To smoke or not to smoke – the laws regarding smoking weed around the world are changing fast with some places actively promoting ‘marijuana tourism’ – here’s our guide to some of the best places to kick back and get high…legally
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Amsterdam has been a Mecca for pot-heads since the 1970’s when the Dutch decriminalised the drug and coffeeshops began to pop up around the city. Nowadays, there are over 250 coffeeshops in Amsterdam alone where you can enjoy a joint with friends without getting hassled by ‘the man’. So long as you are 18 years old or over you can purchase up to 5g of cannabis – just take a look at the menu and pick what you fancy. If you’re unsure, ask the budtender and they can advise as to the best strain of weed for your desired effect. Most coffeeshops sell ready-made joints or you can buy your weed and roll one yourself, pipes and bongs are also available for use or just bring your own. If smoking isn’t your thing there are plenty of places that offer cakes and brownies too but a word to the wise – edibles are often over-priced and you can’t judge the potency.
credit: razyph
Here’s our favourite five:
Barney’s Coffeeshop | Haarlemmerstraat 102, Amsterdam | 9am-1am
Mixed Joints (tobacco & weed/hash) from €4.50
Pure Joints (weed only) from €7.00
1 gram from €12.00
Space Cakes from €7.50
Abraxas | Jonge Roelensteeg 12-14, Amsterdam
| 8am-1am
Mixed Joints from €3.30
Pure joints from €6.50
1 gram from €11.00
Dampkring | Handboogstraat 29, Amsterdam |
| 10am-1am
Mixed Joints from €3.50
Pure Joints from €6.00
1 gram from €6
Café Hill Street Blues | Warmoesstraat 52 A, Amsterdam
1 gram from €3
Grey Area Coffeeshop | Oude Leliestraat 2, Amsterdam
| 12pm-9pm
1 gram from €10
Barcelona, Spain
Spain’s drugs policies are all about the difference between private and public consumption. Barcelona’s answer to the coffeeshop are Cannabis Clubs – member-only social clubs which make them private establishments, allowing smokers to meet and smoke away to their hearts content. There are now hundreds of Cannabis Clubs across Barcelona and you don’t need to be a local to be a member. Annual memberships are standard, so even if you are in town for a long weekend you will still need an annual membership – this can cost between €20-€30. Clubs are varied from multi-floor nightclub style to dark basements so do your research first.
Buying marijuana is illegal in Spain so at the club, while you are paying, officially the money goes towards the upkeep and running of the club. There are no menus – you get whatever the club has (quality of the weed is often reflected in the price of the annual membership), expect to pay between €10-€20 for a gram.
Our favourite five:
Dragon Cannabis Club (DCC) | Carrer d’Aribau, 71, Barcelona
dragoncannabisclub.com | 11am-10.30pm
Request to join: dragoncannabisclub.com/contact-us
Barcelona Coffee Shop | Carrer del Dr. Dou, 7 Barcelona http://barcelonacoffeeshop.org
Request to join: barcelonacoffeeshop.org/contact-us
Sticky Born | Carrer de la Nau, 3B, Barcelona |
stickyborn.com | 11am-12am
Request to join: stickyborn.com
Dr Dou | Carrer del Doctor Dou 7, Barcelona facebook.com/pg/drdousocialclub | 10am-12am
Request to join: drdousocialclub@gmail.com
Choko Club | Carrer de les Jonqueres, 13, Barcelona
choko-art.com | 12pm-12am
Request to join: facebook.com/CHOKO
Denver, Colorado, USA
Colorado ‘blazed the trail’ when it comes to legally smoking marijuana in the US. As of November 2012, possession and consumption of marijuana was no longer a crime and in January 2014 sale of marijuana through dispensaries for recreational use was passed. Similar to Barcelona however, consumption is supposed to be for private use only and again, similar to Barcelona, the members-club is their way around it. You can bring your own legally bought or grown weed and consume with friends – however the law is still a little hazy and as a result clubs are opening and closing all the time. Memberships vary and you must be over 21.
Our favourite five:
iBAKE Denver | 6125 Washington St. Denver
ibakedenver.com | 12pm-10pm, Friday-Sunday 10am-12am
Basic Membership: $10 p/m plus $2 per visit
Buy 2 months get 1 free: $20 plus $2 per visit
Gold Membership: $40 ($10 monthly membership plus free entry) 20% off events
VIP Membership: $50 (all the above plus swag) 30% off events
Spectra Art Space | 1836 S. Broadway St., Denver
spectraartspace.com | 11am-7.10pm, closed Mondays
Day pass: $10
Week pass: $15
Local/Industry Month pass: $25
Non-industry Month pass: $30
Club 64 | 420 Dank St., Denver
Membership: $29
Summit Recreational Retreat | Summit Ridge Road, Denver summitrecreationalretreat.com
The Chill-Out Package: $75pp includes unrestricted access to lounges with fireplaces, Bliss Bar with Volcano Vaproizer and dab rig, indoor Jacuzzi
Groups of 4 or more $60
Overnight stays: $225 p/d
Loopr | Denver
Thursday/Friday 4pm-12am, Saturday/Sunday 2pm-12am
Mobile cannabis lounge for up to 46 people
Day pass: $25
3 day pass: $60
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Despite the amount of people offering it, cannabis is not actually legal in Cambodia and definitely not for tourists – although it does tend to be tolerated. There are no coffeeshops or smoking clubs, but the Khmer use cannabis a lot in cooking and the bars and restaurants have jumped on the wagon. The general rule of thumb: if it contains the word ‘happy’ it will be laced with ‘ganja’ – from happy pizza to happy fruit shakes – just check out the menu.
Our favourite five:
Happy Herb Pizza | # 345 Preah Sisovath Street, Phnom Penh City happyherbpizza.com | 7am-11pm, Friday/Saturday 7am-12am
Happy Herb Cheese Pizza $4.00
Pink Elephant Pub | #343, Preah Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh
facebook.com/pages/Pink-Elephant-Pub
Happy Pizza and Happy Shake around $5.50
King’s Court Special Happy Pizza | # 341 Quai Sisowath, Phnom Penh facebook.com/pages/Kings-Court-Special-Happy-Pizza | 6am-11pm
Happiness Pizza | 178 Preah Ang Makhak Vann, Phnom Penh facebook.com/pg/Happiness-Pizza | 8am-10pm
Happy Phnom Penh Pizza | 363 Sisowath Quay Phnom Penh facebook.com/Happy-Phnom-Penh-Pizza
Toronto, Canada
The Canadian Government have plans to legalise cannabis as soon as July 2018, in the meantime the herb remains illegal but is generally overlooked by law enforcement. Toronto have a number of ‘smoke friendly’ cafes where, if you’re over 19, you are welcome to go along and roll your own weed joints and smoke over a coffee.
Our favourite five:
Hotbox Café | 204 Augusta Ave (Kensington Market), Toronto
http://hotboxcafe.ca | 11am-10pm, Friday/Saturday 11am-11pm
BYO
$5 cover
Vapor Central | 667 Yonge St, Toronto
vaporcentral.com | 11am-1pm
Daily Membership: $5
Weekly Membership: $12
Monthly Membership: $25
Annual Membership: $95
BYO
Hot Pot Café | 1336 Danforth Ave, Toronto
facebook.com/pages/Hot-Pot-Hookah-Bar | 9am-2pm
Vape on the Lake | 2985 Lake Shore Blvd W, Etobicoke
vapeonthelake.com | 11am-1am
Daily Membership: $5
Annual Membership: $200
BYO
Planet Paradise | 51 Winchester St A, Toronto
theplanetparadise.com | 12pm-1am
Daily Membership: $5
Annual Membership: $100
BYO
credit:laughingmango
