I was lucky enough to be raised in a pretty awesome state. A five minute drive eastbound led to downtown Denver (Lo-Do, for you Colorado natives), and a ten minute drive westbound led to the winding highway roads of the Rocky Mountains. Exactly one mile above sea-level, Colorado boasts the status as one of the happiest states, one of the fittest states, the most relevant "big-ass square" state (compared to Wyoming, Kansas, Utah, the Dakotas, Arizona, Nebraska, etc.), and also one of the first states to embrace the legalization of recreational marijuana.

Of course, there are some things to understand from an insider before fully embracing how cool Colorado is...

Though it is not my intention to endorse or criticize any practices in the use of marijuana legally or illegally. This is just my firsthand Coloradan opinion.

Anyways...

1. It is not even close to necessary how many dispensaries there are.

Most outsiders to Colorado ask what the issue is with "too many" dispensaries. Can there ever be too many?

Take this line of thinking and apply it to something more familiar, such as.... coffee? Yeah, coffee. There are still Starbucks inside of Targets and malls, that sit next to more Starbucks. Not that it's a problem. It's just a little excessive. In the case of dispensaries, I passed eight as I walked my puppy around Wheat Ridge and Edgewater in the Denver Metro area. And yes, they all smell strongly, exactly how you'd imagine. And yes, there are always interesting, sometimes sketchy and sometimes fun customers nearby. People watching is a plus side to an excessive number of dispensaries, I suppose.

2. We have all gotten used to the fact that it's legal

Nothing new or exciting here.

There is only so long something new can remain relevant and fresh in the minds of citizens of any given society, no matter how progressive and distinct the change is. For example, every touring band that I have seen in concert since the legalization of marijuana has something to say about it:

"who else is high as shit?", "How about that legal weed", or generic narratives about their first time purchasing pot are not uncommon. Over the past couple of years, one can notice the reactions of audiences shifted from roars of excitement to dull acknowledgments of the legalization in an indifferent, low, lull.

It is said that Colorado natives and the ones from other backgrounds can be differentiated by gauging their astonishment and excitement to the sheer number of dispensaries, availability of the substance, and fair prices compared to the dudes that deal out of their mom's basement in other geographic locations. It's just a part of Colorado's atmosphere and not as noteworthy as it once was.

3. Literally almost nothing has changed

The face of every Colorado native talking about "legal med-grade dank purp kush"

Sociologically speaking, there's not a lot of characteristics about Denver Metro life that has dramatically shifted since the legalization of recreational pot. It just isn't as stigmatized as a drug in the same way it once was and often still is in other places.

Just from experience, it is exhausting to explain to my friends and family from other places in America that there is not a huge cloud of smoke looming just over the tallest buildings of downtown, assuring a soothing high to all that function beneath it. In terms of differences that one could expect to experience...

You might come across a skunky-pine smell more often than other cities, a massive number of dispensaries on street corners, and a couple of stoned suburb dwellers in parks and woods.

In terms of important, yet less noticed differences since marijuana's legalization, economic statistics boasts a tax revenue totaling 41 million dollars that is attributed to marijuana sales in the first 10 months of legalization. The number of arrests also decreased by over 80 percent, and it created an estimated 16,000 jobs.

Overall, life is no different now that weed is legal. Except at concerts- there's always pot. Always.

4. This place exists

Yeah! Boulder, CO. home of the CU Buffs, the most gorgeous views of the eastern slopes of the Rockies.

Zoom in a little?

Yeah, Boulder.

I have had the pleasure of experiencing the most down to earth, free-loving, happy, and beautiful city I could ever imagine. Boulder includes Colorado University's campus, a highly cultured and energized downtown park, breathtaking hiking, the most diverse group of friendly people, and lots and lots of people that into less common, but amazingly diverse and unique groups including those seemingly influenced by gypsies, flower-children, hipsters, and of course, hippies. However you want to label the people you might find in Boulder, they are certainly distinct and varying!

And yeah, there's tons of weed there. Even before it was legal, Boulder always had a reputation of being a safe haven for the stoner subculture.

I apologize for sounding like a realtor, but visiting Boulder should be on everyone's bucket list- but that's just my humble opinion.

*ahem*

5. Not every Coloradan is a stoner

I have had a busted headlight for a couple of weeks because I'm a pretty incapable mechanic and failed to replace it myself. I have been pulled over in Pennsylvania with a Colorado license plate three times for the headlight that doesn't actually affect my visibility much, as I still have a functioning driving light. Meanwhile, if I was in Colorado, I could (and have) gone over a month for the same violation. Though I have no other insight as to whether or not this is just coincidence, I can at least argue that from this apparent predisposed notion of Colorado license plates, it warrants a counter-argument.

"We get it, you smoke weed".

When I got to Pennsylvania, my first weeks of college were filled with group introductions, in which we aid our names, where we're from, and some other stuff. Of course, when I would say, "My name is Shane and I'm from Denver", it was often met with subtle glares or even clarification:

"You mean.. COLORADO's Denver?", with a knowing wink.

It just surprised me that there are places that stigmatize it as an illegal substance. I can't say I didn't expect it- it was just different to see it treated like a drug again. Colorado is a (relatively) high concentration of stoners, and there's a straightedge crowd, and just like everywhere else, people just hang out and smoke weed, or don't smoke weed, and go hiking and shopping, and other cool stuff. There's just so much to Colorado that isn't it's status of legal marijuana that people don't see as often.

6. Nativism

Coloradan's are the most liberal, free-loving nativists I have ever met. They don't like tourists, or the development of the Denver Metro area, or the increased traffic and population. It's really disappointing to see the friendliest people I've ever met being so closed off and unwelcoming. Sharing is caring!