Dhaka

Law Enforcement

Police seemed to pay little attention to tourists. It could feel like there were no rules being enforced. The Marijuana Laws section sets out the prohibition behind that impression.

Where to Buy Marijuana

In Gulshan, there were references to Rani Appa across from Navana Tower and Road 33 in Gulshan 1, behind Road 126 by the lake. In Dhanmondi, the spot was an alley behind a rubbish bin off Green Road. At a little tobacco stall you might buy one cigarette and ask for ganja. If they didn’t have it, they might know which stall did.

It came in prepacked cones, mostly cheap schwag. “Chocolate” was the word I heard for hash. Cannabis growing was associated with Naogaon, Rajshahi, Jamalpur and Netrokona, and with the southeastern districts around Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Rangamati, toward Myanmar.

Marijuana Prices

Ten taka for about a gram was the going quote, about 13–15 U.S. cents then. “Dirt cheap,” went another estimate: a dollar for a quarter, with the unit unclear.

More Information

In the mid-2000s there was anger about corruption and political violence, and allegations of extrajudicial killings, rape, theft and extortion, including accusations involving police and government officials. The World Bank’s July 2005 country brief cited poor governance and weak institutions. Cyclones and floods, weak state enterprises, mismanaged ports, too few jobs for a growing workforce, inefficient use of gas and other energy resources, power shortages and slow reform were also cited as obstacles. The BBC reported on corruption rankings, and by 2007 people talked about Bangladesh having topped them for roughly four years. One estimate put average annual income at US$2,100. Those figures and allegations come from that period and don’t describe every encounter a traveler can expect.