I have lived in California, Colorado and Oregon.
California is downright expensive, and only going to get more so as time goes on. Dispensaries are opening up and closing all the time though and the supply finally exceeds demand in the state.
IMO, it is a contributer to all the Mexican violence. No one wants their brick anymore because there's just so much bud on the street.
Colorado is alright. The people there are kinda lame. They're like half San Francisco and half New York, but not the good halves. I worked for a ski resort and lived up in the Rockies. Everyone, and I mean fucking EVERYONE, smoked bud. But because you're located in an area that has a high turnover and a lot of vacationers with laxed law enforcement and a baller bar scene you can charge $50-$60 for an 1/8th of "Kush" and sell only by the eighth. I bought a $200 Half ounce just because it made sense to have the bud around rather than trying to buy one 1/8th at a time.
Denver is mostly bad. Ft. Collins has a lot of potential for a cool place to live if you're into the holier than thou college scene.
Oregon is pretty much the shit though. If you have that kind of "not in a hurry" attitude then this is the right place to wind up. The air is clean, the water is plentiful, the economy is about average but the schools are nice. Housing is cheap, and so is food. Taxes are a little harsh, but you don't pay sales tax and it all kinda evens out.
I absolutely love it here in Oregon, getting the Oregon license was a little tough though. My girl and I both had to get set up, and they make you register your place of residence if you're going to grow in there. So basically... They know I am probably growing... Which has its risks of course. I have mine for knee pain, two surgeries there, and it helps out my a.d.d. and to regulate my sleep patterns. My girl has a slipped disk and a history of panic attacks, which since meeting me a smoking bud has stopped, so hers was easy.
I had to prove to them that I needed the card both to assist my ailments and as a provider for her. This was a legal choice I was advised to make to keep her from getting charged federally if the DEA knocked down my door.
Still though, my utilities and food bill are about 1/2 of what you'll pay in Ca or Co. The cost of living in Or is the same as Co. A cheaper 2bd/1ba goes for about $700 to $750 per month. Power is around $0.10/Kwh. California charges $0.22/Kwh on the average so there is that to consider too.
The dispensary scene and the difficulty to get a card are the deterrents for Oregon. Everywhere else provides more opportunity but is also more expensive. Getting into Colorado is easy this time of year working for a resort, so you might want to send out some applications and see if you get anything back.
stay medicated
