If you think supporters of legalizing marijuana are all pot-smokers and hippies, think again.

After winning several legislative victories over the past few years, a close-knit corps of advocates is putting its full weight behind the Holy Grail of marijuana reform: Legislation that would make Delaware the ninth state to fully legalize, regulate and tax cannabis.

“We’re so close we can taste it,” said Cynthia Ferguson, executive director of the Delaware branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

How did Ferguson and her comrades get this far? By eschewing what they see as outdated clichés about tie-dyes and Cheech and Chong movies and arming themselves with arguments rooted in social justice, fiscal policy and economic development.

WATCH ABOVE: California 'weed nuns,' whose holy Trinity is the cannabis plant, grow and harvest cannabis, and their mission to heal and empower women may be coming to Canada.

Meet the Sisters of the Valley — California’s self-ordained “weed nuns” who are on a mission to heal and empower women through their cannabis products.

Hundreds of Israelis gathered near parliament on Thursday to smoke cannabis in an act of defiance of current laws.

Sitting in small groups on mats shaded by trees in the Rose Garden just across from the Knesset, participants lit up as the clock struck 4:20 pm for the local version of the traditional worldwide April 20 pro-cannabis events, known as "420" rallies.

In the afternoon, revellers were mostly men in their early 20s but organisers expected thousands more people to join the event, set to continue until the early hours of Friday.

Police did not intervene.

As large crowds of marijuana activists and enthusiasts gathered in cities across Canada on Thursday, the question lingering in the smoke-filled air was simple: what’s the point?

Marijuana is expected to be legalized across the land by July 2018, and legislation has already been tabled in the House of Commons to that effect. Supporters of the legal, recreational use of the drug have seemingly won the day.

But the fight, according to many, is far from over.

The federal government tabled legislation last week that is expected to legalize the production, distribution and sale of cannabis in Canada by July 1, 2018. In response to the news of this proposed legislation, shares in Canadian marijuana stocks jumped several percentage points – and rightly so. Canaccord Genuity analysts reported in late 2016 that if legalization were to follow expected timelines, Canada could have nearly four million legal recreational users of marijuana by 2021, with a potential for $6-billion in annual sales.

Canadian stoners rejoiced at the weekend after news broke that cannabis could soon be decriminalised. It would become the second country in the world, behind Uruguay, to make the move.

A statement released by the Canadian government said: "The current approach to cannabis does not work. It has allowed criminals and organized crime to profit, while failing to keep cannabis out of the hands of Canadian youth. In many cases, it is easier for our kids to buy cannabis than cigarettes.

"The proposed Cannabis Act would create a strict legal framework for controlling the production, distribution, sale and possession of cannabis in Canada."

In today’s fractured political climate, there is one issue on which it appears Americans of all political parties can agree: legalising marijuana.

Sixty-one per cent of Americans think marijuana use should be legal, according to a recent poll from CBS. That’s a record for the poll, which has tracked sentiment on the issue since 1979.

Last fall, the food writer Laurie Wolf invited me to a dinner party at her home. It promised to be a master class in rustic entertaining. Wolf lives in a floating house on the Willamette River, just south of Portland, Oregon. When she has people over, she told me, she has a few rules for herself. First, “have as much done in advance as possible.” She goes so far as to set the table the night before and put out serving platters with sticky notes assigning their contents. Next, be sure to check your guests’ dietary requirements. These days, everybody has a health concern or a food allergy, and she says, “I always try to accommodate in a big way.” Some of Wolf’s recommendations are more esoteric.

Christmas is coming for the nation’s legal marijuana stores.

Well, not just Christmas but also Independence Day and Black Friday and Cyber Monday, all rolled into one smoky celebration known as 420 on Thursday.

“It’s my job to get you high,” yells marijuana store worker Jason Coleman to a crowded house at Medicine Man cannabis dispensary in Denver. The crowd laughs and the line moves slowly forward, with more than 30 people waiting to buy pot. Armed guards check and re-check IDs, and cash flows across the counters.

Marijuana stores are reporting heavy sales in advance of the annual 420 celebration.