I was in Denver last week and ventured into a pot shop and talked a bit with the locals. The shop was very professional, clean, and I saw mainly older, upper class clients coming in. It was very orderly, checking ID and explaining the rules and purchase limits for out of towners. Very little has changed beyond smelling it being smoked in the bars and the locals had no negative responses. People weren’t just walking around stoned and going all reefer maddness, nor was anyone trying to get children high.
There were some people outside my hotel smoking so I joined and talked for an hour or two. They were much more calm, reserved, and collected compared to the drunks at the hotel bar. The drinkers were an embarrassing mess and far more wasted than the folks smoking high grade hash.
The neighborhood kids here (Virginia) will love your heartwarming anecdote. While the old men stumble around after splitting a 24 pack they go somewhere quiet and smoke. Doesn't just slowly destroy their brain, but destroys society. People who sell drugs are scumbags, whether or not the drugs are "legal".