Most everyone loves traveling… and certainly it would be fun to smoke exotic buds all over the world. Here are my picks for the top travel destinations every stoner should visit!
1. Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hundreds of “coffeeshops” where marijuana and hashish can be purchased over the counter and consumed. This is also the home of the Annual High Times Cannabis Cup every November and boasts incredible museums and parks and trippy architecture—perfect for a stoned stroll around town. Watch out for the bikes, though!
2. Vancouver, Canada
One trip down Vansterdam’s Pot Block on Hastings Street and you’ll see how rich the cannabis culture is here. Police are mostly tolerant towards pot, so “coffeeshop”-type scenes and marijuana seed retailers can be found with little effort.
3. Oakland, California
The area, dubbed Oaksterdam, has pot-friendly coffee shops, growing equipment stores and even a cannabis college (oaksterdamuniversity.com). Non-profit medical marijuana dispensaries such as Berkeley Patients Group and Harborside provide pot, as well as free acupuncture, massage, yoga and counseling for their patients.
4. Negril, Jamaica
Pot tourism, sunshine and plentiful weed, reggae music culture, beaches drinks and spliffs. A huge handful of decent outdoor buds can be cheaply acquired by finding the nearest cab driver or Rastafarian.
5. Barcelona, Spain
Privacy laws in Spain are strong and crimes must have victims (no complaint = no arrest). Barcelona hosts marijuana celebration festivals and industry conventions like Spannabis and High Life Expo and Barca’s proximity to Morocco guarantees access to quality hashish.
6. Portland, Oregon
America’s home to the first-ever Cannabis Café and one of the biggest State Chapters of NORML, Oregon has also just passed a recreational marijuana bill, further earning its place on this list.
7. Nimbin, Australia
Home of the yearly Nimbin Mardi Grass festival, and basically a hippie paradise in the middle of the Outback, Nimbin has been a must-see pot destination for years. My favorite Aussie pot strain name: Mullumbimby Madness.
8. Christiania, Denmark
Since proclaiming themselves an autonomous region within Copenhagen, this old army base turned commune’s “no hard drugs” policy allows pot sales although it’s “on again, off again” due to periodic crackdowns. Check the main drag called Pusher Street where pot was sold openly until 2004. The hash and skunk stands have returned albeit quietly.
9. Seattle, Washington
Hosts Seattle Hempfest, the world’s largest pot rally with over 100,000 people over two days. Marijuana violations have been a low priority since the current Federal “Drug Czar” Gil Kerlikowski was the Police Chief here. Glassblowers hawk their wares throughout the city – find a drum circle and make a friend.
10. Toronto, Canada
Canada’s Eastern regions boast some excellent marijuana and many businesses on Younge St. dubbed “Youngsterdam” and beyond cater to the cannabis connoisseur. Headshops, smoke-tolerant cafes and pot seed retail stores all vie for the aficionado’s attention.
