Gondola Gossip

So here we go…again. The vocal minority complaining about weed on the slopes in Colorado…again. Let's try to be fair, respectful and realistic…I know it's tough for some people...so take a breath. Seems the same nonsense happens to repeat itself like the movie groundhog day. Once in a while some busy body writes a letter, or worse reposts an old letter complaining about pot smoking at Colorado towns and resorts. Now its just old news and more often than not it's falling on deaf ears or just plain annoying to almost everyone. Except the vocal minority who is looking for special treatment or someone to blame. Most locals agree the number of people smoking pot on the mountain is still pretty much the same as before the change. Although who smokes it and where may be changing.

First, let's clear up any misconceptions… there a three important points to be made!

They are:

FACT#1: Marijuana has been decriminalized in Colorado by a democratic process called voting… where the citizens of the state voted to make it so.

FACT#2: Millennials spend more money on travel and entertainment than Baby Boomers or any other demographic. (So keep in mind who the resort corporations primary audience is… and the focus on their wants and needs moving forward)

FACT#3: Marijuana travel and tourism is one of the fastest growing and most profitable travel sectors in the industry today. (Not to mention the tax revenues)

No one is hiding or misleading anyone to the contrary that Colorado has decriminalized marijuana. There are parents and children who live in Colorado too. And many parents will tell you how they now discuss now marijuana honestly, as they have been doing in the past with other adult choices like smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol.

Only a small handful of offenders really exist on both sides of what really amounts to nothing more than a nuisance if handled like an adult. Those who are ignorant of the simple concept of NOT smoking pot in lift lines, on the lift or blatantly in public… and the people who want to turn this mole hill into a mountain over the lack of knowledge and discretion from a small number of over-excited tourists and a few bad apples. Some visitors and locals alike need to be politely reminded to be more discrete, but not yelled at, or allowed to escalate into a confrontation or worse. So, if you can't be polite…and believe two wrongs somehow will make this right… or if you are so offended by it please consider going somewhere else and save everyone a lot of grief. Judging by the traffic on I70 and the FULL parking lots at almost every Colorado resort it looks like this is nothing more than a squeaky wheel.

Considering the facts combined with the growing acceptance of marijuana on a variety of social and legal levels only indicates that reasonable and respectful medical and recreational sales will continue and expand into more states and territories in the future. So… screaming, yelling and throwing a fit makes you look more and more like an inflexible dolt who wants to dictate to others how they should live and how they should vote?