Alright, don't freak out. It wasn't me that was getting lit . . . not that I didn't have ample opportunity. Miss Mary Jane made her presence known to our lovely little group on my first night in Morocco and she stalked us until the moment we reentered the airport to go home.
You see, even though the law will adamantly deny you access to corner store liquor, weed (or "hashish") is an entirely different story. Though cannabis is technically illegal in the country, it is highly tolerated. When I say hashish was around every corner I’m not being sensational. It was incredibly easy to find and, from what I understand, cheaper than what the U.S. typically offers. The unspoken rule in the air is that the green stuff is a-okay as long as you don't get caught by the wrong people.
As I said, I didn't smoke anything, not even tobacco, but did people offer it to me? Indeed they did. The encounters were nothing like the cinematic dimly lit drug corner you'd imagine, the one with people mumbling in code and hiding their faces, slyly slipping things into your pockets and slinking off into the shadows. It was more like when someone offers you some M&M's.
I'm not encouraging any manner of delinquency (especially on a school sponsored trip), but if you say yes to the offer, at least be responsible and try not to eat all your roommate's Pringles. And if you say no, I promise that no 5th grader with feathered bangs is going to call you a chicken. Nope, the turkeys otherwise known as drug dealers were actually supportive of my refusal to smoke. "Good," he said. "It messes with you mind," he laughed, then coughed.
Even though Morocco is one of the cannabis capitals of the world (a fun fact I wasn’t aware of until after I returned home), it’s not like everyone was smoked out 24/7. I’d be lying, though, if I said it wasn’t kind of cool to be surrounded by a seemingly unlimited source of accessible pot. You don’t have to smoke it to appreciate it.
Oh, right, but remember: Drugs are for suckers, the thrill can kill, just say no.