Marrakesh

Law Enforcement

Policing could be “either vigilant or comically lax,” depending on the season, local commanders, where you were and what was happening in the world. In Marrakesh police were everywhere, though they didn’t seem eager to grab a Western tourist buying twenty bucks’ worth from teens at a tea shop.

I worried more about informants looking for someone to take the fall. I wouldn’t tell a seller where I was staying or what my plans were, however friendly they seemed.

Where to Buy Marijuana

Follow the tourists and you’re never far from an offer. Around dusk in the medina, especially in Djemaa el-Fna, a man who didn’t look Moroccan could hear “hashish?” whispered a dozen times on his first day.

After a few days, familiar faces stopped asking if you didn’t look interested. A conversation with the young guys hanging around the medina could lead to an offer too.

Marijuana Prices

English speakers got pegged as rich. Even a little French or Arabic helped. Haggling was practically a religion: I’d counter an absurd first quote at about a quarter, sometimes mentioning a rival offer. Treat weights with skepticism, especially if they won’t show you the hash before you pay.

Two cousins selling spices at the edge of the medina wanted 400 dirhams for supposedly ten grams. Over small talk and tea at a café, we settled on 160, about US$18–19 then. Ten grams seemed wildly optimistic.

“I don’t know how much it actually weighed, but it kept several people perpetually stoned for a week, which was good enough for me.”

Types of Marijuana

Mostly Rif kif, hash grown and sifted in the Rif mountains, a major source for Europe. I’m sure there were upscale sellers too.

More Information

I heard good things about Essaouira, a coastal hippie enclave associated with Jimi Hendrix and Cat Stevens in the late ’60s and early ’70s. More laid-back than Fez or Marrakesh, with cheap hash by reputation.