Pandagon

One of the biggest obstacles to massive decriminalization and perhaps even legalization of marijuana has been the loudest advocates of this policy. There was a surge in pro-legalization organizing and sentiment a few years ago in Austin, and the only result I've seen is that the cops came down like a sack of hammers on pot smoking, which used to be tolerated to a much larger extent than it is now. Seriously, when I first lived in Austin, someone who wanted to sit on her front porch smoking a joint rarely had to worry about any harassment, so long as she reasonably quiet about it. I don't know the last time I saw someone publicly smoking a joint outside of the context of a really crowded rock show, and even then it's a much smaller amount of people---I used to be surprised if I didn't smell pot at a show, now I'm mildly surprised if I do. Of course, with the overall decline in popularity of smoking, pot may be losing out, too, but I'd honestly be surprised since the percentage of pot smokers who smoke tobacco is probably about the same as the general population.