Another want to move to CO thread

[Spicoli]

Just as title says, was thinking about moving to CO. First, i dont want to move there and try and get rich off growing. I just want to grow my own and have a legal job (and maybe a a small partime job in the MMJ scene (ie: trimming, dispensary helper or something like that). More importantly I want to move there because I love to snowboard and the mountains ( im also a big mountain biker too).


So would like your thoughts, comments ,and advice (or you can just give me a big fuck off dont come here)

 

[LubdaNugs]

Gunnison/ Crested Butte are great for skiing and World Class for MTB.

 

[BOMBAYCAT]

Many of the Western towns are quite conservative and rancher types live there. If you live in the mountains the long winters are rough. I have had many friends move back down. Boulder is liberal but quite expensive. If you want a mountain experience, Nederland is an old gold mine town but then it was settled by hippies back in the day. Near Boulder so also quite expensive. Denver is very liberal and has all the big city stuff. The south suburbs are quite conservative as is Colorado Springs which is conservative and religious. Depending on your work, Denver might be your best best as construction type jobs are coming back really well. Other jobs are coming back slower. Some of the cities and towns have voted against having MMJ dispensaries in their city limits so you need to grow your own. For the 1st nine months starting in 2014 recreational sales will be handled by dispensaries only and unfortunately some cities will not allow MMJ dispensaries or recreational shops in their city.

 

[coloradcannabis]

Where do you live the PNW?

You will need a state badge to trim or do jack shit in the industry. Pretty much no felony especially involving deceit or theft or any crime with theft really. No debt to the IRS and your student loans must not be in default.

They will fingerprint you and put you into a searchable database. So if you were not in "The System" before you will be now!

If you get all that you pass the first test and it just gets harder from there.

If you want to trim you better be quick and able to trim 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Most budtenders are young women with tattoos and nice smiles. Grower and grow helper jobs are rare and highly competitive. Grow jobs are more about politics then references and resumes.

Colorado also has a thriving craft brewery and distillery industry as well. There is a professional sports team for almost every sport you would want to watch, even lacross! Bike trails for years and miles. Many free dog parks with good facilities and upkeep. Even more free parks for people, many dog friendly. The mountain sports are amazing year round and if you love the outdoors and majestic beauty Colorado is the place to be.

The state just passed strict gun laws like a 10 round clip limit. Denver is a hot bed of gang violence lately. Not only was there a gang related shooting at the 4/20 smoke out this year, a police women was killed at a jazz festival months earlier at Denver's largest park. Violence and guns are huge issues in the Denver metro area to include Aurora and Columbine HS.

 

[Spicoli]

Thank for all the quick replies guys. Lots of good recommendations and info. Looks like a MMJ job probably wont be a good option, from the sounds of it.


Coloradcannabis nah thats a different spicoli, I live on the east coast.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Bring your job with you.

We'll leave a light on for ya...

Stay Safe!

 

[honeybooboo]

Spicoli, I share your dream to move to Co.And have a question for the Coloradoians. Hopefully it doesn't offend anyone. Would someone "in the know" please give some info on the gas drilling and fracking in the Denver area or eastern Co. in general.

 

[monsoon]

They are fracking the fuck out of this state and it is only going to get worse. If you live >in< the city the risk is fairly low due to the lack of land/number of people, but anywhere to the north and east in the plains and many areas in the mountains and Western Slope are leased and waiting for the bastards to come in and fuck/frack things up.

Check the BLM websites or search Google for "oil and gas leases in Colorado" for more info.

 

[BOMBAYCAT]

Drill baby drill. They are out of control. Some cities have banned fracking but the state is in the process of suing them as the state claims they have the authority (not cities) to set rules. A few years back on the news someone actually got a glass of water from the faucet and lit it on fire after fracking ruined their well. The state said fracking didn't cause it. Until very recently the state Oil and Gas Commission was made up only from industry representives and they set rules which favored the industry. Surprise, surprise. Actually in most areas it isn't too bad if you don't mind a lot of truck traffic and we do need the gas. The state is in the process of tightening up the rules (very slowly). Unless you have the bad luck to live in a smaller town, they stay away from the bigger cities because there is no room to do anything.

 

[monsoon]

Do a bit of research and you will find that quite a bit of the gas being extracted/fracked in CO is going to the UK, not to American furnaces/etc. Like the Keystone pipeline, there aren't any "Service Stations" along the way offering cheaper gas because it is full of oil. One only need look where the K pipeline ends to see the intent of it's creation.

Govenor Frackenlooper DRANK fracking fluid....so that tells ya right there that other than being a heavy drinker, he's whack as fuck.

 

[imabigtymer0001]

Make the move brother! You will love it out here! If you can struggle back home and make it, then you, especially with your skills and mindset, will make it out here for sure! The timing could be perfect for you to get out here and help me start a fresh run of some of WhiskeyTango420's beansTalk at you soon dood!

Good vibes always!

 

[RedBeardy5]

So im in the same boat and am pretty discouraged after reading some of these posts. It seems like the industry is all politics and little skill...

 

[Jhhnn]

I think it really depends on what kind of skills you have to make a legal living & also what kind of financial reserves you can muster to make the transition.

The employment situation in metro Denver isn't great, nor is it a horror story, either. It's tougher in southern & western Colorado, for sure.

Your best bet is to work to have something lined up before you move.

If you stay Colo legal wrt growing, your chances of ever getting busted for it are near zero, at least in Denver proper. Outdoor grows are still not sorted out. All the usual security stuff still applies, but the severity of consequences of lapses are greatly reduced. I've only recently returned to the scene, and friends who've been involved all along tell me I'm old school, that things have changed. Obviously they have, but at my age the prospect of doing time is extremely unappealing- it might be all the time I have left.

I won't discourage you, at all- just tell it the way I see it. Look before you leap, do your best to be realistic.

 

[Jhhnn]

Other than personal consumption, the growing scene here in Colo is all about capital & connectedness. It's already very big business. Wages are low, because so many people want in. The DEA is active, mostly coming down on enterprises that aren't 100% Colorado compliant, if you know what i mean.

 

[krustallos]

Colorado is beautiful and the weather is great. As long as you come with realistic expectations (to start with a basement grow etc, not a huge warehouse/working for dispensary) then you should be able to accomplish your goals.

 

[puffinpass]

I am so fed up and frustrated with the area I live in....I've been dreaming for years to move to a more accepting state....I have about $10,000 worth of seeds that I need to go through...I just need connections, and help with a job....been growing since '06....If anyone has connections and knowledge of how I can get into the mj industry I would REALLY appreciate it. I am 100% dead serious about moving out there. I am passionate about growing and want to make a difference.

Besides growing experience I also have experience in business management. I run a small size business with about 22 employees. I have exceptional business sense and skill. Good head on my shoulders and am used to working on-call 7 days a week.

I actually haven't had a vacation in over 3 years and need to find a way out of my current job. The money is the only reason I have stuck around where I live. I make $70K a year, but money does not equal happiness.

 

[monsoon]

Read the laws. It's a tight ship and you have to reveal 10 YEARS of personal info to the State (of which all info is accessible by the FED). Bank records, tax records, high school graduation picture, credit card info, mortgage info, CRIMINAL record, etc..etc...etc. to get the certification needed to work in the "industry". (for minimum wage most likely)

Not to be discouraging, but yer about the millionth guy who wants or has come here to try to do this. Keep in mind the $400 z's where you live are $150 here and there's a huge glut of pot here. Beyond that, nobody is truly making any difference growing this plant, they are merely growing this plant.

Take a vacation and make a trip out here and check it out. If you do, I would be very surprised if you see any opportunities that are worthy of relocation. Beyond walking in the front door of the dispensary and asking a few questions you won't get too far because you aren't a legal MMJ patient. Keep in mind that the existing MMJ dispensaries are getting the first shot at the new retail recreational sales, if they happen at all, and there's no opportunity for the average guy to saunter in and set up shop here, $10,000 worth of seeds or not. And hey, I'd keep those seeds CLOSE because these guys will love nothing more than to hire you, talk you into growing your beans- and then fire you/send you packing and KEEP all of your genetics in the process. Happens all the time. Believe it.

You won't make 70K here working for someone else and in these times, it's tough to make that kinda cash with prices dropping and supplies at all time record highs slinging for yourself, especially without knowing anyone.

I hope it works out for ya, but it will take careful planning, many trips out here, and a shitload of LUCK to pull it off and there are no guarantees and you can still go to jail for any/all of this, especially if you head into the "industry". ('bout time for the DEA to come calling)

be well and be smart.

 

[TripleDraw27]

So im in the same boat and am pretty discouraged after reading some of these posts. It seems like the industry is all politics and little skill...

Sadly, thats every big industry besides tranny porn.

 

[DTFuqua]

i am also thinking about moving to Co someday. What are the prospects of finding a cheap trailer lot for an RV or something of the sort, near enough to Denver to get to mass transit.

 

[PermaBuzz]

I was a little suprised at how expensive it is in the denver-fort collins front range corridor - and many times yer in desolate barren boring high plains parched prairie not unlike western Kansas but with a view of the rocky mountains.

I do know that a thriving homeless community lives out of tents between Nederland and Ward west of the peak-to-peak highway. Kinda doubt that an an RV would be doable there but I could be wrong.