Although the United Nations international drug treaties have upheld an official prohibition against marijuana, the marijuana industry has spread across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Looking to spend some time in Europe, enjoy its rich history, and sample some quality cannabis while you’re at it? The Czech Republic and its stunning capital of Prague is one of your best bets.

Prague: The good and the bad

Cannabis is incredibly popular in Czechia, and in Prague it’s a familiar aroma as you explore the city streets. The upshot? The capital’s busiest intersections and tourist spots are occupied by suspicious-looking dealers. While strolling through Wenceslas Square, the city’s largest and most famous plaza, you hear the question Want some weed or hash? almost constantly.

“When I examined it thoroughly at home, I realized I had bought hash mixed with asphalt.”

Daniel Cermak, 22, is a proper New Yorker, born and raised in Manhattan. His mother is American, and his father emigrated to the US some 30 years ago from what was then Czechoslovakia in the dying days of communism. At first Daniel’s dad sold hot dogs. Eventually he became a businessman in the construction industry. He never forgot his homeland, though, and regularly brought the whole family to Czechia.

Hemp beer is becoming increasingly popular in Europe. More and more supermarkets and wine shops in Germany and the Czech Republic, in particular, stock hemp beer which is no big surprise as these are two well-known beer loving countries. However, is that the only reason that the popularity of hemp beer is on the rise there?

After all, cannabis and alcohol share a turbulent relationship. Research shows that alcohol increases the concentration of THC in the bloodstream and as such, many people feel that booze and cannabis is an unpredictable combination that often goes south.

During its seven years of existence, Cannafest, which bills itself as “the international trade show of cannabis and medical herbs,” has evolved from a quaint local event in the Czech Republic to one of the largest and most popular cannabis fairs in the world. Prague is already gearing up to host this year’s three-day fair, set to kick off Nov. 11.

It’s a scorching day in Denver. You’re at the annual Great American Beer Festival, about to end the parched torment of your mouth with a cool, refreshing first sip of craft beer. It touches your lips and you pull back… what the heck? It tastes like weed! Is this just a particularly skunky brew, or did you just get a taste of a bold new fusion between beer and cannabis?

Cigarette and alcohol use among 15- and 16-year-olds is declining across Europe but the numbers using cannabis are growing, an EU survey shows.

The Espad report for 2015 includes most EU countries, but not Germany or the UK, and data for Spain is incomplete. 

In 2015 "current smokers" accounted for 21% of those surveyed, and the highest total was in Italy (37%). 

In 1995-2015 those using alcohol in the past 30 days fell from 56% to 47%. Top in cannabis use were the Czechs (37%).

That figure for Czech teenagers reporting a lifetime experience of cannabis was higher than the level in the US - 31% in comparable surveys. 

Medicinal Cannabis Sativex and Bedrocan are now available in many European countries, and several have infrastructure in place to supply patients with medicinal cannabis. So which countries are moving with the times, and which are dragging their heels? Where are medicinal and recreational users most (and least) free to utilize their drug of choice? Let’s take a look at the facts.

Michal Otipka one of the Czech Republic’s most influential cannabis entrepreneurs. He’s also a self-defense instructor. But when it comes to taking on the country’s court system, he’s powerless.

Otipka runs Czechia’s largest grow stores, which offer an array of wares such as cultivation media, nutrients, and lighting systems. The goods are legal, but perhaps due to Otipka’s success he’s become the fall guy in the country’s war on drugs — or, more specifically, the nation’s war on indoor gardening shops.

New Delhi: One must have seen naga babas consuming marijuana. Consumption of Cannabis is legal in various states across the United States of America and some other European countries, but that of course comes with T&C applied.

Here, we bring you some countries where consumption of marijuana is legal:

Czech Republic:

Marijuana is legal in this European country that permits its possession up to 15 grams. It has been legalised for medical use on prescription since 2013.