Okay, Yes, I Will Buy Drugs. And Lunch.
Los Cabos Travelog #7
Downtown Los Cabos - Sun, 5 May 2024, 12pm
Today we're out and about in Cabo San Lucas, wandering the streets and shops in the city center. Yesterday we were here late in the afternoon on a day when there was a cruise ship in port, so all the merchants seemed tired out. This morning things are a lot quieter, and the merchants are fresh-eyed. Oh, and today drug dealers are out. Every second person we pass on the streets is a tout who asks me if I want to buy weed.
I thought marijuana was illegal in Mexico- and heavily punished, compared to the increasingly liberal laws in many parts of the US. Well, a quick search shows that weed is now legal here, albeit only in small quantities. I don't know if the dealers on the street are legit sellers offering legit quantities. The fact that they're all men dressed in ordinary clothes and whispering their offers as they pass strongly suggests to me it's not on the up-and-up.
Another form of drugs that's surprisingly legal here in Mexico are prescription drugs- or drugs that, in the US, are only available with a script. But here all kinds of pain killers, even opiates more powerful than Oxycontin, are sold at streetfront pharmacies. And pharmacies are everywhere. Here in the downtown core there's literally at least one on every block. The implication that there's a huge tourist drug trade- the hotel concierge even encouraged us to visit the town's many pharmacies as tourists- is alarming.
But when in Rome... right? I bought a small bottle of Flexeril pills. It's a muscle relaxant I've used before (with a prescription) when I've had a pinched nerve. The nerve pain I've had in my elbow for a few weeks now has getting worse. I figure instead of gobbling ibuprofen and acetaminophen on this trip I'll take something stronger that I know works for this kind of pain.
Oh, and speaking of gobbling things, we just ate lunch. Instead of another very-bougie $133 lunch at the hotel cafe we stopped a street cafe a few blocks from the marina.
What attracted us here was the overall casual vibe, the al fresco dining, and a menu that skewed toward inexpensive a la carte items. We got a few tacos (one arrachera and one al pastor), a dish of guacamole, and a basket of fries. Oh, and a beer and a glass of piña. All this set us back barely more than $20. Not only was that price less than one-sixth yesterday's lunch, the food was way more flavorful, too!
Downtown Los Cabos - Sun, 5 May 2024, 12pm
Today we're out and about in Cabo San Lucas, wandering the streets and shops in the city center. Yesterday we were here late in the afternoon on a day when there was a cruise ship in port, so all the merchants seemed tired out. This morning things are a lot quieter, and the merchants are fresh-eyed. Oh, and today drug dealers are out. Every second person we pass on the streets is a tout who asks me if I want to buy weed.
I thought marijuana was illegal in Mexico- and heavily punished, compared to the increasingly liberal laws in many parts of the US. Well, a quick search shows that weed is now legal here, albeit only in small quantities. I don't know if the dealers on the street are legit sellers offering legit quantities. The fact that they're all men dressed in ordinary clothes and whispering their offers as they pass strongly suggests to me it's not on the up-and-up.
Another form of drugs that's surprisingly legal here in Mexico are prescription drugs- or drugs that, in the US, are only available with a script. But here all kinds of pain killers, even opiates more powerful than Oxycontin, are sold at streetfront pharmacies. And pharmacies are everywhere. Here in the downtown core there's literally at least one on every block. The implication that there's a huge tourist drug trade- the hotel concierge even encouraged us to visit the town's many pharmacies as tourists- is alarming.
But when in Rome... right? I bought a small bottle of Flexeril pills. It's a muscle relaxant I've used before (with a prescription) when I've had a pinched nerve. The nerve pain I've had in my elbow for a few weeks now has getting worse. I figure instead of gobbling ibuprofen and acetaminophen on this trip I'll take something stronger that I know works for this kind of pain.
Oh, and speaking of gobbling things, we just ate lunch. Instead of another very-bougie $133 lunch at the hotel cafe we stopped a street cafe a few blocks from the marina.
What attracted us here was the overall casual vibe, the al fresco dining, and a menu that skewed toward inexpensive a la carte items. We got a few tacos (one arrachera and one al pastor), a dish of guacamole, and a basket of fries. Oh, and a beer and a glass of piña. All this set us back barely more than $20. Not only was that price less than one-sixth yesterday's lunch, the food was way more flavorful, too!