great 420 cities in the world for visitors

[420Tom]

I was wondering if I could pick everyone's brains for a minute or two. I work at a travel agency and we put together complicated, multi-stop trips. I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions for any cannabis-friendly destinations in an around-the-world trip.

Amsterdam is an obvious choicebut what other cities or countries would you recommend for a serious cannabis user where they can buy herb or hash (relatively) easily and safely? A place like Thailand where it's pretty easy to get, is offset by the fact that the penalties are so harsh...it's not worth the risk--so the place should have both easy access and little chance of legal issues.

Personally, travel is my second drug of choice and I generally get so high off of being in new places, I usually dont partake (well, the real reason is probably paranoia about spening the rest of my life in a Turkish prison). But as others in my company are trying to focus on other type of groups who like to travel (surfers, scuba divers, missionaries, train enthusiasts, etc.), I thought that stoners like to travel, too and wanted to come up with a 420-friendly around-the-world tour.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions that you can provide.

 

[jackmormon]

You might check out:

http://www.webehigh.com/

It has a "city" section for pot tourism. Not completely up-to-date but a decent resource.

 

[420Tom]

Jack-

Thank you for the link. I'd never heard of that site before.

It looks like a wealth of the kind of information I was asking for.

But, if anyone has any personal recommendations from their own travels, I'd love to hear about them.

 

[Tuck]

Try Christiani Park in Copenhagen, Denmark. When I stopped by there 11 years ago it was like a farmers market.

 

[Hashterix]

Christiania is defnitely a good place to go shopping for some herb. I was there last year when I was in Denmark with a few friends. People selling weed and hash on the streets everywhere, but you have to be careful when leaving because sometimes there are police officers pulling over tourists for obvious reasons
Another 420 country would be the Czech Republic, since they legalized drugs for personal use since January 1, 2010.

 

[pakalolo]

Portugal has also legalized all drugs, but I have no idea how easy it is to obtain anything.

 

[akwardsauce]

id say goa (the touristy areas), haridwar/rishikesh & varanasi (although this is not really a "party" area like goa, its spiritual and that should be kept in mind when traveling there), orissa (home of the gov't bhang shops), bali, pashupatinath/kathmandu nepal, LA, san fran, humboldt county, BC, portugal, spanabis in spain, jamaica, hawaii...thats all i can think of right now...im not familiar with all of the places in europe that you can do it, but europe is probably more traveler friendly (for westerners) than asian places...do you guys think a place like ireland would be good (for some reason, i always thought of it being a great place to grow)?

 

[WatTyler]

...do you guys think a place like ireland would be good (for some reason, i always thought of it being a great place to grow)?

I'm afraid Ireland's not the best for anything MJ related IMO. It can be found, but not all that easily and it's overpriced and most often shite- lots of soapbar around too. When I lived there I used to get my own best supplies from the UK when across visiting family and bring them back on the car ferry.

I never grew there, but I'd imagine it might be OK- certainly nothing special though- a bit too wet in the autumn for many strains to finish without mould problems. At least in the West where I have my connections. The south east might be a bit better, but you'd still need to choose your strain carefully for an early finisher. The Irish law doesn't look on mj too favourably either IME and is quite fully implemented

 

[t-dub]

My favorite method of travel is cruising, in fact doing Mexican Riviera for New Years out of San Diego in a few months. The reason I bring up cruising is because as soon as you are far enough out to sea the casinos open etc. and you are no longer under US law. So I believe you could charter a private yacht or something and do a "stoner" cruise that would keep you safe until you hit a port somewhere, then I am not sure how that works.

t-dub

 

[Qbit]

I don't know how much has changed in the last 4 years, but I was in South East Asia in 2007 - Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Viet Nam, and Yunnan province in China.

I didn't touch any weed in Thailand or Viet Nam, though I understand there are places there where things are relaxed, but I didn't go to them. And I wasn't at all comfortable unless it was clear to me that it was relaxed.

Laos was pretty relaxed when it came to weed, but you had to stick to your room or be well away from people - you couldn't smoke in the middle of the street. But with Laos being a very poor country, there was a well-established system of 'fines' known to be set at $400 (at the time), so unless you were broke there was no real danger of imprisonment. I heard something about some foreigner being fined while I was there, but I didn't meet anyone who had any trouble. It was basically a matter of don't be really dumb about it.

But in Cambodia things were very relaxed, at least in most of the places I went to. Weed is traditionally added to many dishes there, so even though it's technically illegal, the law is basically ignored. The only places it was an issue that I found was in the middle of Phnom Penh, the capital, but even there there was a known designated safe area for weed. A lot of places in Cambodia openly sell 'happy pizza' (topped with weed). I spent a memorable time sitting on the beach in Cambodia, drinking beers and happy pizza (plus their local cuisine).

Perhaps surprisingly though, Yunnan, China was more or less as relaxed as Cambodia. Mind you once I got there the reasons for this were pretty obvious. The shit grows everywhere. Both wild, and as an urban ornamental. In the middle of the provincial capital of Kunming (a city of several million), the good herb grows in the middle of busy city streets. And in the guest house I stayed in for a while, I had a four metre tree growing outside my window. But of course the wild strains aren't very strong - not good to smoke, that's for sure, though you certainly can cook the plant (as I did).

The locals apparently basically don't touch it at all - at least not the ethnic Han, who make up the majority of Chinese. Although I understand some of the local tribal people have old traditions, using it both psychoactively and for its material properties. But the general population seem not to even be aware of its effects when consumed.

China has had a terrible history with drug abuse, but the drug in question has been, of course, opium, not weed. Compared to the tons (quite literally) of heroin being smuggled into China every week right across its border with Burma (right there in Yunnan), plus a growing meth problem, weed use didn't register as an issue. I guess the Chinese never took America's global war against weed very seriously. And being the country it is, it has never had to.

The beautiful historical town of Dali, a couple of hours from Kunming, is the main centre for the travelling foreign stoner (though it's even more popular with the Chinese domestic tourists - not for the weed though). There's loads of excellent Nepalese hash there, and it was being smoked openly in certain bars - though I believe there is now less tolerance for that, with authorities encouraging the restriction of smoking to the guesthouses. But you have to do something pretty stupid for the Chinese cops to hassle you, as they really don't want to bother foreigners.

 

[FLskwat]

I have lived on the 5 continents, and am a big traveller... Infact, I would ask it the other way: ungreat 420 cities...cause in fact 80% of worldwide cities are 420 very friendly.
So for unfriendly cities/countries:

Singapore
Greece
Finland (baah average quality is HORRIBLE)


The rest of the world never had a problem, and on the podium:

-US
-Canada
-Spain
-Marocco
-India
-Nepal
-South East Asia in general (Thailand/Indonesia/Viet-Nam/Cambodia...)
-South America in general

I could go on for long...

 

[VaporNation]

In my opinion the greatest city that is friendly to 420 visitors has to be Vancouver, BC. I lived there for 13 months and it may have been the stoniest time ever. The beaches are beautiful and we often blazed blunts down at English Bay, which is the ultimate relaxation. Victory Square was right outside of my school and a place to frequently light up as well. They have a really well run dispensary that employs the nicest staff and always has the best buds for the right price. If you ever find yourself in Vancouver, then you've done something right.

 

[akwardsauce]

The beautiful historical town of Dali, a couple of hours from Kunming, is the main centre for the travelling foreign stoner (though it's even more popular with the Chinese domestic tourists - not for the weed though). There's loads of excellent Nepalese hash there, and it was being smoked openly in certain bars - though I believe there is now less tolerance for that, with authorities encouraging the restriction of smoking to the guesthouses. But you have to do something pretty stupid for the Chinese cops to hassle you, as they really don't want to bother foreigners.

thats awesome to hear...i always wondered about ganja culture in china (i actually mentioned it in a post i did on an indian thread on FC). i guess its kind of like india over there (for some reason i thought chinese govt would be super strict, which would "scare" its citizens to be very mindful of the law).

i think flskwat is kinda right, though...its pretty much something you can get anywhere (i usually encounter it to other places that i travel to). in fact, in aruba (super-touristy, i know) people were asking me if i wanted any while walking around (my parents were with me...very awkward...)!

i never would have thought greece would be on the "anti" list...their pictures are so scenic & beautiful & their party/drinking culture is pretty strong...it seems like a perfect match culture-wise...but maybe because they are surrounded by water that all the shipments are under a lot of scrutiny? i have no idea but that definitely puts a damper on my fantasy of traveling there (i still wanna go but its not going to be how i thought it would). isnt their govt broke as hell, too? they should definitely legalize...

and FINLAND!?!??!?!? arent they ranked the "happiest" population on earth?!?!?!? how does that ranking system work? i know a way they could be even happier...

ive never been to BC but obviously heard about it...how is it to travel there if you do not have a medical Rx? is it just as easy to walk in the shops & do the same stuff? that would be cool.

but ya again what flskwat said, its almost everywhere. maybe we should put a "dos & donts" list to getting hooked up in other countries. it should not be a specific person to go to or call or whatever, but how to go about "running into ganja" when in a certain place. the funny thing is that the list may be different for a man in his 40s/50s vs. that of a college kid. it may be different for a woman than a man. it may be different for minorities vs. whites. or different between a "tourist" vs a local...

would tips like this be allowed on FC? when i first moved here from LA (quite a culture shock ganja-wise), i didnt have a hook up for like 5 months (unless i traveled to a bigger city nearby where i know a lot of people). i wasnt really looking for any, but was curious about what people had over here...finally after many months, i decided to try to find some (also my MFLB had just come in the mail). i googled "how to find ___ in a new city" and found a website called "webehigh.com" which kind of puts a guide together for getting hooked up in different cities in the US...some cities can be very specific (i did not follow any of the tips i came across for my city), but info already exists out there. what may be useful, other than info like that, is how to inquire without looking shady...i have read a lot of posts by older people who feel uncomfortable looking for it...if an older dude asked my friends, they may think hes a cop or something...but theres gotta be a way for everyone to find some...we should compile a list for how to find it when you dont know anyone in your area.

although, if we phrase it like that, it may not be too good. more like "what i would do if i was in a new area & was looking for a hookup"?

 

[aesthyrian]

Did I not see anyone mention Denver yet? I love that city, and that city loves pot.

 

[akwardsauce]

ya cant believe we forgot that one...

only thing is you need an Rx to go to the shops (same as cali)

ann arbor michigan is very lenient in their laws i heard also.

 

[wilf789]

In my opinion the greatest city that is friendly to 420 visitors has to be Vancouver, BC. I lived there for 13 months and it may have been the stoniest time ever. The beaches are beautiful and we often blazed blunts down at English Bay, which is the ultimate relaxation. Victory Square was right outside of my school and a place to frequently light up as well. They have a really well run dispensary that employs the nicest staff and always has the best buds for the right price. If you ever find yourself in Vancouver, then you've done something right.

Planning to move to BC myself around the new year, therefore the above post is highly relevant to my interests!

 

[Qbit]

thats awesome to hear...i always wondered about ganja culture in china (i actually mentioned it in a post i did on an indian thread on FC). i guess its kind of like india over there (for some reason i thought chinese govt would be super strict, which would "scare" its citizens to be very mindful of the law).

Mind you I only visited Yunnan Province, which is in the Southwest, bordering Viet Nam, Laos, Burma and Tibet. I can't say what it's like in the heavily populated Eastern coastal areas. I believe it's not quite as relaxed, but still not a big issue, especially if you're a foreigner.

I heard things tightened up in Beijing around the time of the 2008 Olympics, but I think this was just image management. In fact I have a feeling that the only reason the Chinese would bother making a fuss about the use of weed would be if it affected their international image in a negative way.

i think flskwat is kinda right, though...its pretty much something you can get anywhere (i usually encounter it to other places that i travel to). in fact, in aruba (super-touristy, i know) people were asking me if i wanted any while walking around (my parents were with me...very awkward...)!

Yes, it might well be possible to get weed pretty much anywhere, but that's a bit beside the point. What you need to be much more concerned about is what can happen to you once you've got it. Will you be put away for several years, in a prison where you don't speak the language (which might be the least of your problems)? Or will the cop give you a glossy brochure in your preferred language with a list of the most popular local cannabis retailers?

 

[aesthyrian]

ya cant believe we forgot that one...

only thing is you need an Rx to go to the shops (same as cali)

ann arbor michigan is very lenient in their laws i heard also.

If you are visiting then you can't get a red card because you are not a resident. But trust me, you won't need that red card. I was literally just given free hash by a very friendly stranger who made a lot and wanted to share. And the parties every first of the month at the hemp hoodlamb shop hosted by Adam Dunn are just awesome good times.

 

[akwardsauce]

this may help:

to find this, google "cannabis prohibition canada" & go to the first wikipedia article that shows up.

 

[Qbit]

this may help:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/World-cannabis-laws.png

to find this, google "cannabis prohibition canada" & go to the first wikipedia article that shows up.

Mind you that's only approximate. And the situation can vary greatly within many countries, too. But it's a good map to give people a quick idea of the tolerance for weed around the world.

 

[akwardsauce]

i agree because within michigan alone, there are different cities with different leniency. also in india, some places are more accepting than others...so the map is not complete...just a general idea/starting point (if this ganja-tour was really ever going to be offered). but like i said, once you are there, its probably up to you to go find it...so that will be the biggest obstacle anywhere you go.

tips for different demographics should be listed somewhere...

 

[wilf789]

The UK is definitely not 'illegal but often unenforced' either.

It may not carry quite as heavy a penalty as some other drugs but police will always give you at least a caution - which can lead to arrest if repeated.

A mate and I were caught after combusting in his car a few months ago and the policeman I was being searched by then did not take kindly to being asked if he didn't have better things to be doing that stopping two guys having a joint.

Unless you happen to luckily get an unusually lenient policeman, they enforce the cannabis laws just as strictly as any others.