We've been approached several times, but my experience is that SP has the most polite entrepreneurs I've ever run across. A smile and a no thanks always got a return smile and a no problem. Not pushy at all. Just trying to make a living. Much easier to get away from than the timeshare sales people.

As Pedro said, most other developing countries it's like a swarm of flies that won't go away. In Jamaica they wait in line to argue with you. Not so in SP.

I live in rural Geargia and the local drug problems are worse here than I've seen in SP.

The flip side is that there is a market for it that must be supplied. I've known of people who've planned vacations based on the availability of good weed. A lot of middle class people get high and that's what they want to do on vacation. If SP or anywhere else really cracked down on marijuana sales, a lot of their tourists will go elsewhere.