{"id":3032,"date":"2021-12-14T16:38:42","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T16:38:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=187930"},"modified":"2021-12-14T16:38:42","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T16:38:42","slug":"a-visitors-guide-to-not-quite-legal-weed-in-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=3032","title":{"rendered":"A visitor\u2019s guide to (not quite) legal weed in Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>A visitor&#8217;s guide to (not quite) legal weed in Mexico &#8211; Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v17.5 (Yoast SEO v17.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                  <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <\/p>\n<div id=\"copy_clipboard_success\" class=\"fixed top-0 left-0 right-0\">\n<div class=\"bg-white p-lg container mt-xl flex justify-between elevation-low rounded\"> <span class=\"flex items-center\">     <span class=\"ml-md\">Link copied to your clipboard<\/span> <\/span> <button id=\"copy_clipboard_close_btn\">    <\/button> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>                <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p>You\u2019ve read the headlines: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/history-made-mexicos-supreme-court-strikes-down-cannabis-prohibition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mexico\u2019s Supreme Court Strikes Down Marijuana Prohibition<\/a>. Now you\u2019re heading to Mexico, anticipating a legally elevated vacation.<\/p>\n<p>Not so fast.<\/p>\n<p>Personal possession of up to five grams of cannabis is now legal, in theory. And the pungent aroma of marijuana does seem to be more common as Mexico <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/mexico-has-a-new-marijuana-legalization-bill-heres-whats-in-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">inches towards<\/a> legalizing cannabis. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left\">\n<p>Legalization is still just a theory in Mexico. Here are some tips to stay safe and hassle-free. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>But the failure of lawmakers to officially legalize means cannabis consumers in some places still face persecution and the possibility of police blackmail if they\u2019re found in possession.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, what the Supreme Court determines and what you may encounter in a face-to-face with a local cop are two different things.<\/p>\n<p>Certain establishments from Tijuana to the Oaxacan coast have long tolerated the smoking of cannabis. Now, in light of the Supreme Court rulings, a growing number of Mexicans are smoking weed in public in cities\u2014particularly zones understood to be safe from police, such as outside the Senate building in Mexico City, where a permanent smoke-up stationed itself in protest two years ago (and still continues today).<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, much depends on where you stand in Mexico. Setting is everything.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/mexico-has-a-new-marijuana-legalization-bill-heres-whats-in-it\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>Mexico has a new marijuana legalization bill. Here\u2019s what\u2019s in it<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-know-where-you-stand-literally\">Know where you stand, literally<\/h2>\n<p>Legal rights organizations caution cannabis consumers that they are much more likely to be arrested for smoking cannabis in less privileged areas of any given state or city, as opposed to middle- and upper-class regions.<\/p>\n<p>The organization Human Rights Watch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2021\/04\/23\/mexico-reform-marijuana-policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">has led international calls<\/a> for the Mexican legislature to immediately decriminalize cannabis possession because of this persistent regulatory rigmarole.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-rule-1-don-t-cross-the-border-with-cannabis\">Rule #1: Don\u2019t cross the border with cannabis.<\/h2>\n<p>Bringing cannabis into Mexico is largely unnecessary and highly illegal. Crossing any international border with weed is an ill-advised strategy, even if you\u2019re transiting from a legal country like Canada. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-rule-2-purchasing-remains-a-gray-area\">Rule #2: Purchasing remains a gray area<\/h2>\n<p>Cannabis can easily grow outside in Mexico, and it can be procured on the street in a number of tourist-friendly towns and cities, such as San Crist\u00f3bal de la Casas, Oaxaca de Ju\u00e1rez and on the Riviera Maya.<\/p>\n<p>Some larger cities now host a growing gray market of dispensaries, cafes, spas, massage studios, and even restaurants where you can purchase and smoke THC products. These businesses don\u2019t advertise in the glossy tourist magazines, though, and discovering their location usually requires a one-on-one conversation with a 420-friendly local. <\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/history-made-mexicos-supreme-court-strikes-down-cannabis-prohibition\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>History Made: Mexico\u2019s Supreme Court Strikes Down Cannabis Prohibition<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Mexico\u2019s emerging gray market dispensaries tend to be known by word of mouth, although some advertise with varying degrees of surreptitiousness on social media. Dispensaries tend to distribute their menus via encrypted messaging platforms and are more likely to only deliver \u2013 with just those known to the owners able to visit the premises. Street dealers are likely to propose an inflated price in the first instance, and bartering is common.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-rule-3-prices-are-wild\">Rule #3: Prices are wild &nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p>In Mexico, cannabis can be insanely inexpensive. Prices begin at US$2.50 for 14 grams of flower. (Yes, that\u2019s 18 cents per gram.)<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s only where prices <em>begin. <\/em>As the gray market evolves, so do prices. A growing number of boutique dispensaries and delivery services are starting to charge prices more in line with the U.S. and Canadian market, which means up to US$15 for a gram of a premium strain like Bubba Kush or Girl Scout Cookies. Why the high prices? Call it a quality import tariff. In an ironic historical flip, these premium packages of flower are often imported on the down-low from California. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-rule-4-groups-are-safer\">Rule #4: Groups are safer<\/h2>\n<p>To stay as safe as possible in public, it is advised to only smoke cannabis if you are in a large group including other Mexicans, or in a bar or establishment which clearly tolerates its use. Many of the stories of police persecution concern people caught by themselves, in small groups, or in places where cannabis consumption was considered inappropriate or offensive.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-rule-5-cops-can-and-will-search-you\">Rule #5: Cops can and will search you<\/h2>\n<p>Searches by police are not uncommon. Don\u2019t be shocked if you\u2019re searched upon entry to bars, or on streets in the early hours of the night, even in places considered more progressive and cosmopolitan.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re found to be holding a small amount of weed, that inconvenient fact is usually settled through a <em>mordida<\/em>\u2014literally, <em>bite<\/em>\u2014which is a discretely paid little bribe of around 400 pesos (US$20).<\/p>\n<p>There are claims that police may plant extra cannabis on a person they find in possession so they exceed the legal five-gram limit. Anecdotal reports indicate this tends to happen more to young and poor people who are considered more vulnerable, an unfair and unfortunate fact of life in Mexico as in so many countries.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-prohibition-dies-hard\">Prohibition dies hard<\/h2>\n<p>Jail time for small-time cannabis possession is rare. Prison sentences are rarer still. In 2018, the last year for which there is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inegi.org.mx\/contenidos\/saladeprensa\/aproposito\/2020\/LUCHAVSDROGAS20.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">public data<\/a>, 11,000 people in Mexico were charged for the possession of less than 100g of cannabis\u2014including 2,300 adolescents, with many thousands more undoubtedly apprehended by police and forced to pay bribes even for possession of very small amounts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As a visitor to Mexico, temperament and cooperation tend to serve the cannabis consumer well in these situations. If you are an American, don\u2019t be an ugly one. <\/p>\n<div class=\"my-xxl wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-related-articles\">\n<p><h2>More on Mexico and marijuana<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/a-visitors-guide-to-not-quite-legal-weed-in-mexico.jpg\" alt=\"Mattha Busby's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Mattha Busby<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Mattha Busby is a freelance writer based in Mexico. His work has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, Vice, GQ, and other publications.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/mattha-busby\">View Mattha Busby&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-12-15 00:48:27 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A visitor&#8217;s guide to (not quite) legal weed in Mexico &#8211; Leafly Link copied to your clipboard Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You\u2019ve read the headlines: Mexico\u2019s Supreme Court Strikes Down Marijuana Prohibition. Now you\u2019re heading to Mexico, anticipating a legally elevated vacation. Not so fast. Personal possession of up to five grams of cannabis is now legal,&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3033,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/a-visitors-guide-to-not-quite-legal-weed-in-mexico.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3032\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}