Description
“COLORADO: Rocky Mountain High” (acrylic on heavy watercolor paper) reflects on the changing legal and cultural landscape of cannabis and psychedelics in the American West. Inspired by the proliferation of dispensaries along the route between New Mexico and Denver, the work recognizes Colorado’s pioneering role as one of the first two states to legalize adult recreational cannabis in 2012. It also considers Colorado’s 2022 move to decriminalize personal use and possession of psilocybin and establish supervised healing centers—an approach that permits regulated, facilitated access rather than conventional retail sale. Playing on the familiar phrase “Rocky Mountain High,” the work considers how substances once pushed to society’s margins have become sites of debate over regulation, healing, commerce, and personal freedom.
