Winter is the perfect time to get away. We’ve been bottled up (or bundled up) for months, and we need a chance to escape for a bit, warm up, and recharge our batteries.
But you’re a stoner, and that raises specific questions about your vacation plans. How easy is it to buy weed from the locals? Is it legal there? If not, what happens if you get caught?
So here’s a short list of some of the world’s best stoner vacation spots. Pot is legal in some of these places and decriminalized in others. But each locale beckons with the lure of affordable, smokeable pot and great surroundings to go with it.
1. Amsterdam
Though best seen during summer months, Amsterdam is a stoner’s paradise any time of year. If you can handle a lot of darkness coupled with very little sun, you’ll do just fine in the middle of the winter.
Weed isn’t exactly legal in the Netherlands, but the distinction doesn’t really matter. Essentially, it’s a minor offense to sell or buy weed, but the rule is roundly ignored, especially in Amsterdam, which pulls in millions of pot-smoking tourists every year.
The city is peppered with marijuana cafes, tourist-friendly coffee shops that also sell pot – really good pot. Amsterdam imports and exports the best weed in Europe, and it’s relatively cheap, at least for semi-legal dope.
Plus, Amsterdam is one of the continent’s most interesting capitals. It’s a city bathed in history. There’s the Anne Frank Museum, the Heineken factory, and more Van Gogh than you could shake a blunt at.
2. The Rocky Mountains
It’s cold up there, but that just means it’s the perfect time to go skiing. The Colorado Rockies are ground zero for the ski industry, and they’re a tourist haven.
Most importantly, weed is legal across Colorado, as it is in Washington State – and soon will be in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. The kosher stuff is hard to find in much of Colorado, but many mountain communities have pot shops that cater to the tourist crowd.
Try Glenwood Springs, named the Most Fun Town in America by Rand McNally and USA Today. Or maybe spend some time in Crested Butte, a tiny resort town in the Elk Mountains southwest of Denver. Or drop some cash in Aspen – if you can afford it.
3. Seattle
If you’re looking for a great urban setting, complete with sightseeing, nightlife and great food, you’ll struggle to beat Seattle. Washington’s largest city is packed with vacation delights: great seafood, outstanding natural surroundings, and weed everywhere – or at least enough to do the job.
Seattle is currently home to just two legal pot shops, and they haven’t always had enough supply to meet demand. Shortfalls mean higher prices, but those should stabilize within a matter of months. The same thing is already happening in Colorado.
Seattle sits on the banks of Puget Sound, a massive network of bays and inlets from the Pacific Ocean. You can enjoy kayaking, fishing, boating, and other water sports.
That’s easier to do in the summer, but there are still plenty of opportunities to explore the Sound in winter. Plus, the hiking is fantastic year-round.
And Seattle is one of the friendliest cities you’ll find. A lot of its residents descended from Norwegian immigrants, a civic-minded bunch who passed on an obsession with politeness. Seattleites take pride in their city, and they keep it clean. If anything, maybe a little too clean. What are they doing with all those roaches?
4. Jamaica
What stoner could turn down a trip to Ganja Central? If it was good enough for Bob Marley, surely Jamaican weed will make you forget your worries, too.
Actually, pot isn’t quite legal on the Caribbean island. The government recently decriminalized the drug and legalized medical marijuana. So Jamaica’s long-tolerated cannabis industry will soon be coming out of the shadows for good.
And it’s likely Jamaica will completely legalize weed relatively soon. So now is the perfect opportunity to experience an island paradise where weed is accepted and easy to get but still makes you fell a little like a criminal – just enough for a cheap thrill.