On 18 October 2018, Canada legalised recreational marijuana use across the whole nation, making it only the second country in the world to do so, after Uruguay in 2013. And while this legislative landmark may have had some locals queuing for their first legal hit of weed when the clock struck midnight, what it will mean for visitors is far from clear. It is, understandably, not something tourism o cials are keen to promote. “Cannabis tourism is not an area of focus for us,” Destination Canada told me.
“We don’t speculate on the impact of [its] legislation on tourism.” However, across the border in the US, the 10 states that have legalised recreational cannabis use in recent years (most recently Michigan, in November 2018) have seen an impact — and it’s not always a positive one.
“Lots of people come here on vacation just to smoke pot,” a police o cer in Denver, Colorado told me on a recent visit, pointing towards a group of tourists sporting garments emblazoned with cannabis leaves.