Baltimore

Law Enforcement

Baltimore City and the surrounding counties could feel like different worlds. City police had other priorities, and one account described amounts under an ounce being ignored or left in the person’s hands. A large amount or selling could bring an arrest. Outside the city, county officers focused on drugs such as heroin and cocaine but could still charge someone over a trace of weed. Howard, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford and Baltimore counties had their own police, and Maryland State Police had a particularly strict reputation. Maryland has since regulated adult-use cannabis, as explained in Marijuana Laws.

Where to Buy Marijuana

County spots included Pikesville, Owings Mills and Milford Mill, with Park Heights also mentioned around the city line. The account put these places roughly five to twenty minutes from the city. Malls, cinemas and gas stations closer in were common meeting points. On the Avenue in Hampden, it might take five minutes to see the scene, but ripoffs and fights made it a last resort. Having a local connection was more reliable than a street buy, and strangers were more likely to get schwag.

Fells Point was a short walk east from the Inner Harbor and downtown. The Rasta crowd might know someone, amid plenty of panhandlers. Power Plant Live and Iguana Cantina drew young crowds on weekends. Charles Village had artsy, cannabis-friendly cafés and bars. Towson, about fifteen minutes north of downtown, had several nearby college campuses, and the Recher Theater drew indie, punk and emo crowds.

Marijuana Prices

• Low mids or schwag: US$5 per gram, US$10 for 2.8 g, US$25 for a quarter, US$45 for a half ounce and US$70 for an ounce. A separate list quoted US$20–25 for an eighth, US$35–40 for a quarter and US$90–100 for an ounce.
• Regular mids: US$10 per gram, US$50 for a quarter, US$80 for a half ounce and US$120–140 for an ounce. Another list had US$35 for an eighth, US$70 for a quarter and US$150 for an ounce.
• Beasters: US$15 per gram, US$45 for an eighth, US$80 for a quarter, US$150 for a half ounce and US$280 for an ounce.
• Outdoor, kind bud or headies: US$20 per gram, US$50 for an eighth, US$100 for a quarter, US$180 for a half ounce and US$300–350 for an ounce. Another kind-bud list gave US$35 for 2 g, US$45–50 for an eighth, US$90–100 for a quarter and US$200–300 for an ounce.
• Named premium flower: US$25 per gram, US$60–75 for an eighth, US$125–150 for a quarter, US$225–275 for a half ounce and US$400–550 for an ounce. Prices tended to rise farther from downtown.

Types of Marijuana

Schwag was usually Mexican brick. Mids often came from Maryland or Pennsylvania farms, with Jamaican Red Hair and skunk also common. Kind bud could be local indoor or imported BC bud. White Widow, Blueberry, AK-47 and Northern Lights were around. Purple Haze and Strawberry Cough could go for US$60 an eighth, and Sour Diesel, California Mist, Acapulco Gold, SJ Cruzer, Orange and Mango Kush all came up. Something new could appear any week. Hash, on the other hand, came up only once in a lifetime of looking around Baltimore.

More Information

The junction of I-95, I-70, I-83 and I-97 and the busy seaport helped make Baltimore an East Coast drug-trade hub in the account. Heroin and cocaine hit some neighbourhoods hard, and crossing a street could change the feel of an area. Exploring with someone local made sense.

There’s plenty to do around the Inner Harbor. Harborplace had two buildings of speciality shops. The Maryland Science Center, National Aquarium, Fort McHenry and the Walters were draws, as were the Babe Ruth Museum, Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium. The Rusty Scupper or City Lights came up for crab cakes, and Velleggia’s and Della Notte for Little Italy between the harbour and Fells Point. Fells Point’s cobblestone streets had more than forty bars, plus more dance and live-music venues around downtown.

In the local tradition, a little courtesy went a long way. Act friendly and the hookup might even share a Dutch.