You can't really compare our (American) society with many other on this planet... truth betold... The crime rate (Murder, Rape, Theft, etc...) per-capita in America when compared to Amersterdam is considerably larger... I believe that our government should address those issues before catering to the hippies who already smoke weed on a daily basis... It's not really a big deal... just don't get caught with it. In perspective there are bigger problems in the world than whether or not you can walk down the street and smoke a joint in front of a police officer...