The hippie dancing amid billowing clouds of pot smoke was noticeably absent Wednesday despite the landmark decision by California and three other states to legalize adults’ recreational use of marijuana.

That’s because the cannabis cognoscenti were already confronting the many regulatory hurdles that must be cleared before Proposition 64 becomes reality.

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“What we are seeing is a demographic shift,” said Robert MacCoun, a Stanford University law professor, social psychologist and drug policy expert. “California is such an enormous state that this will significantly expand the size of the legal marijuana industry. The train has left the station, at least for California, and now other states will have to make their own decisions about what to do.”