To get the ball rolling I'll explain what it's like in my ILLEGAL country. Australia.
If you want the complete statistical break down, here's where Australia's currently at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_in_Australia
To save you the indepth reading,
it's basically illegal but widely decriminalised. Even in states where it's NOT decriminalised
the law has taken a "harm minimisation" stance over "punitive action" as long as you're not growing, selling or in possession of large quantities.
I've never been caught but I've had plenty of friends who have been and NONE of them have ever seen the inside of a prison cell. Every last one got away with fines or good behaviour bonds. All of them got off VERY lightly, from my mate who had half a gram in foil all the way up to a friend who got raided with a 3m (W) x 10m (L) x 3m (H) room filled wall to wall with 2m + MONSTER plants in full bloom.
That said, if you choose to be around this plant in any way you CAN be locked up for a VERY long time even for minor offences. This is something every smoker in Australia has to live with in the back of their mind every day.
We do have one tiny town in all of Australia that has managed to be the "grey area, not really legal but barely tolerated" weed capital of Australia.
Nimbin, NSW.
View attachment 3413152
A tiny remote village deep in the mountains of what seems to be the 1960's! About a decade ago I was 18, newly free from school and managed to make the incredibly long pilgrimage to experience what it's like to live in a place where this magical plant has not only thrived but been accepted by everyone (without a badge at least).
It's a truly bizarre setup. Police are a constant presence but they never seem to do anything other than walk around and watch the main street (the main street being about 100m long with only 10 or so shops.)
The main rule is NO dealing in public. But generally before you've even gone past one shop you'll have a half a dozen people come up to you and ask "are you looking to smoke?" at which point you'll say "sure" then get ushered somewhere out of site for the transaction to take place. For me my first buy was from a sweet old lady that for $20 opened up her knitting bag FULL of the best outdoor bud I've ever had and just said "Go on love, grab a fist full and stick it in your pocket!" I must have grabbed a half an ounce!
But alas, it becomes apparent very quickly that no matter how alluring this utopia is, you can only go so long before you think "wow, I really need to wash my feet and eat something that has a soul".
I had to leave that place and because of the distance and lack of work out that way I've never been back since.
So now I'm trying to grow an ounce in a PC case every now and then because it's the most "personal supply ONLY" setup I can think of. To be honest if the law ever found it I'd be happy to say "well, I tried to do it as morally just as posible. I grew for myself, by myself and enjoyed what 700,000+ Aussies do every week without ever once harming another or funding a criminal!" Then I'd take my punishment and get the fuck out of this country to somewhere that allows their citizens the freedom of choice I so desire and deserve, or wait for my own country to wake up to the 21st century!