The Most Weed-Friendly Travel Destinations in the World, Ranked in a New Study
Netherlands is, surprisingly, not at the top of the list!
Weed lovers know the struggle: When you're traveling abroad, it is not a given that you'll be able to huff it and pass it with your friends. While in the US weed is getting legalized in an increasing number of states and has broad support among the population, there are countries in the world in which cannabis consumption and possession is still considered very much illegal.
But if you don't want to give up smoking on your vacation, getting informed is the first step. It is no surprise, then, that Google searches for "weed friendly vacation spots" have risen by 600% in the US. Luckily for you, though, you won't even need to run that search.
Weedar, a loyalty and distribution platform for cannabis brands, has analyzed 48 popular tourist destinations and produced a ranking of the 15 most weed-friendly countries in the world. To come up with the results, the platform took into account four different factors, including legality, average cost, penalties, and the percentage of people using cannabis in the area.
The good news is Americans won't have to travel that far to blaze it in peace. At the very top of the list is Canada, where weed is legal and costs an average of $6.90 per gram (for reference, an eighth of an ounce is equal to roughly 3.5 grams, so that would be about $24 for an eighth). The study also estimates that 27% of Canadians use cannabis, which also contributed to its first-place ranking.
If you're looking for a warmer destination, instead, you can head over to Mexico, which took the silver medal. Cannabis is legal in Mexico as well, and it is pretty affordable too, costing an average of $7.90 per gram (about $28 for an eighth). As the study points out, though, you might want to consider lighting up in more intimate setting rather than busy areas, because just an estimated 2.1% of the country's population uses cannabis.
Third on the list is Australia, where cannabis is only partly legal and slightly more expensive, costing an average of $10.10 per gram ($35 for an eighth). An estimated 11.6% of the Australian population uses cannabis, according to the study, and many people there consider themselves avid smokers.
Here's the complete list of the best weed-friendly travel destinations, based on the analysis:
1. Canada
2. Mexico
3. Australia
4. Italy
5. Netherlands
6. Chile
7. Argentina
8. Spain
9. Portugal
10. Costa Rica
11. Belize
12. Thailand
13. Peru
14. Austria
15. South Africa
For more details on the ranking and to read the complete report, you can visit this website.
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