-[See]- The Colorado Cannabis Rush
In the past couple of years, there has been a major shift in the US in favor of relaxing marijuana laws, a controversial topic that has been in and out of national conversation for decades. Meanwhile, public perceptions about pot have come a long way, from the extremes in “Reefer Madness” to the growing acceptance of medical marijuana, specifically in states like Washington, Colorado, California and most recently, Illinois.
This past year I had the pleasure to visit Colorado for the first time, and not because of anything that had to do with Marijuana, but simply for recreation. My friends and I started our trip in Denver and then strayed to the beautiful town of Breckenridge, Colorado. I instantly fell in love with the active-outdoorsy lifestyle in both areas. I felt like everywhere I turned there were people walking, bike riding, rollerblading, or skate boarding. When you get closer to the Rocky Mountains, you see rock climbing, fly fishing, endless ski resorts with snowboarding and even snow shoeing (until then I didn’t even know there was such thing as snow shoeing). Besides trying Colorado’s infamous Green Chili, there is a definite health driven lifestyle there, and I loved what I saw.
While admiring all of this, I couldn’t help but also notice all of the Marijuana dispensaries and Medical Marijuana ads… they were everywhere! There were even ads in The Denver Post and this intrigued me. Although I knew the vote was already in to make cannabis usage recreational, at the time, it wasn’t to go into affect until January of this year. Then, while walking down Main St. in Breckenridge, curiosity led me to enter Breckenridge Cannabis Club. With no medical marijuana card I was weary that I may be trespassing. Instead, we were welcomed right in and was instantly asked if we had any questions. I took my chance and asked about the new law , and then about their product. I was educated on the different strands of marijuana, types of edibles, coffee, and their health benefits. It was very apparent they wanted to emphasize the health benefits in complete informative sincerity, and I left their feeling educated and even with a more positive perspective.
Check out the following photos from my time in Colorado, from Denver to Breckenridge, I roamed in pure wanderlust. Driving up the Rocky Mountains, hiking up great heights, breathing in clean mountainous air, and taking all the beautiful scenery. It’s safe to say I’ll definitely be going back.