It's the first step, and as someone who lived in a state that was in a "decriminalized" limbo for two decades, especially the last one, I can affirm that once it comes to fruition you're effectively living in a pseudo-legal state where you're guaranteed to never run dry even for recreational purposes. Everyone always has some weed.
This was not at all the case when I first came out of high school when it was just starting up. I remember people were always stressing trying to find someone who had some ganj. Scrambled phone calls. Shady meetings and propositions with people you didn't want to know in the first place.
I actually remember my older brother and I had to go to court on the same day back in the early 2000's. Him? He'd gotten nailed for possession. Me? I'd gotten cited by a Dudley Dumbshit Cop for not stopping at a stop sign on my bicycle coming home from work in one of the most biker-friendly university cities in northern California in the middle of night with zero traffic.
My fine? $105. His fine? $100.
