This makes me think back 18 years, to '89. I was in Munich for "German Unity Day," when someone asked our tour guide if E and W Germany would ever reunite. Her answer: "perhaps, but not in my lifetime."

Remember that history is like an earthquake fault: no movement for long periods of time, as pressure builds up. Then some triggering event, and WHAM! A violent upheaval of the status quo.

One thing that encourages me is that the (federal) gov't is getting ever more strident about pot use. This typically is a reflexive response to seeing that one's position is getting ever less defensible. Case in point: leading up to the War Between the States, with abolitionist pressure, slavery went from "a necessary evil" to "a positive good."

The WOD is like communism, in a way. It's so noble a cause to True Beleivers that taking an honest look at costs and benefits is not only unnecessary, but an indication of a lack of committment to the cause. That's why no one in the mainstream says, "Gee, 7X the typical incarceration rate, and still drugs are available--perhaps we're on the wrong track?" Eventually, it will simply get SO bad that it'll be impossible to ignore such things, just as with communism.

What us stoners can do is a. keep smokin': open defiance of law ended Prohibition and the 55mph limit, b. get active: having strong beliefs and doing nothing about them is worse than having no beliefs at all.

Also in 2006 Nevada voted on question 7. If passed this would have legalized marijuana use for any one 21 or older. Also it would have allowed cultivation, distribution, and sale of marijuana. The measure failed 44% to 56%. MPP plans to push a similar initiative thru in 2010 or 2012. I think it is extremely likely that it will pass.
This really doesn't mean all that much if "State's Rights" conservatives continue to repress the will of the people. IMHO, state governors aren't doing nearly enough to protect their citizens from "all enemies, foreign and domestic," and they ought to take direct action to attempt to protect and secure the freedom and property rights of their citizens from the federal gov't.