It is becoming more and more common to catch the smell of marijuana smoke in hangout places these days. It does not matter whether the venue is high-end or not, uptown Kampala or upcountry. Whether or not the place is frequented by campusers or much older professionals, if you are spending a considerable amount of time in any hangout place, sooner or later, you will likely smell weed in the air. One might be right to assume that the shame that used to surround weed-smoking has lifted lately. These days it is not out of the ordinary to see a group of party animals including womenstanding in a tight circle in the parking lot of a pub, behind the toilets of the hedge, blazing away. Some, if they find themselves in an unfamiliar place, lock themselves in the car to smoke a joint before emerging high as the tempest to rejoin the party. In house parties, these days, weed is as part of the menu just like beer and barbeque.
Marijuana use has become so ubiquitous lately that it is now often baked into pastries and snacks like gummy bears that are then sold at top dollar to consumers. These edibles, as they are normally called, are often served at parties to turn up the vibes. They are also favoured by users who live in crowded residences such as apartment blocks and would never want to be found out as weed users. Edibles are preferred because they do not give off a smell. Which is why you should not just pick up a cookie at your cousin’s house and toss in your mouth these days. High chances are it is a weed cookie and you are about to be sent to the edge of earth. Because weed edibles are potent beyond measure.
The question is how did we get here? Ten years ago, weed was not this common, was it? No, it wasn’t. The one thing to blame for the proliferation of weed is Covid-19. Remember at the peak of the pandemic when everyone was sick with Covid and locked down at home with no easy way of going to hospital? Rumours flew around that marijuana could beat Covid. It did not matter whether you were already sick or not, marijuana was the answer. If you were already down, taking weed tea would heal you and if you were still okay, taking weed tea would inoculate you against Covid, the rumour went. And just like that, weed found itself on tables of the most unlikely users. People who would never be caught dead with marijuana before suddenly warmed up to it. Older people, young people, pious people, responsible members of society all started trying out weed to fight the pandemic.
The small neighbourhood pubs where most people spent most of their lockdown days started serving weed tea on top of alcohol. Smoking a joint became less shameful all of a sudden because the people that would have judged you were in that very moment taking weed tea. It was not uncommon to visit a friend and be served with weed tea or a joint as part of the hospitality. And just like that, many people never looked back after that. Weed guys smiled to the bank. They expanded their businesses to include weed pastries such as cakes and cookies on top of joints. The weed market had suddenly left university hostels and ghettos into government offices and the high street.
Today, if you ask a weed guy who his customers are, he will mention MPs and MDs among his regulars. Of course many such users would never be caught dead using weed so they keep it top secret. They only dare smoke while driving on lone roads. Or they take it as tea. Younger people on the other hand don’t mind being seen smoking a joint especially in a hangout place. In fact, some think it is cool to do so. Many just head to a hangout place just so they can smoke weed far away from judgmental family members and neighbours. Because at the pub, weed use has become as normal as taking tequila shots. As a result, boda boda riders that wait outside pubs aren’t just there for the transport business.
Many of them vend weed because too many pub-goers kept asking them for it. And because it is such a marketable item these days, many big shots, some of them in government, grow marijuana as a cash crop. If you want to know how common weed use has become, go to places like Mulungu fish market in Munyonyo. Here, you will see how many people taking it with their friend fish orders. En masse. You will see people that no longer fit in the ‘youth’ bracket, enjoying weed in teapots. Many people. People you’d never expect to use weed. .
Booming business
Into patries. Weed guys are smiling to the bank. Their businesses are thriving and have included weed pastries such as cakes and cookies on top of joints. Boda boda riders that wait outside pubs are not just there for the transport business. Many of them vend weed because too many pub-goers kept asking them for it.
