Tourist-targeted scams follow a script, and the script barely changes between continents. Recognising it is most of the defence.
It starts with an unsolicited approach in a busy area — a nightlife strip, a station forecourt, a beach promenade. The opener is friendly and the offer is unprompted. There is then a reason to move somewhere quieter, and urgency is applied.
What follows is one of three endings: a product that is not cannabis, a product that is a fraction of the weight agreed, or a second person arriving to demand money, sometimes claiming to be police. Fake-police extortion of tourists is common enough in several cities to be a documented pattern.
The defences are simple. Never follow an unsolicited approach anywhere. Never hand over money before seeing what you are buying. Never show how much cash you carry. Real police in almost every jurisdiction will show identification and will not demand cash on the spot.
And the strongest defence of all: knowing the realistic local price before you ask a single question. Almost every scam depends on the target having no idea what things cost.
Browse our full set of destination guides in the guides index, or check any country against the legality tracker.
What readers say
Been using these guides for every trip this year. Straight facts, no hype, and the price ranges have been accurate everywhere I have checked them.
Appreciate that this is purely informational. No shop, no pressure, just what you actually need to know.
Used this to plan a three-country trip. Comparing the pages side by side made the differences obvious.
Finally a site that explains the difference between decriminalised and legal properly. Saved me from a very expensive mistake at the airport.
The border warning cannot be repeated enough. Watched someone learn that lesson the hard way. Read this section twice.
Good balanced write-up. Would have liked a bit more on CBD rules, but the legal summary matched what I was told on the ground.
