Kota Kinabalu is a popular tourist destination in Malaysia and well worth the visit if you find yourself in the area. There is interesting architecture, great nature, and some amazing beaches nearby, so you will find something to do. If you are a traveler that likes to explore with a joint in hand, however, this might not be the best place. Cannabis is very illegal in Malaysia and can be hard to come by:
Cannabis laws in Malaysia
There is a trend among Southeast Asian countries to be very harsh towards drugs and Malaysia is not an exception to that. Currently, the law proscribes the death penalty for drug traffickers, and this includes marijuana. If you are caught with 200 grams of weed or more, this will make you a drug trafficker in the eyes of the law. For the possession of 50 grams or less the prison sentence is 10 years. There have been some moves toward liberalization and reform, with the legalization of medicinal marijuana being considered, but not implemented.
As you can see from the above, smoking weed in Malaysia is about as illegal as it gets and very severely punished. Therefore it is not a great idea to purchase or smoke cannabis while there. While many travelers get away with just a warning and no prison, it is very risky.
Getting weed in Kota Kinabalu
As you can imagine finding weed in Kota Kinabalu can be very hard, due to the harsh laws. However, there are actually a lot of people in Malaysia that do smoke and there is always some cannabis to be found. There aren’t any dealers walking around, so you will need to rely on a local to introduce you to a dealer and hook you up.