that sees about 5 hours of sunlight during the day?)and most of the rest that DO ski, ski less than your average front range weekend warrior. we have a unique lifestyle and heritage that is quickly becoming lost amongst the faceless crowds, and that is honestly one of the most depressing things I can imagine.
so if you ever visit the mountains and meet people who don't really want to talk to you about how bad the drive from denver was that morning, or how you just moved here and didnt realize you needed snow tires on your f*cking mustang, or have to eat ramen because food is insanely expensive, or cant find a place to live because $1,000 per room is now the going rate and you make ten bucks an hour, or how you are dreading winter because you like living someplace warm, maybe you'll understand why they don't really feel like rolling out the welcome mat for you and sympathy is in short supply.
on the other hand, if you roll into town in a 4Runner looking for trails and are a decent human being, there are a ton of 4runner and tacoma owners you will get along with just fine.
