PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - They were smoking their joints and lighting their bongs. It was an old fashioned pot party. That was complete with a lot of munchies.
Through the strong smell of weed wafting through Eakins Oval just past the haze of pot smoke police were hanging around, but really didn't seem to care.
"We are normalizing the culture and I think that's allowing other people that were scared before to start coming out and doing this and saying, 'Hey, it's alright-- I'm a lawyer, I'm a doctor,'" said weed garden organizer Na Poe.
This was celebration of decriminalization of marijuana by the city 2 years ago. Making possession of pot a mere $25 civil fine.
In 2013, the District Attorney's Office referred more than 3,200 defendants to it's drug diversion program. 2 years later, the first full year of the program that number has dropped 76-percent.
"Before 10 percent of our misdemeanor trials were small amounts of marijuana. That took us away from preparing the gunpoint robbery cases, the non fatal shooting cases that we really need to spend more time focusing on," said District Attorney Seth Williams.
For people like Bernadett Scarduzio who suffers from Charcot Marie tooth disease, which is a painful neurological disorder- decriminalization means quality of life.
Advocates are hoping it's a sign of bigger things to come, like a statewide legalization. Organizers say this was such a success that they are already making plans for the next pop-up weed garden.