Cannabis tourism

Cannabis tourism, also called marijuana tourism, is travel/tourism related to cannabis or incorporating cannabis use.

A guide leads tourists through a cannabis greenhouse in Denver, 2018

Tours, activity packages, concierge services and more are available for cannabis tourists, who may travel from jurisdictions where it is expensive, unavailable or illegal – or who may simply wish to use cannabis while on holiday. Some conventional tourist businesses (lodging, entertainment, etc.) advertise as "420-friendly", meaning they will not stop or discourage guests from possessing or consuming cannabis.[1]

Cannabis tourism occurs in jurisdictions with modern tourism infrastructure and established tourist attractions, like resorts or nature parks. However, some isolated, impoverished agricultural communities, known for large-scale illegal marijuana production, also attract cannabis tourists, with significant economic impact.

Cannabis tourism is distinct from cannabis smuggling, the import/export of cannabis by definition in violation of the law.

History

The counterculture of the 1960s renewed interest in non-Western cultures and travel to far-flung destinations. Many, especially members of the hippie subculture, experienced destinations with centuries-old traditions of cannabis use and cultivation as they traveled across Central and South Asia. In some stops, cannabis was legal and regulated in some forms prior to modern drug prohibition, while in others production was tolerated as a cash crop.

By destination

Canada
Main article: Cannabis in Canada

The post-C-45 debate on regulating cannabis tourism in Canada continues, and laws vary widely from province to province.[2] Some provinces including Ontario and New Brunswick allow farm-to-consumer sales to encourage tourism.[3]

Mexico

Cannabis use has often been associated with Mexico in the United States;[4] at the time of their passage, marijuana prohibition laws in the United States were justified with explicitly racist language against Mexicans.[5] It was a frequent destination for American hippies seeking cannabis in the 1960s; activist and professor Timothy Leary was arrested re-entering the United States from Mexico with a small amount of marijuana, leading to a court case which weakened US marijuana laws. It is speculated that US government efforts to discourage marijuana production and tourism by spraying paraquat on marijuana fields inadvertently led to an increase in the supply of American-grown cannabis beginning in the 1970s.[6]

United States
Main article: Marijuana tourism in the United States

In 2013, prior to legalization, the Washington State Liquor Control Board (now the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board) commissioned a study of marijuana legalization on the state, including the impact of tourism. The study, written by Carnegie Mellon University researchers, estimated over 400,000 new visits a year to the state.[7] In 2014, the travel guide Fodors published a "how to" for marijuana tourists in Washington state.[8] The official Washington tourism website has a FAQ section for marijuana tourism.[9]

The Washington State legislature specifically considered tourism in its 2015 I-502 reform.[10] [11]

Because consumption in public is illegal, rental sites like "Bud and Breakfast"[12] include "420 friendly" in descriptions for marijuana tourists, and marijuana tourism rental specialists have sprung up to meet demand.[13] [1]

The actual impact of marijuana tourism is debated. Industry groups say it is significant, but state tourism officials in Washington said there is "fairly low amounts of consumer interest through our visitor information", and in Colorado "We still don't have any numbers that support that marijuana tourism exists".[14] An NBC News report stated that Hotels.com bookings were up slightly after legalization in both states.[14]

Manitou Springs is a small town in El Paso County, Colorado. It is home to two recreational marijuana dispensaries,[15] the only two in the second most populous county in the state. As a direct result of recreational marijuana sales the city's tax base increased. Manitou sales tax collections set a record in July 2014, which included only a few hours of recreational marijuana sales for the month.[16] One operator's Manitou Springs location is their most popular, due to its location at the foot of Pike’s Peak.[17]

Tourism in Oregon was expected to begin in 2016 with legal retail availability for non-residents.[18]

Expansion of marijuana tourism to Vermont,[19][20] and to Mendocino and Humboldt Counties, California, has been discussed.[21]

Cambodia

Enforcement of laws prohibiting cannabis in Cambodia is opportunistic.[22][23][24] Food vendors in tourist centers across the country, including Sihanoukville and Siem Reap, openly sell dishes infused with cannabis, including happy pizza.[25][26]

India

The cannabis plant has been used for thousands of years in India, and has become a destination for cannabis tourism.[27] Indian law prohibits marijuana nationwide, but some states allow and regulate bhang, a preparation of cannabis leaves with religious significance in Hinduism.[28]

The communal elder of Malana village, long world-renowned for its hashish,[29] banned homestays in 2017 to curb cannabis tourism.[27][30]

Laos

Vang Vieng was once a popular destination for cannabis tourism.[31]

Nepal
Legal cannabis shop in Kathmandu, 1973

As in India, cannabis has a long history in Nepal.[32] Before 1973, taxed and regulated vendors of ganja, charas and bhang operated openly catering to western tourists on Old Freak Street in Kathmandu.[33] It was only criminalized in Nepal in 1973 under pressure from the US government, and even now enforcement is opportunistic, particularly during religious festivals.[34]

Thailand
Smoking cannabis, Chiang Mai, 1973

Aggressive enforcement of cannabis prohibition in Thailand only began in the late 1970s.[35] With new medical cannabis rules, visitors to Thailand can now obtain approval for Thai medical cannabis fairly easily, with speculation that cannabis licensing may be a source of revenue for the Thai military.[36]

Malawi

Malawian cannabis (Chichewa: chamba) is world-renowned. Nkhotakota District, which has a productive illegal chamba industry, is particularly popular with cannabis tourists, thanks to lax enforcement and its natural beauty.

Morocco

The world-renowned kief of Ketama, Chefchaouen and the greater Rif valley attracts cannabis tourists.[37]

South Africa

Cannabis tours are well underway in South Africa, and the continent's largest cannabis industry convention is held annually in Durban, Pretoria and Cape Town.

The Netherlands

Around the 1970s, in response to a growing counterculture, the Netherlands adopted a liberal drug policy (Dutch: gedoogbeleid), tolerating the use and sale of cannabis in regulated consumption lounges known as "coffeeshops". Large-scale cannabis tourism has resulted, making the policy controversial in Dutch politics and society, especially since the country entered the Schengen Area.

Australia

Nimbin, New South Wales is known as a destination for cannabis tourism around Australia and the world. The annual MardiGrass festival attracts thousands annually. Local police have installed closed-circuit television cameras and increased enforcement to curb cannabis tourism, with little success.[38]

Legality

Cannabis tourism has legal implications. Globally, cannabis is classed a Schedule I drug under the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which are allowed for medical use but considered addictive and prone to abuse.[39][40]

Efforts to discourage cannabis tourism

Some countries, including Russia, South Korea and Japan, prosecute their citizens for consuming cannabis in jurisdictions where it is legal.

See also


References
  1. Becker, Olivia (April 28, 2014), There's Now an Airbnb for Colorado's Pot Tourists, Vice.com
  2. MacEacheran, Michael (18 October 2018). "Could cannabis tourism be Canada's next big high after marijuana legalisation?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  3. Bochove, Danielle (October 6, 2021). "Dreams of Pot Tourism in Canada Dashed by Tough Rules". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  4. "THE USE OF TOBACCO.; INCREASE IN THE CONSUMPTION OF NARCOTIC STIMULANTS. THE PERNICIOUS PRACTICE SPREADING AMONG AMERICAN WOMEN—SNUFF-DIPPING IN THE UNITED STATES". New York Times. New York City. September 14, 1874.
  5. "The Surprising Link Between U.S. Marijuana Law and the History of Immigration". Time. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  6. Panic over Paraquat, Time, May 1, 1978
  7. Caulkins, Jonathan P.; Andrzejewski, Susan; Dahlkemper, Linden (June 28, 2013), How much revenue could the cannabis tax generate, under different scenarios? (PDF), BOTEC Analysis Corp. / Carnegie Mellon University, p. 32, I-502 Project #430-8b
  8. AnnaMaria Stephens (September 25, 2014), Pot Tourism: How to Buy Marijuana in Washington State, Fodors
  9. "Frequently Asked Questions on the Sale and Use of Recreational Marijuana", Experiencewa.com, Washington Tourism Alliance, 2015, retrieved 2015-08-11
  10. Jeanne Kohl-Welles; Ann Rivers (February 5, 2015), Senate Bill 5858 (PDF), Washington State legislature, The legislature further finds there are efforts to expand this industry into other areas, such as industrial hemp, food processing, tourism...
  11. Daniel Shortt (August 3, 2015), Marijuana tourism in Washington: Over before it even begins?, Harris Moure Canna Law Group
  12. "Bud and Breakfast | Marijuana Friendly Hotels | 420 Friendly Rentals". Bud and Breakfast. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  13. Julie Weed (March 17, 2015), "Book Your 'Bud And Breakfast', Marijuana Tourism Is Growing In Colorado And Washington", Forbes
  14. Bill Briggs (August 14, 2014), Marijuana Tourists: Are More Flocking to Washington and Colorado?, NBC News
  15. Healy, Jack; Johnson, Kirk (July 19, 2014). "Next Gold Rush: Legal Marijuana Feeds Entrepreneurs' Dreams". The New York Times.
  16. Hobbs, Stephen. "Manitou Springs tax collections booming amid recreational marijuana sales". gazette.com.
  17. "Your Guide to Marijuana Tourism in America". Time.
  18. Jolie Lee; Karl Gelles (November 6, 2014), "Will Oregon be next spot for pot tourism? Not until 2016", USA Today
  19. Caulkins, Jonathan P.; Kilmer, Beau; Kleiman, Mark; MacCoun, Robert J.; Midgette, Gregory; Oglesby, Pat; Pacula, Rosalie Liccardo; Reuter, Peter H. (16 January 2015). Considering Marijuana Legalization: Insights for Vermont and Other Jurisdictions. Rand Corporation. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-8330-8877-2. Vermont should expect that any form of legalization, even just legalization of retail sales, will likely trigger substantial marijuana tourism ... it would generate revenues for hoteliers and restaurateurs just as fall leaves and ski slopes do.
  20. Evan Halper (January 16, 2015), "Will Vermont be the East Coast hub of marijuana tourism?", Los Angeles Times citing RAND
  21. Hecht, Peter (2 May 2014). Weed Land: Inside America's Marijuana Epicenter and How Pot Went Legit. Univ of California Press. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-520-95824-1. Blake and Cohen ... argued at a local forum that Mendocino and Humboldt Counties must seize their destines as pot tourism hubs...
  22. Soenthrith, Saing (15 March 2013). "Foreigners Arrested in Siem Reap Marijuana Bust". Phnom Penh Post. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2017. Police in Siem Reap City on Tuesday arrested 18 people, including 14 foreign nationals, during raids on two establishments, where they confiscated a stash of marijuana and an as-yet-unidentified powder, police said.
  23. Goldberg, Lina. "Recreational drugs in Cambodia". Move To Cambodia. Retrieved 16 July 2017. Foreigners are rarely prosecuted for small amounts of marijuana, but expect to pay a few bribes if you do get caught.
  24. Harfenist, Ethan (30 May 2015). "The high life". Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  25. "Cannabis Cambodia: smoker's paradise". cannabisculture.com.
  26. "Visitors are so happy to try marijuana-laced pizza in Cambodia". theculturetrip.com.
  27. Bisht, Gaurav (July 11, 2017). "'Deity orders' closure of joints, guest houses at Malana village famous for hash". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017.
  28. "What Is Bhang? Health Benefits and Safety". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  29. Dutta, Prabhash K. (December 4, 2016). "For this Himachal village, banned cannabis is its source of livelihood". India Today.
  30. Balachandran, Manu (July 11, 2017). "An ancient Himalayan village known for India's best hash is now off limits for tourists". Quartz. An isolated village nestled in the Himalayas, Malana is popular for Malana Cream, a strain of cannabis with a high oil content and intense aroma [...] Malana Cream is among the most expensive hashish on the famed cannabis menus of Amsterdam. A tola, or 11.66 grams, sells for over $250 there and over Rs4,000 ($60) in India.
  31. Baron, Julie. "How a Remote Laotian Village Became Asia's Cancun". vice.com.
  32. Francis Hamilton (1819). An Account of the Kingdom of Nepal: And of the Territories Annexed to this Dominion by the House of Gorkha. A. Constable. pp. 231–.
  33. Martin Booth (30 September 2011). Cannabis: A History. Transworld. pp. 325–. ISBN 978-1-4090-8489-1.
  34. "Thousands smoke cannabis at festival in Nepal". The Independent. 2020-02-21. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  35. Blair, Eric (2001-07-11). "History of Marijuana Use and Anti-Marijuana Laws in Thailand". Thailand Law Forum. Retrieved 2018-12-12.
  36. Walden, Max (12 January 2020). "Why is medical marijuana a high ranking priority for Thailand's military?". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  37. "High times: Morocco's growing number of cannabis tourists". South China Morning Post. 10 December 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  38. "Northern Star - cops clamp down on illicit drug trade".
  39. "Classification of controlled drugs". European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  40. Kwai, Isabella (2 December 2020). "U.N. Reclassifies Cannabis as a Less Dangerous Drug". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 December 2020.

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