Yeah cops are pretty lax now-a-day. Especially if you're just walking about. Driving it can be a dui and all that non-sense but walking around, no big deal. I used to live in cities and now I live in a small town. It seemed easier to walk around the city smoking when I was younger -- like there's 8 million f'ing people here - who's gon'na care, or be able to pick me out of a crowd? And in a small town code enforcement rolls around ticketing people for dumb stuff and if a buncha' ignorant people call the cops 'cos "it smells like weed" when I walk my dog by their house and I'm the only one on the block - well then, I'm probably getting a ticket. But so what? A $50 ticket once every few years, fine me.
Now that its darn near legal everywhere, at least medically, its difficult for cops to determine who's legal and who's not and I pretty much don't worry about it at all. Except while driving. There are different rules on the road. I like to cruise and puff but I just don't anymore - not worth the risk to me (then again its not just me who would suffer if I got busted for DUI, it was just me when I was younger).
My best advice is to get to know your neighbors. They'll look out for you and yours and you can gauge how they feel about herb. Some may be cool, some may even smoke, some may be cool as long at their kids aren't around -- get to know them.
Mine happens to be the mayor and he doesn't care...so lucky me.