Portland

Law Enforcement

Some Portland cops seemed forgiving and might just take a small amount and leave it there. In some places smoking in public was common. Complaints downtown led to more pressure on street sellers, and others had run-ins with officers who didn’t let anything slide. Oregon has since introduced regulated adult use, as covered in Marijuana Laws.

Where to Buy Marijuana

Head shops were easy places to meet friendly smokers. On Mount Hood, snowboarders and some lift operators were part of the scene. There’s nothing quite like sitting at the top of a run with the smell of sweet skunk drifting through the trees.

Downtown, the Park Blocks opposite the Portland Art Museum came up, especially Salmon to Market, along with the area near Nordstrom, the north waterfront and Skidmore Fountain. The Park Blocks drew small groups of punk and hip-hop kids with backpacks, sometimes a bike, and sometimes jewelry or pipes laid out for sale. On quieter days there might just be talk or a question about where to find the bathrooms. Along the waterfront, people described years of police coming and going and sellers keeping lookouts. A peek at a bag might tell you about quality, but short weights were the common complaint. Familiar faces tended to get the better deal.

Marijuana Prices

• A couple of grams: around US$20. Dank dubs were reported at about 1.7–2.6 g.
• Dimes (0.7–1 g): US$10 for kind bud or US$12–15 for dro.
• Dubs (1.6–2 g): US$20 for kind bud or US$25 for dro.
• Eighths (3.5–4 g): US$40 for kind bud or US$45–50 for dro.
• Half ounces (14 g): kind bud quotes ran from US$120–130 with a hookup to US$140–150 without one, with dro also quoted at US$150–160 through known contacts. One especially nice half was quoted at US$140 and sold for US$135 through a guide who brought the seller regular business.
• Ounces (28 g): US$210–240 for kind bud with a hookup, US$240–280 without one, or US$280–300 for dro.

Street bags sometimes weighed half of what they should have, especially below an eighth. Regular contacts were more likely to sell a full-weight bag.

Types of Marijuana

Most of the green flower would be called kind bud in the South, with dro turning up now and then. Waterfront flower was often really just mids, even when it came with names like Northern Lights or Blueberry. The branded flower from a reliable contact was on a different level.