Thinking of moving to Denver from Philly

[davebarnes]

Amazing how one snarky dope comment cause the entire thread to become ALL ABOUT THE MJ.

[MN_Ski]

If you enjoy the place enough, the exposure shouldn't bother you. I'm guessing most people won't shun you for being a non smoker, as long as you are not completely against it (shaming). And like it's been said, you can probably compare it to people who drink in their 20s.

[Mr. Analyst]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

Amazing how one snarky dope comment cause the entire thread to become ALL ABOUT THE MJ.

It might be a valid concern for some people thinking about moving here. Pot culture is more significant here than any other place I've been. It's not just smelling it in public or seeing pot shops on every other street corner that may pose an issue, but the attempt at building relationships with people who don't partake. If there is an individual who wants to avoid that no matter what, then I'd say it will be difficult to do in this city. Especially if it boils down to making younger friends who don't partake at all.

Look at it this way. I once went with a gay buddy to an event hosted by his LGBT flag football league. This one (apparently very sheltered) girl attended with someone. Who she came with, I'm not sure. However, she soon became extremely overwhelmed by all the "gay people" at the table and literally broke down crying. She was so emotional that she had to leave the restaurant. If someone felt that strongly about pot culture, I would think that Denver is not the best place for that person. It's relatively prevalent compared to other major cities.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by Mr. Analyst

she soon became extremely overwhelmed by all the "gay people" at the table and literally broke down crying.

Because "the gay" is contagious! Just ask any Republican candidate for office. It's a choice, man.

[bking45]

Again I don't want it to seem like I'm against smoking or people who smoke. I have friends now who smoke and am 100% on board with them doing so. I don't smoke only because it makes me paranoid and I simply don't enjoy the experience. I have absolutely nothing against it for others to do it.

My only concern was that of the level of obsession or amount of identity people have for it. For example, I went to Penn State right out of high school for summer session. While I was there, the students seemed to have an identity of "being" penn state, if that makes sense. It became a cult-ish mentality. In contrast, when I transferred and went to Temple there was still a sense of belonging to that school, but most of the students at TU didn't get their identity from the school.

So it doesn't seem like it's this way from the posters in this thread, but I would have issue if this culture was one that got their identity from being mj consumers; that it transcended being a hobby or occassional use, but a way of life. And again this isn't a concern because I think people who smoke are "bad" or that I'd shame them, but simply because I wouldn't fit in to that way of life. (hopefully this makes sense)

[Mr. Analyst]

Originally Posted by bking45

Again I don't want it to seem like I'm against smoking or people who smoke. I have friends now who smoke and am 100% on board with them doing so. I don't smoke only because it makes me paranoid and I simply don't enjoy the experience. I have absolutely nothing against it for others to do it.

My only concern was that of the level of obsession or amount of identity people have for it. For example, I went to Penn State right out of high school for summer session. While I was there, the students seemed to have an identity of "being" penn state, if that makes sense. It became a cult-ish mentality. In contrast, when I transferred and went to Temple there was still a sense of belonging to that school, but most of the students at TU didn't get their identity from the school.

So it doesn't seem like it's this way from the posters in this thread, but I would have issue if this culture was one that got their identity from being mj consumers; that it transcended being a hobby or occassional use, but a way of life. And again this isn't a concern because I think people who smoke are "bad" or that I'd shame them, but simply because I wouldn't fit in to that way of life. (hopefully this makes sense)

If you don't mind that people smoke it, then you should be fine here. All I was saying before is that if you're adamantly opposed to marijuana use, you may find it difficult to find social circles to interact with because so many people in your demographic use pot here recreationally.

I'm the same as you. I don't like to use it much because it makes me feel paranoid. I've only had a handful of experiences where I actually enjoyed it. My GF uses it and so do many of my friends, and it's never been an issue for any of us if someone wants to do it or doesn't want to do it. With the advent of edibles and vapes, the ubiquitous pot odor issue is becoming more of a non-factor.

[poppunk]

I just wanted to reinforce what people think around here is a "bad neighborhood" is way off of what someone from Philly would think.

[bking45]

Originally Posted by poppunk

I just wanted to reinforce what people think around here is a "bad neighborhood" is way off of what someone from Philly would think.

that's very true and I've been trying to keep that in mind for where I look. Since I've lived at Temple which is known for being not a nice area, and I was totally fine with it. My preferences are anything but upscale.

[rmc2scrum]

Originally Posted by bking45

Again I don't want it to seem like I'm against smoking or people who smoke. I have friends now who smoke and am 100% on board with them doing so. I don't smoke only because it makes me paranoid and I simply don't enjoy the experience. I have absolutely nothing against it for others to do it.

My only concern was that of the level of obsession or amount of identity people have for it. For example, I went to Penn State right out of high school for summer session. While I was there, the students seemed to have an identity of "being" penn state, if that makes sense. It became a cult-ish mentality. In contrast, when I transferred and went to Temple there was still a sense of belonging to that school, but most of the students at TU didn't get their identity from the school.

So it doesn't seem like it's this way from the posters in this thread, but I would have issue if this culture was one that got their identity from being mj consumers; that it transcended being a hobby or occassional use, but a way of life. And again this isn't a concern because I think people who smoke are "bad" or that I'd shame them, but simply because I wouldn't fit in to that way of life. (hopefully this makes sense)

I think I can understand what you're getting at here. I'm a Colorado native. I went to college in Iowa and lived in NYC for five years before moving back to Denver. Like you, I don't smoke and don't mind if others do, but I was concerned about the weed thing before I moved here. I'm very pro-legalization. In my experience, there isn't necessarily a strong weed culture but weed does strongly influence Denver culture. I don't think I encounter more potheads here than I did in any other place where I've lived. In fact, the majority of people I know here do not smoke. However, the presence of legalize weed here does get a little annoying. You can drive down several streets and see a dispensary on almost every corner. It sucks to see a new building going up that could be a cool new restaurant/bar/coffee shop/retail shop, but inevitably it is just a new dispensary. I don't think people identify as potheads or make smoking more a part of their personal brand here than any other place. But, I do think legal weed has attracted A LOT of transplants who come here to work, smoke and chill outdoors but contribute nothing else to the community. I wouldn't say weed is entirely to blame for the overall social blandness I've experienced in Denver, but the legal weed and its fans aren't certainly adding much to the social fabric/vibrancy (or lack thereof) of Denver.