Cannabis is crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and is now heading in the opposite direction

By Maureen Meehan

This is an interesting switch. The most sought-after weed to exchange hands on the U.S.-Mexico border comes from the green fields of California and is sold in Mexico instead of the other way around.

Instead of weed from traditional sources like the Sinaloa Cartel or the new independent “ethical growers,” California imported weed is dominating a booming boutique market in Mexico, according to a Washington Post source who happens to be a cannabis dealer in Mexico City.

Photo by Filip Gielda via Unsplash

“The demand here for American weed has exploded,” said the WAPO source, who spoke on condition of anonymity for obvious reasons. “For many of my customers it is a requirement. They want to be seen smoking the best stuff, the stuff that rappers boast about smoking. “

No more throwing weeds across the US border

Gone are the days when Mexican cannabis smugglers catapulted bushels of weed across the border with the world’s largest slingshots or stuffed vacuum-packed bricks into deliveries of fruit to cross one of the world’s longest (1,954 miles) and most frequently crossed land borders.

Several hundred yards from the busy Tijuana border, Josh Bubeckowner of the Urbn Leaf cannabis dispensary estimates that about 55% of its customers are Mexican nationals, he told WAPO.

California Weed: Nobody grows it better

“No one is likely to grow cannabis better than California,” said Bubeck.

He noted that in Mexico, especially for younger smokers, the appeal is clear: “They show, ‘This is what I’m about. I’m a badass I got this from America. ‘”

RELATED: Emerald Triangle: Does The Best Weed In The World Really Grow There?

For years, legalization advocates in Mexico argued that the country could easily develop a hugely profitable cannabis industry, but legalization came faster in parts of the United States – especially California – than its southern neighbor.

RELATED: Mexico’s Supreme Court Legalizes Individual Adult Cannabis Use

In July of this year, Mexico’s highest court overturned laws that criminalized the cultivation of cannabis for personal use, but have not yet passed laws that would allow the establishment of a commercial marijuana market, making the buying or selling of cannabis illegal and regulation of cannabis makes impossible the quality of Mexican cannabis products available on the illicit market, WAPO noted.

Mexico, meanwhile, is still struggling with the task of creating a legal framework for a plant that grows like a weed on the Mexican countryside.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and was republished with permission.