Mexico City Flowers in May

Mexico City has always attracted cannabis enthusiasts, as this ancient-meets-modern city of approximately nine-million people was literally built from the ground up atop a pre-Aztec Empire temple for a Mayan female called Divinity, who was literally worshipped for her miracle plant medicines. So, when it comes to cannabis travel south of the border and—in particular to Mexico City—there’s always been an underground reverence for the cannabis plant.

Mexico has made several preliminary legal moves in the last few years to create the foundation for what may eventually become a medicinal cannabis haven and possibly a future as a recreational country such as South America’s Uruguay.

What does this mean to Mexico City’s millions of annual visitors? Firstly, carrying a small personal amount of cannabis flower is now legal. This decriminalization has happily eased tensions between local authorities and cannabis enthusiasts who now feel free to casually light up (albeit discreetly) in public. Secondly, public and political opinion toward cannabis as both medicine and a “soft drug” akin to tobacco and alcohol is becoming so commonplace that a Barcelona-style private cannabis club with 2,000 members infamously opened last year.

As the political (city, state and federal government all collide here) and financial capital of all Mexico, Mexico City is a whirlwind of “global congress,” finance and corporate conferences as a seemingly never-ending metropolitan mega-wasteland. It is this frenzy of leisure and business activity—plus the city’s millions of diverse residents—that makes Mexico City a vibrant, buzzing hive of cultural treasures now built atop beloved neighborhood districts.

Fun-Filled Facts

— Mexico City was built thousands of years ago on what used to be a lake, and it sinks nearly 10 inches per year because of that.

—Mexico essentially shuts down for three national holidays in May including Labor Day (May 1), The Battle of Puebla (May 5) and the Feast of San Isidro (May 15).

—Distrito Federal, aka Mexico City, is the largest city in North America—even bigger than New York City.

If You Go

Yes, it is still illegal to grow, sell and distribute cannabis in Mexico. However, a 2009 Mexican law decriminalized cannabis possession in small amounts (no more than five grams), which has made Mexico City more of a cannabis-friendly destination than ever before. But even before the new law, Mexico City’s millions of mota enthusiasts made this a relaxed place where nobody trips when someone lights up in public parks, nightclubs and, of course, outside while taking a sun-filled siesta on a bougainvillea-covered hacienda’s terraza. As is always suggested when going global, the best way to find cannabinoid medication while in any country is to plan ahead. Sign up for a cannabis-friendly tour or seek out a local who can safely guide you. Still, it is Mexico and there are many choices. Interestingly, the most premium (and most expensive) cannabis flowers in Mexico are now imported from Europe or North America. If you do end up being “shaken down” by local police, stay calm. Politely explain to the officer that you understand the legal cannabis possession law.

Time to Go: May

Weather: Low 80s, periodic rainfall

Budget: $$