If you’re lucky enough to visit a foreign country where cannabis is obtainable, you owe yourself a chance to check out the local selection and support the local industry.
We’ve scoured the globe to bring you the most exotic shops, markets, clubs, and dispensaries purveying cannabinoids abroad. Whether you’re seeking good flower to pair with good food or looking to take your beach holiday to the next level, start planning your travel itinerary with these eight scenic stops and distinctive shops in mind.
Beach Kiosks: Jamaica
(lucky-photographer/iStock)
You may be surprised to find out that ganja is technically legally limited in Jamaica, the birthplace of Bob Marley. You won’t be surprised to find out that in spite of this technicality, the herb is easy to get—just ask your cab driver. Or your waitress. Or anyone you see walking down the street (police excluded).
Pay your respects to Marley’s legacy by lighting up a joint at his gravesite before meandering to the iconic Instagram-ready beaches of Jamaica for a more extended sesh. Look for one of the ubiquitous beach kiosks that sell bottled water to thirsty tourists—they most likely sell cannabis, too.
Hemp Embassy: Milan, Italy
(Courtesy of Hemp Embassy)
Cannabis in Italy is illegal for recreational use, but it is legal for limited medical usage. And, apparently, you can even grow your own cannabis—as long as you prune it before it grows flowers.
That’s the technicality that allows Milan-based cannabis clone shop Hemp Embassy to operate and sell live plants to anyone who wants to add some special greenery to their home. It offers about 50 varieties, from Sour Diesel to Chocolate Mint, with seeds procured from some of the top seed banks around the world, such as Cali Connection. All the plants are high in THC production and can be purchased like any other plant in a greenhouse—as long as you promise not to grow buds. Promise?
Green House Coffeeshop: Amsterdam, Netherlands
(Courtesy of Green House Coffeeshop)
You can find coffeeshops on every corner in Amsterdam—much better than a Starbucks on every corner, yes? But when you have so many options, it’s like being a kid in a candy shop: Suddenly, you don’t know where to start or which ones are actually worth the trouble.
If you’re looking an extraordinary experience in a city already full of exemplary herb, look to Green House at Haarlemmerstraat 64. It’s got a full food menu, featuring everything from BLTs to Oreo milkshakes for your munchies, and a fish tank under your feet so that you can gaze at koi when you don’t want to make conversation. It’s a celebrity hotspot, attracting everyone from Andre 3000 to Kelis, but it’s not pretentious at all: Instead it’s got good weed, good food, good music, and (we’ve heard) hot budtenders.
Joe’s Smokers Club: Marbella, Spain
(Courtesy of Joe’s Smoker Club)
We’ll be honest with you: If you’re a tourist, you can’t just walk into one of Southern Spain’s famous cannabis social clubs to pass the joint. As with most private clubs, cannabis-centric or not, you need to be invited by a member or two—and you have to provide proof of residency (so a hotel won’t do, unless you’re the Spanish Eloise at the Plaza). Not all clubs are created equal, though—some are not much more than basements with mood lighting, while some, like VIP favorite Joe’s Smokers Club, occupy multiple floors for multiple modes of high: VIP club, co-working space, and chill out lounge. The club also works with local restaurants for food, invites guest DJs every weekend, and has its own app. FYI, the official hashtag is #MarbellaHighSociety, if you make it in there.
Mercado de Coyoacán: Mexico City, Mexico
(Alija/iStock)
Popular with both locals and tourists, you can buy anything at this large open-air market—from ice cream to kitchenware to tourist-favorite lucha libre masks. You can also buy cannabis flowers and the pipes to go along with them.
Test out your haggling talents and try to get the cheapest price possible—the worst thing that can happen is that you walk to the next stall and bargain for the exact same product over again. Have you ever worked this hard for your high?
“Huasos” (aka Cowboys): Chile
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Good news—it’s legal to smoke in the private comfort of your own home in Chile! However, that doesn’t mean you can just procure cannabis from the local supermarket. Most people get their weed delivered directly to their houses, but if you’re looking to seek it out yourself, head inland to a city like Limache, where you can ask the cowboys (yes, look for them on horseback), called huasos, for a sackful. No guarantees of how good it will be, though—but if you’re at a point that you’re hunting down cannabis from cowboys in Chile, you’re probably already something of an expert on what to look for and how to get it.
Malé Atoll: The Maldives
(TPopova/iStock)
Where you find surfers, you will find cannabis—it’s that simple. If you’re privileged enough to find yourself vacationing in the Maldives, a South Asian island country famous for its pristine white beaches, you can easily find hash oil sold along the surfing points. Cannabis is technically illegal in the Maldives, so you buy at your own risk, but there is hardly any legislation or monitoring going on there. Your best bet is to hang out at the best surf spots and spark up a conversation with the local youths—if you’re nice (and willing to pay), they’ll share.
Happy Pizza: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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There are a lot of culinary specialties of Cambodian cuisine that you should try: fish amok, BBQ pork and rice, green mango salad, fried bananas, and—if you’re in Phnom Penh—weed pizza from Happy Pizza (or one of its many knockoffs like “Happiness Pizza”). It’s the ultimate edible, as the pie comes sprinkled with herbs that look not too different from a healthy dose of oregano.
You can order it with “extra happiness” if you dare, but we recommend just one slice to start. Remember, even though you’re on vacation—edibles don’t get any less potent, especially when the herbs are sprinkled on like parmesan cheese.
