Truth be told, this really changes nothing in the grand scheme of things. Other than it not being a Felony for simple possession, which in turn means it's not a mandatory arrest or mandatory Jail time, it just means they aren't going to clog "The System" with these people anymore. I doubt more people are going to be doing more hard dope due to this decision. Right or wrong, the fact remains a certain percentage will continue to do their dope, they just won't be doing time for it, unless they go the Drug Court route, like here in WA. If you wash out of Drug Court, depending on your Offender Score/Criminal History, you either sit out a term in Jail, or if you've graduated to a sentence that is a mandatory minimum of a year and a day, well, that gets you DOC/Prison time and off you go.
Now, will the Dope Heads feel somewhat more comfortable knowing they might only get a small fine and some Dope Classes. Absolutely, but I gotta tell ya, if this means we don't have to deal with this element at the level we do in regards to dealing with people withdrawing in custody? I'm all for it! Let someone else deal with that shit. We aren't a Mental Health Ward nor a damn Crisis Support Center, but we've been acting the part far too long!