...has Chicago Mayor Daley's recent announcement planning reduction of penalties for marijuana use sparked an explosion of [semi]-public enjoyment of Le Herbe?

Case exhibit #1: last night around 9:00pm, while walking down to the Chicago Red Line subway entrance just west of the Water Tower, I passed an empty storefront with its glass windows whitewashed to hide the renovation work within. Someone was home, though - the lights were on, and the unmistakable strong toasty aroma of Mother Nature wafted far beyond the closed doors, only feet from where a Chicago police patrol car always parks [illegally, natch] outside of the Dunkin' Donuts next door. That must have been one hell of a bong the workers were smoking in there, because the plume practically made my eyes water as I went by. Or, maybe it was the police, which could explain why this particular Dunkin' Donuts location is always sold out of their iced chocolate fudge.

Case exhibit #2: about half an hour later, as I was walking up the back stairs to my apartment I smelled the same familiar scent drifting from one of our neighbor's back porches, only it wasn't quite as pungent. The cops always get the good stuff, you know. :)

It's not just wild swamp onions we're smelling in Chicago.

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