Murmansk, Russia

Smoking tolerance level [1= very illegal 5=virtually legal]: 2

Legislation: Cannabis is completely illegal in Russia, although it is formally not a crime (only administrative violation of the law) to have less than 6 grams with yourself. Anyway, it will cause LOTS of problems if you get caught

Marijuana is illegal in Russia, and so is any related action (growing, purchasing, smoking etc.). Possession of any amount of drugs – even one dose – or being under the effects of an illegal drug can cost the user several years in prison.

Law enforcement: If caught offer bribe. I would guess that 2000 rubles or $100 could be a starting point here, but this isn’t confirmed in practice.

Where to buy marijuana: Look for the smoking youth. Not too hard to find them, maybe they’ll find you first. Stick to the downtown area and people watch until you find the right crowd.

Marijuana prices: 300 ($12) rubles for a ‘box’. In Russia, they sell by the ‘box’ [ka-ROB-ka : accent on O, long O-sound as in oh] which is a few grams. Quality varies, but generally, in Murmansk, the quality is higher since the buds are coming from Norway.

More information: Words for pot:

1) tra-VA

2) a-na-SHA

Trava is the new word that the youth use, anasha is known, but used by the old Soviet citizens.