Smoking tolerance level [1= very illegal 5=virtually legal]: 4
Legislation: Spain’s constitution gives considerable protection to what people do in the privacy of their homes.”
“The Spanish law says that personal behavior in a private place, and this includes private land and outbuildings, is protected by the constitution,” “The controversial issues are that police are allowed to determine if what you are doing is personal or if it is meant for distribution, which is illegal, and they are also allowed to arrest you if your cannabis activities or possession are outside of your private domain.”
ARSEC – the country’s premier marijuana legalization organization
Law Enforcement: The cops in Barca are a joke…
Drug use and possession for personal use do not constitute a criminal offence under Spanish law. However, public consumption is penalized with administrative fines.
Public possession of less than two ounces of cannabis is not a criminal offense, although heavy administrative fines can be levied. Possession of more than two ounces, growing for sale, or selling are considered criminal offenses, but prison terms are not as severe as those levied in the US.
the police are worthless, i had a knife pulled on me in front of my house, ran away and got the police, in perfect spanish told them that the person had a knife and wouldnt let me into my apartment. They kicked me out of their car and drove off and i had to have a footrace to my door.
what law enforcement? they pretty much hide during the day and at night they seem to camp out in the popular plazas, like Placa Real, where they aren’t alone.
Where to Buy Marijuana in Barcelona: Well the infamous Ramblas is still a hot spot! As many recommend the shops area has many police.. However, if you walk down ramblas you will pass 2 or 3 metro stops when you get to the one I am talking about you will see all the African guys standing around.. Make eye contact and lift your eyebrows.. Many will take you down to the metro and make the transaction inside while going up the other escalator.. Sounds sketchy but actually works well, be quick..
To find hash ask any of the arab looking guys selling beers on Ramblas or down near the waterfront..Actually the waterfront never worked for me but right at the beginning of Ramblas is a good spot for hash..
another reporter added: ” Very very easy to obtain hash in Barcelona. Walk down Las Ramblas to the waterfront and walk around the waterfront where the benches are. During the day, just ask any of the black or arab people sitting around, everytime i asked them for hash they turned out to be dealers themselves. The hash is good, but stay away from the pot, i wasn’ t able to find any pot worth buying while i was there and reccomend you stick to hashish. At night, these people will walk around saying “hash, marijuana,” so you can just sit and wait for them to come to you. I liked the waterfront because there is absolutely no police presence yet it is very busy and lots of people are around so it feels very safe. Furthermore, they will let you inspect the stuff before you buy it, even in the daytime. When i asked them about pot, most were already smoking a joint and gave me a hit, but like i said before, it was very bad, but you will see for yourself. I highly recommend t hat you stay away from Las Ramblas the plazas when it comes to buying pot, there are usually police somewhere around there and they are always trying to lure you into alleyways to inspect it. Overall, i found it very shady (even though it was easy to find there) and the stuff was worse than what i found on the waterfront. One time i got this person to drop his price from 30 to 5 euros for some hash (in Placa Real), so I also suspect many of the people dealing in the plazas have connections to the police. STAY AWAY.”
and also: “You can easily find hash on las ramblas and the surrounding squares, especially at night. This, however, is a little sketchy as it is one part of town where the concentration of cops is pretty high. Also the product isnt as good here. I found that at barceloneta the hash was abundant and good. Just simply ask one of the pakistanis selling chips, soda and beer if he has any. They usually will have some themselves and if not, then its close by. They will usually allow you to inspect the product as well. As for marijuana, its pretty terrible. I tried buying it once or twice from the africans on ramblas but didn’t end up purchasing it…it didn’t even smell like bud. My best recomendation is to stick with the hash.”
Barcelona Marijuana Prices: “20 Euro will get you a domino size hash.. They will always start at 40 or 30 euros but will come down, quickly nothing below 20..
the weed from the Africans 20 euro for a bag of chopped up grass no seeds but nothing special did get me high..”
“Spanish outdoor is about six to 12% THC, usually overly-dry domestic varieties. It costs $9-$20 US per gram.
When buying Moroccan hashish, look for the dark, chocolate-colored type. Ask the dealer to slice it and see if it has a dark, wet interior, which is a sign of potency.
Also worthwhile, Moroccan golden double-zero hashish. Cost: $10-$25 US per gram.”
“25-30 euros for a domino sized brick of hash. I smoke at least 1/2 of premium weed per week in the US, and this stuff lasted me over a week. always haggle, the prices they first tell you are really high, usually you can get it for half the price they initially offer”
Brands:
It was my first time smoking hash this summer, but I smoke ridiculous amounts of ganja back in the states. I wasnt able to find really good hash the way it has been described to me, but i never was disappointed with my purchse. They will try and charge a high amount initially, but haggle with them and most tiems i was able to cut the price in half
More information: I tried rolling up the hash with tabacco, but the tabacco would burn way before the hash was used up. I ended up smoking the hash out of an apple bong and got really really high and it made the hash last a LONG TIME!
City id:
Area: 487 sq km
Population: 1.5 million
Country: Spain
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1 (Central European Time)
Telephone Area Code: 93
webehigh city’s tale:
The highly entertaining street life of Barcelona is best to be seen and experienced along the axis from Passeig (=avenue) de Gracia, via Plaça Catalunya, down to the old harbour, where Columbus on his pillar points the way to the Americas. The spending level of the public runs down the same way: the more expensive and sophisticated at Passeig de Gracia, the middle class around Cataluñya square, and finally the Ramblas avenue, cheaper but livelier at the feet of the discoverer’s statue.
Halfway through the Ramblas, visitors can branch off to Plaça Reial and Carrer (=street) Escudillers, where nightlife includes the part of Barcelona’s soft drugs scene most readily available to foreigners. The sellers that used to be highly active under the porticos of Plaça Reial, recently have been obliged to become less visible and/or to disperse throughout surrounding streets. Plaça Reial is also famous for three entertainment establishments there: the Jamboree, for jazz lovers; Los Tarantos, with its “flamenco” shows; and Karma, a modern disco. Elsewhere in Barcelona, probably the most popular “up to day” disco is the Razzmatazz (formerly called Zeleste).
In general, knowledgeable sources say, it is the type of music that points the way to the soft drugs scene; with “techno”-sounds coming from discos charging an entry fee, usually being the surest guide. All over Spain, this type of music is called “bakalao”.
For soft drug pills, the sources say, visitors could look around at gay discos. Barcelona residents are more in the habit of having a steady contact with a phone number through which a deal at a private address is arranged. Out on the streets, risks increase at nighttime.
The City Police have had the good sense to appoint a seasoned officer of this “Guardia Urbana”, Mr Gerard Capdevila, as coordinator for cases involving foreign visitors either as victims of (petty) street crime, or as detainees; his 12-years experience so far always comes in very handy. He is usually to be found in the district of Ciutat Vella, the “old city”.
Police spokesmen warn tourists that the district where one could most easily run into trouble, is the so called Casc Antic (“ancient heart of the city”); specially in and around Plaça San Agustí Vell and Carrer Carders. Many decrepit houses in this district have been taken over by African immigrants with a tendency to making a living on rip-offs.
Barcelona has a solid reputation of tolerance for users who prudently keep out of trouble; but the authorities do try to crack down on sellers. The limiting difference is set by most Spanish courts at 80 grams. Even so, police agents will exercise their own judgment on the attitudes of persons they take a look at, when deciding whether to limit their action to a mere control, or to effect an arrest. Supposed users picked up with quantities between 50 and 80 -or slightly more- grams may simply have the stuff confiscated, and be advised they will be fined through administrative (non-judicial) procedures.
On the contrary, if the police consider the suspect to be really a seller, and the judges agree, stiff penalties are the rule. Current prison sentences range from 4 to 6 years for soft drugs sales; up to 7 and more years in cases where users/sellers had been found to introduce minors to the habit; and over 10 years for full-time traffickers.
Barcelona police spokesmen do not recall any recent examples of foreign -including US- soft drug users getting jailed. But in 1999 there was one polemic case involving an Austrian tourist, Roland Hirscher, arrested at the city airport with 8 hash tablets, totalling 1900 grams, in his luggage. Hirscher (54) had made no attempt to conceal the tablets, and said the cheap price of the offer by “a certain Mohammed, on a Barcelona street I can’t remember” had tempted him to stock up, as he was using some 50 grams per day. A first court accepted this explanation and acquitted him. But on the prosecutor’s appeal, the regional court qualified him as a trafficker and passed a verdict of 4 years in prison plus a fine of over 5000 US dollars.
A stickie for smoking, in Spanish, is a “porro para fumar”. A small amount for personal use is “una china”; and a not too big tablet of 100 grams or less is called (in Catalan, the regional language of Barcelona) “una barreta”. Marijuana keeps its own name, though younger people often abbreviate it to “Maria”, or use the equivalent of shit in Spanish: “mierda”. Because most of the stuff comes from Morocco, also the imported names of “grifa”, “kif” and “kosto” are normal in Spain.
webehigh suggest that you go and check: The island of Ibiza, which features legendary beach raves during spring and summer
webehigh does not recommend that you: Do not Be too obvious about smoking. Try to keep to yourself and avoid public dispute with dealers. Shopping in groups is most recommended when going to one of the city dealers.
Smoking tolerance level [1= very illegal 5=virtually legal]: 4.3
Legislation: Possession, as in Jhb, is illegal. If you are caught you will likely get your weed confiscated, but as long as it is only a small amount a fine will be the harshest of penalties.
Possession is illegal, although seeing as SA is partly a third world country, getting caught should not be a problem as long as you are cautious. Be prepared to pay a $20-$30 fine if you are unfortunate enough to get caught.
Law Enforcement: In Pretoria the police tend to focus more on alcohol and violence related crimes, although you would do better avoiding uniformed individuals altogether.
Where to Buy Marijuana in Pretoria: You can pretty much try most black guys loitering around street corners, or even street vendors, low profile parking lot security guards or domestic workers. These will mostly sell you mediocre weed, so if you want some decent skunk you will have to look further. Check out any bars or lounges in the CBD area, just keep it subtle. A great place to visit would be Tings ‘n Times in Hatfield (most young Pretorians should be able to direct you to it). They have great food, openly advocate cannabis use and usually play good, mellow music. Your best bet would be asking a group of students or possibly one of the waiters, they will surely know where to get really good grass.
Pretoria Marijuana Brands and Marijuana prices: Marijuana is dirt cheap in South Africa. You can get a banky (20-25grams) of good quality skunk for about R120 ($15). The local stuff (Swaz, Durban Poison) is also worth trying and will cost you about R80 ($10) per banky. Finding the above mentioned isn’t too difficult, but if youre desperate you can try the streets. You will pay about R15 ($2) for four joints worth of terrible weed.
Brands: The range is broad. Local stuff includes swazi, durban poison, malawi and various other smaller strains. You can however get anything from super skunk to northern lights, depending on how lucky you get.
More Information: As safe as it might seem to smoke up in South Africa, you should always be weary of the conservative middle class white man. Try to avoid the outer suburbs of Pretoria. As long as you stick to the central areas of Pretoria, you can practically smoke wherever you want to, just don’t be stupid about it. As sad as it is, the police force in this country is severly underpaid, so if they are not stoners themselves, they probably wouldn’t be bothered about a tourist toking up in a quiet area.
Smoking tolerance level [1= very illegal 5=virtually legal]: 4.5
Legislation: Posession is illegal, so bare in mind that if you are unlucky enough to get caught, you may be fined $20.
another reporter added: “From what I understand Marijuana has been decriminalized in RSA. If you are caught with 1-5g it’ll be a R200 fine, 6-10g R400 and so on and so forth until 35g at which point you are considered a dealer and will be sent to jail. ”
Law Enforcement: The police don’t tend to arrest any kind of drug users, although it is not legal to smoke.
and also: “The cops don’t care!! I’ve smoked for 4 years out on the roads or in parks most the time and I’ve never been busted! ”
Where to Buy Marijuana in Johannesburg: A good source of pure Swazi and Skunk (occasionally) is in a li’l reggae/rastafarian shop in Brixton (near Mayfair, central JHB). It’s a minature version of the African Herb shop in CT city. Go in, buy what you want, and leave – R50 for a jiffy bag (bigger than a normal bankie), and the same price for skunk for a bag slightly smaller than a regular bankie – Open until 7pm most days – Try to avoid buying from the car guards – they are runners for the main dude, but will sometimes try to charge you more.
and also: “A great place to buy marijuana in Johannesburg is at the flee market in Village Walk. It is a bit pricy there but it’s worth it, especially if you are staying in Sandton Central. If you are really desperate then just ask the first black guy on the street and he’ll point you in the right direction, sidewalk shops are a great place to buy or enquire.”
Johannesburg Marijuana Brands and Marijuana prices:
Swazi is the most common brand, it is good weed with a good kick for around $5 USD per bankie (20-25 grams) On just about any street corner.
Durban Poison= Kick-ass weed for around the same price as Swazi, although very difficult to find.
Malawi= Very good for around the same price as the rest.
Good quality hydro weed is sold for just about anything from $30 to $150 a bankie (25 grams)
and also: “bankies” (+-25g) will set you back anywhere between R20 and R100 otherwise you can buy a gram of a superior strand for about R90.”
more info.: Just keep a relaxed attitude when buying because dealers are sometimes a tad paranoid. Also make sure that what you are buying is not laced with ammonia, you can usually tell by the smell and color but if you really wanna make sure most dealers will offer a sample to smoke there.
webehigh city’s tale:
South-Africa is a small country at the most southern tip of Africa.
Now if you come into South-Africa via Johannesburg International Airport
You should be in luck as Johannesburg is situated on the main routes bringing weed Into South Africa from Swaziland.
Swazi is also the most popular weed in South Africa and finding any is like Finding USA on a map.Easy!
Swazi is grown in a very small country in S-A, and bringing it in is no problem.
Swazi is not the only weed going around here. You will also find Durban Poison (DP) but not very easily.
Please bear in mind that the posesseion is illegal and you will be prosecuted! That meaning maybe a 20 USD fine,
If you are unlucky enough to be caught…
Just a quick bit of history.
If you know anything about S-A history you will surely know About apartheid and such.
Apartheid was basically our previous government (white no black) succeeding
in oppressing the blacks to the gain of the whites.
That has been rectified in some ways but the black man is still pulling on the short-end of the income rope.
Therefore you will mostly find weed from black-men sitting all over the place.
Good stuff too!
I reckon in some way the police lets this pass as the sellers use the money to buy
Food for their families.
Harsh, but reality!
Our currency is not the strongest around so you can pick up weed for very cheap.
Swazi= Good weed with a good kick for around 5 USD per bankie (25 grams)
On just about any street corner.
Durban Poison= Kick-ass weed for around the same price as Swazi.
Very difficult to find.
Malawi= Very good for around the same price as the rest. Comes wrapped in
Corn leaves (that is how it is dried). Go to Bruma Lake (anybody will tell where)
Just look for a hemp shop or the people selling african artifact.
You can also get local for about 70 USCents.
Not too good but good if you Bong it!
Smoking tolerance level [1= very illegal 5=virtually legal]: 4.5
Legislation: Posession is illegal, so bare in mind that if you are unlucky enough to get caught, you may be fined $20.
Law Enforcement: The police don’t really care to much for users in durbs, just the sellers that get owned.
Our local reporter added: “have been smoking for eight years and never busted. So unless you have really bad luck you could light up at a mall lot.”
Where to Buy Marijuana in Durban: under any bridge, garage or street corner with a black guy standing on it.. for hydro you gonna need to go to some trouble since it’s pretty hard to get
Durban Marijuana prices: from about 5$ for swazi red but there is a lot of jut going around for about 2 rand a slope which is a couple of american cents.. Hydro is probabley about 30$ – 50$ a banky, and even though it’s Durban there is hardly any Durban poison unless you go to the Indian areas like sydnem where it is ripe with DP.
another reporter added : “R20, We are hooked up but a tourist would pay probably R40 for a half filled bank bag.”
Durban Marijuana Brands: Durban Poison , Hydro , Swazi , normal JUT , mindblender and alot more funky names.
More information: South Africa is a great place to come for stoners. Value for money weed.
Smoking tolerance level [1= very illegal 5=virtually legal]: 4.3
Legislation: possession, as in Johannesburg, is illegal. If you are caught you will likely get your weed confiscated, but as long as it is only a small amount a fine will be the harshest of penalties. The general hysteria at the moment is tik (crystal meth). This largely overshadows weed.
Law Enforcement: Police tend to target the producers and dealers with big busts rather than the man smoking on the street. There is also the ADT (main security/ armed response) they drive around in Cars, on bikes and on foot. Be wary of the drivers and their vicous egos, but the riders and walkers will likely sell you weed.
Where to Buy Marijuana in Cape Town: Mainly Nigerians and Rastas. These Nigerians are often refugees without work permits and thus have to deal. They will generally identify themselves with rasta colors. A good way to find out if someone will sell is to say something like: “Chise Iree” or “Do you have ganja” or rub your fist in on palm as if mulling weed in it. This is well recognized.
Cape Town Marijuana Brands and Marijuana prices:
Good swaz for about R50 a bankie. Price goes up to R100 or R120 for very good weed. Often sold in grams at R20+ per gram.
Another type of weed is turries which is very cheap and very crap. It can be easily found in townships and is often sold by bergies (hobos). Some people can take this stuff but it really is very low quality. It is rather yellowish in colour.
Brands: Mainly Swazi (from swaziland). This is my staple diet down here. You can buy other weed from shops in town. A good name to remember is “African Village”, above “Little Amsterdam”, a head shop in town.
More Information: It is good to keep in mind South Africa’s previous ‘apartheid’ regime.
A reporter of WeBeHigh.com had this experience: I bought one bankie,and was caught by police.I`m a foreigner tourist.
I spent 12 hours in prison,and payed a 200 rands fine.
Other then that,I was scammmed twice before getting the ganja that took me
to jail.
Cape Town is rough for ganja.
Hope this helps others.
African prisons SUX!!! so stay away from them.
Smoking tolerance level [1= very illegal 5=virtually legal]: 1
Legislation: Ganja laws are very tough in Burkina Faso.
Law enforcement: If you get busted, be prepared to pay a HUGE bribe
($700) for something like a gram of ganja.
Where to buy marijuana: area is known as ‘oonga boonga’ near the
center of the city. Be on the look out for men who wear shirts with the mid-section cut-off, and have knife marks on their stomachs. These people indulge in marijuana use, and utilize self-mutilation to achieve an ecstacy state. But be vary of them, they are very dangerous, and can kill for money, especially people who aren’t black.
Marijuana prices: ounce for 5 dollars -low grade weed.
Marijuana brands:
More information:
Smoking tolerance level [1= very illegal 5=virtually legal]: 4
Legislation: The Herb should be legal in Slovenia, but is not. You can grow industrial hemp, but the police still destroy some of it regardless of their own laws.
Law enforcement: The police is somewhat stupid. If you smoke in places where people usually smoke you won’t be bothered. If they catch you smoking you will get a bill and your stash will be gone. Just throw everything away before they get to you and they can’t do harm.
Where to buy marijuana in Ljubljana: Metelkova city (near the main train station) – (but watch out there might be police officers working undercover)(busted 2-times) ask some youngsters (if they say they don’t have any weed try showing them your ID card ( sometimes it works ) just make them sure you don’t work for the police).
You will be very lucky at friday evening. at this time there are many people full of weed.
and also:” You should ask out loud, just go to Metelkova where the youth hostel Celica is, have fun there and soon you will see people smoking near you. You can also check out people relaxing by the river Ljubljanica, just make a walk through the city along the river and use your nose.”
Ljubljana marijuana prices: Good stuff is around 10€ per 1g. The slovenian homegrown is very very cool, usually you get it for 5€ per 1g.
Brands: Anything, you can get anything. Homegrown is called “Domaica” or “Trava”.
More information: There are some bars that don’t kick you out if you smoke there, but it is better if you smoke outside. You can even smoke while walking through the city, no one will bother if you are discreet.
Smoking tolerance level [1= very illegal 5=virtually legal]: 4
Legislation: Almost legal. The Herb should be legal in Slovenia, but is not. You can grow industrial hemp, but the police still destroy some of it regardless of their own laws.
Law enforcement: It’s illegal to grow or sell marijuana in slovenia, smoking is theoretically legal. If you get busted with joint, some cops open it and send it to analysis. Actually you don’t have any chance to get busted.
Where to buy marijuana: Easily you can get it in “Preernov gaj” at friday night. Just walk around and ask somebody with a joint. When you don’t get it in about 5 tries you probably won’t get it. You can also walk through the city and use your nose. You can also get it at “Bosanc”(place with benches and nature almost in the town centre, but very hidden), ask somebody younger where it is.
Marijuana prices: 8 euro – 1gram of skunk
5 euro – 1gram of “domaica” (homegrown outdoor weed) – usually good quality weed
30 euro – 10 grams of “albanka” or “bosanka” (outdoor grown weed from albania and bosnia) – crap, usually without or with very little of smell, looks bad because of transport, lots of seeds
More information: Good luck gettin’ your marijuana and good luck not meeting cops
Smoking tolerance level [1= very illegal 5=virtually legal]: 3
Legislation: Marijuana is illegal in Slovakia and you coul get yourself in jail for 3-5 years for carrying POT.
Law Enforcement: Its OK to smoke in parks , but look out for police… they won’t tolerate any marijuana .. if you have luck you can bribe them (at least 200USD).
Where to Buy Marijuana in Sturovo: You can’t find dealers in the streets .. you have to find some contacts – then you can get very fine weed…
Bratislava Marijuana Prices: Varies from the “kindness” of the dealers… I’m from Slovakia so I get 1g of White widow for 10USD… If you make some smokers friends you ( tourist ) could get 1g for 10-15USD
Brands: Skunk , White Widow , Jack Herrer , quality of weed is variable.. if you have good connections you can get unbelievable weed .. 1 hit from a bong and you cant move ;-).
More Information: Slovakia love to smoke weed.. and it’s not true that they don’t tolerate weed .. but the smoker community is more underground.. Nobody is used to smoke joints in cafes or bars .. everybody consumes marijuana at their flat in a close community… If you want anything you got to go to a pub called ARGOS which is situated in the center of Sturovo every local smoker comes here to chill.. I think this is the only place where you can smoke weed indoors 😉 Sturovo also offers many tourist attractions as VADAS – the biggest swimming complex in slovakia … also Sturovo lays next to the river Danube which can be a very beautiful experience to get high on the shore … In Summer the streets are full ( like Mardi Gras ) and you can party all night long with beautiful tourists from all over europe…
Smoking tolerance level [1= very illegal 5=virtually legal]: 3
Legislation: Marijuana is currently illegal in Slovakia, and so is any related activity. However, there are upcoming sounds of medical use legalization.
Law Enforcement: Marijuana import, export or possession are prohibited. However, it has been reported that the police is sometimes forgiving towards drug law offenders.
Buy Marijuana in Bratislava: The safest bet would be to sit in one of the city’s trendy café’s and ask young people at nearby tables.
Bratislava Marijuana Prices: $12-$15 per 1 gram of pot
Brands: Usually home-grown local weed is sold. The local weed is in varying quality.
City id:
Time Zone: UTC/GMT +1 hour
Dialing codes: + 421 (Slovak Republic) Area code: 2
Population: 5,407,956
Climate: temperate — cool summers, cold winters
Size: 48,845 square kilometers
Language: Slovakian (Slavic-derived)
Currency: Slovak Crown
Date of Independence: January 1, 1993
Bratislava may be the capital of the Czech Republic´s sister country Slovakia, but the picturesque cobble stoned city doesn’t share Prague´s reputation as the “Amsterdam of the East.”
While there is a lot of home-grown bud floating around the city — usually of varying quality — the stiff penalties and low tolerance for drug use are a good excuse to stick to the excellent beers and occasional shot of honey liquor.
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Separated from the Czech Republic in 1993, Slovakia failed to make the economic success out of the break-up of Czechoslovakia their neighbours did. And without the same level of stunning cultural and architectural excess, tourism — and tolerance for Western drug use — has remained low. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a good time to be had in beautiful downtown Bratislava.
The city has an abundance of outdoor cafes, lining the streets of the city’s Old Town. While there are a few overpriced dives, you can usually play it safe by heading to wherever the tables are fairly full.
Archways, cobblestones and detailed architectural designs add to the European ambiance that had drawn moviemakers to film Kull the Conqueror, Dragonheart and The Peacemaker in the city.
Interesting modern art installments — including a laser beam that lances through a glass tube before reflecting down the adjoining street with the aid of mirrors. A mirrored ball splits the beam over a few of the cafes.
“We spent all weekend lounging at one of the cafes downtown drinking beer,” said David, a Floridian on vacation with his girlfriend. “The beer was cheap, cheap, cheap and the food is better than what we had in Prague.”
Golden Pheasant –a pilsner — and Corgon — a lager– are the two beers most commonly found on tap, with Corgon holding out in local hangouts and Pheasant in touristy watering holes.
Honey wine, a mildly sweet drink with a fairly low alcohol content, is rarely available in bars. But keep an eye out for bottles sold at stands and stores around the shopping district.
Domestic hard liquors are definitely worth taking a sip of too. Again showing the country’s ties with the Czech Republic to the west, plum brandy known as slivonice is wildly popular. Often aged in oak barrels for three years, take a careful look at what your being served since cheap slivonice bears an unpleasant resemblance to rubbing alcohol. A drink unique to the region is borovicka, a juniper brandy reminiscent of dry gin.
Smokin´out
Despite the strict laws and fairly conservative society that frowns on anything but alcohol-related inebriation, there is weed to be found in Bratislava.
Almost all of the pot is home-grown either in backyards, at country houses or in small indoor plots. Your best way to get a good toke is to find a pub filled with young Slovaks, sit down and strike up a conversation. The people are extremely friendly, especially compared to Czechs.
“I was just walking through town after getting off the overnight train from Prague and I hooked up with a group of Slovaks, Poles and Hungarians downtown,” said Michelle from San Francisco. “We went out and partied all day.”
Other places to buy include street vendors selling paraphernalia in between the cafes in the downtown shopping district.
If you are buying, expect to pay about $15 USD per gram for pot of moderate to low quality. Hash may be available, but is expensive and very difficult to find.
Legal hurdles
Part of the reason weed and hash are harder to get in Bratislava is the strength of the local drug laws. Unlike neighbouring countries and the European Union — where possession for personal use is permitted — there is an absolute ban on carrying, using or selling any drug in Slovakia, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
“It a criminal offence to unlawfully possess narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances…for one’s own use,” a Ministry of the Interior representative said.
“The new provisions of Section 187 introduce criminal liability for whoever manufactures, exports, imports or transits, purchases, exchanges or otherwise procures, possesses for any length of time without authorization narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances.”
Slovak police are permitted to force someone to be tested for drug use if they are arrested for any reason, and punishments range from expensive fines to jail time and expulsion from the country.
If you are carrying enough to be considered a dealer — an amount not defined by law — jail sentences of 15 to 20 years loom on the horizon.
With Draconian drug laws unlikely to be reformed until the Slovak Republic enters the European Union in 2005 (at the earliest), this picturesque Central European town may be best enjoyed through the fog of booze instead of pot smoke.