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I live in Denver, and I hate the legalization. To be clear, I have nothing against people using drugs, and in an ideal state all drugs would be legal. But now,

by MadManE 11y ago

I live in Denver, and I hate the legalization. To be clear, I have nothing against people using drugs, and in an ideal state all drugs would be legal. But now, that's all that Colorado is: one big haze of pot smoke. I can't get away from the smell anywhere. Every time I leave and come back, I have a mild allergic reaction to the smoke, and have to live with perpetual congestion. If I could get away from the effects of other people smoking, then I would be a huge supporter. But as it stands, we might as well be back when smoking cigarettes everywhere was commonplace.

duaneb 11y ago
Living in Denver myself, I have more issue avoiding cigarette smoke than I do people actually smoking weed outside (illegally, I might add)--where are you in the city that you have allergic reactions every time you leave your place?
- MadManE 11y ago
  I understand that it's illegal to smoke outdoors. But in the same way that it's illegal to speed on the highway - nobody really cares until they need to meet a ticket quota. The largest part of the problem is my apartment complex. The ratio of stoners to non is pretty high, so the smoke just soaks into everything. I live near Glendale, but it's the same everywhere I go. I'm aggressively trying to find a new job outside of the state. Another minor issue is the smell of the grow (ware)houses. There's about a 5 mile stretch on 25 that reeks of them on my way to and from work every day. Same on the east side of 70. Sure, the tax money is nice for some people. But I see zero benefit from it, and a lot of annoyances.
  - Shog9 11y ago
    If you have breathing problems, getting out of Denver would probably be a good start. Air quality is pretty good for a city, but you're still surrounded by motor vehicle pollution pretty much all the time. The wildfires are probably the biggest issue with living in Colorado period though - as with many of the western states. Getting just beyond the state boundaries won't help there - you'll want to move somewhere less arid.
  - duaneb 11y ago
    > The largest part of the problem is my apartment complex. The ratio of stoners to non is pretty high, so the smoke just soaks into everything. Gotcha! Yea, that sucks. You might talk to your landlord about it or ask your neighbors to be more considerate/seal their apartments better. I live in one myself and have similar gripes. Even as a regular smoker of weed, it's gross as hell to smell smoke all the time. I also agree on the statement on 25, they could really move the grow house.... like anywhere else. > I'm aggressively trying to find a new job outside of the state. This seems eager for a problem that seems unique to apartment complexes; even having outside entrances to the apartments helps a lot. However, have you checked out duplexes/houses? It's actually quite easy to find renters who are looking for non-smokers—not just in the fulfilling the lease kind of way. There are plenty of families in the city who will have similar (or stronger) reactions, and many people just don't like being around smoke. I guess I'm surprised you find this problem dominates your experience of the city; I have more issues trying to find a way to socialize without drinking, something objectively FAR more harmful than smoking (let alone any of the other even healthier ways to intake) weed.
    - MadManE 11y ago
      >It's actually quite easy to find renters who are looking for non-smokers Sure, I can find exactly the place I want to live - as long as I'm willing to pony up the cash. >drinking, something objectively FAR more harmful than smoking ... weed This is a weird argument to me. I'm making statements about how other people using affects me, and this is talking about how my using affects me.
      - duaneb 11y ago
        > Sure, I can find exactly the place I want to live - as long as I'm willing to pony up the cash. So—it's not really Denver, it's cheap housing complexes in Denver. Furthermore, I know for a fact that there's plenty of affordable housing over in e.g. Lowry with family living (read: no centralized air, outside entrances, reliable utility costs), so I can't imagine this is your only option. > This is a weird argument to me. I'm making statements about how other people using affects me, and this is talking about how my using affects me. I'm not trying to address your needs, I'm simply pointing out that on the list of all the unhealthy things about denver, weed smoke has got to be behind social attitudes toward drinking, smoking, the high altitude, the high density of cars/people, and high rent on the public transit lines. Realistically, you could easily avoid weed smoke if you wanted to, and I frankly don't buy that it would be more expensive. There's a reason the non-smoking clauses are in all the leases—it's a liability and depreciates your property.
  - GigabyteCoin 11y ago
    >The ratio of stoners to non is pretty high, so the smoke just soaks into everything. I live in an apartment, too. I could complain about the fact that my neighbors smoke tobacco in their apartments and that it slowly but surely seeps into mine. But I don't. I put weather stripping on my door that faces the hallway and have my windows opened slightly whenever it's warm enough to allow for it. You have to make compromises when you live in a building shared by 400 other people. You're part of a community. Learn to live in it.
yesiamyourdad 11y ago
I have to ask where you live in Denver. I smell smoke occasionally, typically walking down Colfax at night, or in LoDo, or at a concert. What I do notice is the smell from the big dispensary/grow house on I-70 & Grape. That's not smoke, that's just the plants. I'd find that a little annoying if I lived downwind. But on the other hand, the smell from the Purina plant or the Suncor refinery or the feedlots in Greeley is way more obnoxious.
lotharbot 11y ago
I live in Denver (80219 / Mar Lee) and I haven't noticed it, and I'm incredibly sensitive to smoke of all kinds. What neighborhood are you in? What sort of building? Do you have particularly inconsiderate neighbors? How much did it change for you relative to prior to the recreational legalization, or prior to the medicinal legalization?
- MadManE 11y ago
  The change was very drastic between pre-legalization and a year after. It was already medically legal when I moved here, and I didn't notice it at all, except of course right around the dispensaries. I do find it funny that everyone here is jumping to find excuses for why it's not that big of a deal. I'm providing my experience, and my opinion on it. It's not all happiness and sunshine. I'm not even saying that it should be illegal again. I'm not realizing any benefit from it, so I'm leaving. Why am I being downvoted for it?
  - narrowrail 11y ago
    I'm guessing it was this part: "that's all that Colorado is: one big haze of pot smoke" As a CO resident of over 20 years, I have not noticed any change at all. The only outside consumption I've seen is in people's private yards, just like when I was an undergrad at CU in the 90s. My neighbor warming up his diesel truck in the morning is far more nauseating.
    - MadManE 11y ago
      You're probably right. It's a little over the top editorializing, but it's making the point. I travel quite a bit, so when I come back it's a very stark difference for me. My wild guess is that it's the boiling frog situation: it's a slow change, but it effects a big difference over time. On a side note, pot is the #1 thing that people want to talk about when I tell them where I'm from. In their eyes, CO == pot.
      - Shog9 11y ago
kpennell 11y ago
I live in Denver too and bike around absolutely everywhere. In a 3-4 mile ride on a Friday or Saturday night, I probably smell weed 1-2x. Riding through 'liberal' neighborhoods like Rino, Cap Hill, or South Broadway are no different. I smoke, and I'm actually always pretty surprised by just how few people do smoke here. There is a group of the jam band follower types who go at it pretty hard but even in bars where there is a lot of them (Sancho's) you really don't smell it that much.
namlem 11y ago
They should pass a law mandating air filters for grow houses if the smell is that bad. I see no reason why they shouldn't be regulated like any industrial operation. And since smoking outside is illegal, cops should actually ticket those who do it. Legalization is good policy, but it should be enforced consistently and properly regulated.
- MadManE 11y ago
  I agree 100%. This is not an insurmountable problem. But we have so many fanatical supporters of marijuana that no laws can be passed that would possibly limit its use.
  - fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
    That's not a surprise since it is one of the few and first places where it is allowed. Once the new wears off, and once detractors stop attempts to re-criminalize, I would expect more willingness to compromise from supporters.
- fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
  It's agriculture, sometimes it stinks. I'd trade a dozen cannabis farms for the plastic pipe plant in my town, or the local egg farm. Same for mushrooms, corn or other grain processing, a feedlot, good grief they all stink.
enjo 11y ago
I'll pile on. I'm currently sitting on 13th/Penn in lower Capitol Hill. If there is a spot in Denver that should be covered in smoke, this is it. I smell nothing. I live very close. Every now and then my neighbor smokes on his back porch. I can count the number of times on one hand I've smelt pot from my back yard. Walking around the city, which I frequently do, I very rarely see people consuming pot. Occasionally from an alley on 16th and that's about it.
resolaibohp 11y ago
I work in downtown Denver and nearly everyday I come across someone who is smoking it on the streets. I have been to night clubs in Denver where people were asked to stop smoking a cigarette but when it came to smoking marijuana nobody cared.

by MadManE 11y ago

duaneb 11y ago

Living in Denver myself, I have more issue avoiding cigarette smoke than I do people actually smoking weed outside (illegally, I might add)--where are you in the city that you have allergic reactions every time you leave your place?

MadManE 11y ago
I understand that it's illegal to smoke outdoors. But in the same way that it's illegal to speed on the highway - nobody really cares until they need to meet a ticket quota. The largest part of the problem is my apartment complex. The ratio of stoners to non is pretty high, so the smoke just soaks into everything. I live near Glendale, but it's the same everywhere I go. I'm aggressively trying to find a new job outside of the state. Another minor issue is the smell of the grow (ware)houses. There's about a 5 mile stretch on 25 that reeks of them on my way to and from work every day. Same on the east side of 70. Sure, the tax money is nice for some people. But I see zero benefit from it, and a lot of annoyances.
- Shog9 11y ago
  If you have breathing problems, getting out of Denver would probably be a good start. Air quality is pretty good for a city, but you're still surrounded by motor vehicle pollution pretty much all the time. The wildfires are probably the biggest issue with living in Colorado period though - as with many of the western states. Getting just beyond the state boundaries won't help there - you'll want to move somewhere less arid.
- duaneb 11y ago
  > The largest part of the problem is my apartment complex. The ratio of stoners to non is pretty high, so the smoke just soaks into everything. Gotcha! Yea, that sucks. You might talk to your landlord about it or ask your neighbors to be more considerate/seal their apartments better. I live in one myself and have similar gripes. Even as a regular smoker of weed, it's gross as hell to smell smoke all the time. I also agree on the statement on 25, they could really move the grow house.... like anywhere else. > I'm aggressively trying to find a new job outside of the state. This seems eager for a problem that seems unique to apartment complexes; even having outside entrances to the apartments helps a lot. However, have you checked out duplexes/houses? It's actually quite easy to find renters who are looking for non-smokers—not just in the fulfilling the lease kind of way. There are plenty of families in the city who will have similar (or stronger) reactions, and many people just don't like being around smoke. I guess I'm surprised you find this problem dominates your experience of the city; I have more issues trying to find a way to socialize without drinking, something objectively FAR more harmful than smoking (let alone any of the other even healthier ways to intake) weed.
  - MadManE 11y ago
    >It's actually quite easy to find renters who are looking for non-smokers Sure, I can find exactly the place I want to live - as long as I'm willing to pony up the cash. >drinking, something objectively FAR more harmful than smoking ... weed This is a weird argument to me. I'm making statements about how other people using affects me, and this is talking about how my using affects me.
    - duaneb 11y ago
      > Sure, I can find exactly the place I want to live - as long as I'm willing to pony up the cash. So—it's not really Denver, it's cheap housing complexes in Denver. Furthermore, I know for a fact that there's plenty of affordable housing over in e.g. Lowry with family living (read: no centralized air, outside entrances, reliable utility costs), so I can't imagine this is your only option. > This is a weird argument to me. I'm making statements about how other people using affects me, and this is talking about how my using affects me. I'm not trying to address your needs, I'm simply pointing out that on the list of all the unhealthy things about denver, weed smoke has got to be behind social attitudes toward drinking, smoking, the high altitude, the high density of cars/people, and high rent on the public transit lines. Realistically, you could easily avoid weed smoke if you wanted to, and I frankly don't buy that it would be more expensive. There's a reason the non-smoking clauses are in all the leases—it's a liability and depreciates your property.
- GigabyteCoin 11y ago
  >The ratio of stoners to non is pretty high, so the smoke just soaks into everything. I live in an apartment, too. I could complain about the fact that my neighbors smoke tobacco in their apartments and that it slowly but surely seeps into mine. But I don't. I put weather stripping on my door that faces the hallway and have my windows opened slightly whenever it's warm enough to allow for it. You have to make compromises when you live in a building shared by 400 other people. You're part of a community. Learn to live in it.

yesiamyourdad 11y ago

I have to ask where you live in Denver. I smell smoke occasionally, typically walking down Colfax at night, or in LoDo, or at a concert. What I do notice is the smell from the big dispensary/grow house on I-70 & Grape. That's not smoke, that's just the plants. I'd find that a little annoying if I lived downwind. But on the other hand, the smell from the Purina plant or the Suncor refinery or the feedlots in Greeley is way more obnoxious.

lotharbot 11y ago

I live in Denver (80219 / Mar Lee) and I haven't noticed it, and I'm incredibly sensitive to smoke of all kinds. What neighborhood are you in? What sort of building? Do you have particularly inconsiderate neighbors? How much did it change for you relative to prior to the recreational legalization, or prior to the medicinal legalization?

MadManE 11y ago
The change was very drastic between pre-legalization and a year after. It was already medically legal when I moved here, and I didn't notice it at all, except of course right around the dispensaries. I do find it funny that everyone here is jumping to find excuses for why it's not that big of a deal. I'm providing my experience, and my opinion on it. It's not all happiness and sunshine. I'm not even saying that it should be illegal again. I'm not realizing any benefit from it, so I'm leaving. Why am I being downvoted for it?
- narrowrail 11y ago
  I'm guessing it was this part: "that's all that Colorado is: one big haze of pot smoke" As a CO resident of over 20 years, I have not noticed any change at all. The only outside consumption I've seen is in people's private yards, just like when I was an undergrad at CU in the 90s. My neighbor warming up his diesel truck in the morning is far more nauseating.
  - MadManE 11y ago
    You're probably right. It's a little over the top editorializing, but it's making the point. I travel quite a bit, so when I come back it's a very stark difference for me. My wild guess is that it's the boiling frog situation: it's a slow change, but it effects a big difference over time. On a side note, pot is the #1 thing that people want to talk about when I tell them where I'm from. In their eyes, CO == pot.
    - Shog9 11y ago

kpennell 11y ago

I live in Denver too and bike around absolutely everywhere. In a 3-4 mile ride on a Friday or Saturday night, I probably smell weed 1-2x. Riding through 'liberal' neighborhoods like Rino, Cap Hill, or South Broadway are no different. I smoke, and I'm actually always pretty surprised by just how few people do smoke here. There is a group of the jam band follower types who go at it pretty hard but even in bars where there is a lot of them (Sancho's) you really don't smell it that much.

namlem 11y ago

They should pass a law mandating air filters for grow houses if the smell is that bad. I see no reason why they shouldn't be regulated like any industrial operation. And since smoking outside is illegal, cops should actually ticket those who do it. Legalization is good policy, but it should be enforced consistently and properly regulated.

MadManE 11y ago
I agree 100%. This is not an insurmountable problem. But we have so many fanatical supporters of marijuana that no laws can be passed that would possibly limit its use.
- fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
  That's not a surprise since it is one of the few and first places where it is allowed. Once the new wears off, and once detractors stop attempts to re-criminalize, I would expect more willingness to compromise from supporters.
fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
It's agriculture, sometimes it stinks. I'd trade a dozen cannabis farms for the plastic pipe plant in my town, or the local egg farm. Same for mushrooms, corn or other grain processing, a feedlot, good grief they all stink.

enjo 11y ago

I'll pile on. I'm currently sitting on 13th/Penn in lower Capitol Hill. If there is a spot in Denver that should be covered in smoke, this is it. I smell nothing. I live very close. Every now and then my neighbor smokes on his back porch. I can count the number of times on one hand I've smelt pot from my back yard. Walking around the city, which I frequently do, I very rarely see people consuming pot. Occasionally from an alley on 16th and that's about it.

resolaibohp 11y ago

I work in downtown Denver and nearly everyday I come across someone who is smoking it on the streets. I have been to night clubs in Denver where people were asked to stop smoking a cigarette but when it came to smoking marijuana nobody cared.