San Francisco

Law Enforcement

San Francisco felt more tolerant than many cities, though stories about enforcement varied. Some people expected a night in custody and a US$100 fine for less than 28.5 g. Others recalled tickets or confiscation, especially from bicycle officers who appeared out of nowhere on Haight. Visitors sometimes saw only two patrol cars all day and a few officers on a bar call, with nobody reacting to blunts on the street. Reverse stings weren’t something those visitors had seen.

In California’s medical era, people cited eight ounces and six mature or twelve immature plants at home for patients with a doctor’s recommendation, with higher amounts in some counties and for some conditions. A medical card reportedly cost about US$100 a year. The Marijuana Policy Project was quoted at the time as attributing 99% of U.S. marijuana arrests to state authorities. California has since introduced regulated adult use, as covered in Marijuana Laws.

Where to Buy Marijuana

At Haight-Ashbury and Golden Gate Park, the call was often just ‘Buds?’ The path from Amoeba Music ran under the bridge and curved right toward Hippie Hill, where smoke and an afternoon drum circle were familiar sights. In June 2007, a voice came from the bushes beyond the tunnel. A US$60 eighth changed hands in minutes, small buds but very good. Some park sellers looked out for newcomers, while others used a quick handoff to pass a short bag. People without housing sometimes shared a joint or helped someone meet a seller, and often had larger bags rather than small portions.

Market and Fifth, by the escalators across from the mall, had more US$10 bags and plenty of purple flower, though the bags could be small. North Beach had older beatniks and hippies playing guitar, drinking in bars and smoking outside. Named and custom crosses in that scene ran around US$60 an eighth.

California reportedly had more than 150 medical dispensaries then, mostly around Los Angeles and the Bay Area. A card or doctor’s letter showed eligibility, and authorized patients could also grow within their limits. Some people believed that paperwork protected street purchases, too.

Marijuana Prices

• Small bags: US$10–20 when available, sometimes only around 0.6 g for a dime in San Francisco or elsewhere around the Bay and Sacramento. A gram could go for US$20. For comparison, East Coast mids were quoted at US$10 for 2.2 g.
• ⅛ oz: often US$60 to start, with bargains around US$40–50 and many quotes of US$50–60. Short weights were common.
• ¼ oz: often US$110–120 to start, with US$90 for less dense flower and other Bay Area quotes of US$80–100. Affluent suburbs such as Los Gatos were described as exceptions to the lower prices.
• 1 oz: harder to arrange from the street, often starting at US$400 and open to negotiation. High-quality indoor flower was also quoted at US$350 per oz.
• Less common imported flower, mostly Mexican and good to moderate quality: about US$10 per gram.

People compared Haight sellers to ticket scalpers. Buyers worried about short weights more than potency, and strong flower could catch all but ‘Capt. Chronic’ off guard. Larger amounts could take waiting or exchanging numbers rather than following somebody away from the area.

Types of Marijuana

White strains, indicas and an increasing number of sativa hybrids were around Haight, with overseas and Canadian seed suppliers credited for the variety. AK-47, P-91, P-10, Bullrider and Bubbleberry all turned up. Hash and kief were hard to find on Haight, though elsewhere loose local kief was prized, sifted with a screen and tumbler. Kief could also come pressed into wafers.

More Information

Haight-Ashbury had Bob Marley graffiti, a mural of Lennon, Hendrix and Jim Morrison, the street sign, the old clock associated with 4:20, head shops and Amoeba Records. The coffee shops, punks, hippies and street performers made it a favorite even without the weed. Three friends made a project of visiting big cities and sampling the local scene. Dolores Park’s pedestrian bridge and the Mission came up as alternatives, while the Tenderloin had a reputation for busts and street robberies. The joking estimate was that 90% of San Franciscans would talk openly about pot if you had a conversation first.

Northern California’s counterculture is remembered from at least the 1950s, and some put it as far back as the 1850s. Mexican immigrants around Los Angeles after World War II helped popularize smoking, and 1960s hippies made San Francisco a gathering point. Some credit those growers with developing sinsemilla, the seedless flower of unfertilized female plants. Growers prized its resin and scent and used the method indoors and outdoors. By the 1970s California was seen as a major producer, and regional estimates put cannabis sales above US$3 billion a year, with imported weed uncommon in the north.

In the early 1980s, the federal, state and local Campaign Against Marijuana Planting targeted Humboldt, Trinity and Mendocino, the Emerald Triangle. Late-summer raids involved spotter planes, helicopters and armed crews, with accounts also mentioning military-style aerial surveillance. In 1983 Attorney General John Van de Kamp predicted CAMP would ‘run the growers out of the state.’ Sorry, John. Growers moved indoors or found ways to keep outdoor plants out of sight among trees, pine saplings and wine grapes, with shorter plants and scattered plots.

Voters approved medical use under Proposition 215 in November 1996, but enforcement varied across local departments and federal prosecutors still pursued cases. People recalled warnings, confiscation and tickets for personal amounts, with multiple bags feared as grounds for a dealing allegation. For flower beyond San Francisco, Mendocino, Humboldt, west Marin around Bolinas off Highway 1, Santa Cruz, Berkeley and Guerneville on Sonoma County’s Russian River all came up.