The cities around the world where the least amount of marijuana is consumed are, counter-intuitively, not all in countries with the harshest penalties for users and sellers. Nor are most among the cities where weed is most expensive.
Seedo, a company that makes a device allowing users to grow cannabis plants at home, recently released a report that shows which cities around the world consume the least weed. They compiled the list through crowdsourcing and cross-referenced it with the World Drug Report 2017.
Note: The rankings were on overall consumption in the city, not per capita.
5. Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Population: 107,247
Area: 19.87 square miles
Legal status: Partially legal
Total consumption in metric tons: 0.32
Consumption per capita in grams: 2.98
Price per gram: $7.26
The capital city in one of Europe’s smallest countries (by area) reclassified cannabis as a “Category B” substance under local law. This means only a fine on first offense. The fine can range from around $350 to $2000. Webehigh.com reports that users are safe from police, just “don’t be too obvious” and lists weed on their tolerance level as “virtually legal.”
The country began a two-year trial of medical marijuana last year.
4. Thessaloniki, Greece
Population: 325,182
Area: 7.5 square miles
Legal status: Partially legal
Total consumption in metric tons: 0.29
Consumption per capita in grams: 0.82
Price per gram: $13.49
Though recreational cannabis is illegal in Greece, courts will often dismiss charges if it is for a small amount for personal use. The country allowed medicinal marijuana in 2017.
Enforcement in Greece’s second-largest city, at least regarding tourists, is lax. Marijuanatravels.com notes that travelers are mostly left alone by local authorities.
3. Kyoto, Japan
Population: 1.5 million
Area: 319.6 square miles
Legal status: Illegal
Total consumption in metric tons: 0.24
Consumption per capita in grams: 0.16
Price per gram: $29.65
Japan doesn’t have the harshest marijuana laws in the world, but it famously has some of the more stringent and aggressively enforced. Though hemp has been cultivated for more than 10 thousand years, it was generally not for psychoactive use.
The sentence for possession of any amount is up to five years behind bars and a $19,000 fine. Foreigners may be deported immediately and may be banned from returning.
Perhaps because of the penalties, a gram of weed in Kyoto is the third most expensive in the world.
2. Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep.
Population: 965,040
Area: 40.3 square miles
Legal status: Illegal
Total consumption in metric tons: 0.16
Consumption per capita in grams: 0.16
Price per gram: $6.93
Marijuana possession is a major offense, so much so that the State Department issued a Travel Advisory. Any amount can get you jailed. Accused persons remain incarcerated while awaiting trial and the whole process could run several years. The maximum penalty for simple possession is two years in prison and a fine.
The penalties are harsh in large part because of geography. The country, and its capital — the center of the largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean — is strategically located between South America and the United States. The government doesn’t want the republic’s ports used by smugglers.
In its enthusiast’s travel guide, webehigh.com notes “the police are very corrupt and you will likely be able to buy your way out. Expect a WORLD of hassle if you get caught.”
1. Singapore, Singapore
Population: 5.6 million
Area: 278 square miles
Legal status: Illegal
Total consumption in metric tons: 0.02
Consumption per capita in grams: .03
Price per gram: $14.01
The penalties for using marijuana in the city-state are severe. Simple possession can result in up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. Trafficking 500 grams or more, or taking that amount in or out of the country, can result in a death sentence.
Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, the burden of proof lies on the defendant, not on the government. If you’re caught with large amounts of drugs, you are simply presumed by law to be trafficking ….
As per Section 17 of the Act, you are automatically presumed to be trafficking in drugs if you are caught with the following amounts … Cannabis – 15 grams or more.
Despite the dire consequences, the cost of a gram is 20th most expensive among the world’s cities between Helsinki, where enforcement is lax, and Berlin, where simple possession has basically been decriminalized.
