Bud-dy system

Residents and police comment on Web site that rates local marijuana tolerance

By Sarah Baicker

Philly EDGE Correspondent

A few weeks ago, NBC10 ran a segment on its evening news show about a Web site calling itself a “traveler’s guide to getting high.”  The reporter recounted that a couple of local towns were included in the guide, and that the site’s users were apparently sharing information about how and where to attain marijuana in each area.

Could (gasp!) the residents of the Philadelphia suburbs be engaging in such illicit activity?!

NBC10 never named the Web site, but the network did show enough detailed screenshots that it didn’t take interested parties long to figure out—and quickly spread the word to others—that it could be found at WeBeHigh.com.

The site was started six years ago by Nir Shafir of Tel Aviv, Israel. When it first launched, the guide contained evaluations of 40 towns and cities compiled by his friends. The number of locations has since grown to almost 400, which are submitted by readers or written by Shafir and the site’s editor-in-chief, who uses the moniker “Zolander.” Listings on the site range from familiar American suburbs to more exotic, international locations like Lisbon, Portugal and Bali, India (where trafficking marijuana is punishable by the death penalty.) Locally-speaking, Doylestown, Horsham and Yardley all have their own evaluations—and that’s a lot, considering that the guide contains listings for practically every country.

WeBeHigh.com rates each location’s tolerance to marijuana use on a scale of one to five, where one is “virtually illegal” and five is “virtually legal.” It also describes legislation and law enforcement, and details where to buy the drug and average costs.

Shafir admits that the site has made him no stranger to controversy, but he insists that it’s unnecessary. “There is nothing illegal about what we do,” he said. “All we do is pass on information about the drug scene in a given place. We do not sell anything or even advocate selling anything.”

Even so, the NBC segment seems to have ruffled the tail feathers of area residents, and certainly concerned the police departments.

Asked about the site, Lt. Mike Cummings of the Doylestown Police Department said, “Really, I think the commotion is much ado about nothing.”

Cummings equated the site to something like citysearch.com, where—below a site-sponsored restaurant review—anyone with a command of the English language can post their views. “[The evaluation of Doylestown] is just one guy’s opinion,” he said. “He doesn’t even give his name. It’s just sort of like, how do I even know that this guy knows what good weed is?”

Marijuana-related infractions in Doylestown have only been decreasing in recent years, in part to an increase in the number of officers patrolling areas once popular for using and selling. “I’ve been told lately that Doylestown is dry,” Cummings said. “Kids here are telling me that they’re driving to Trenton or down to Camden now for their drugs. They aren’t getting them here, and they’re not even going down to Philly anymore, because of the watchdog cameras.”

Cummings said he first heard about the site three or four months ago when it was emailed to the police department by a concerned party. He has no idea why the media has suddenly latched onto the site as a newsworthy story. “When I first saw the site, I said, this is a lot of  b.s.,” he said.

But some residents of Doylestown and Yardley (the two towns have much more detailed entries on the site than Horsham) say that some of the information listed on the site is accurate, and likely would be of help to individuals unfamiliar with the local drug scene. Due to the “sensitive” nature of the topic at hand, interviewees will be referred to by their initials to protect their identities.

“One thing that is definitely true is what the site says about buying from underage kids around town, that it’s very sketchy,” said K.W., 22. “And the prices are pretty on-target, too.”

“I’d say I agree with a lot of what’s on here,” said T.N., 24, as he read over the site’s content, noting that Doylestown received a three-out-of-five rating. “It’s pretty easy to get marijuana in Doylestown, if you know the right people.”

“They rated us as moderate [ly accepting of marijuana use],” said Cummings. “But we don’t decriminalize the stuff here; this is not an open drug market. We’re constantly looking out for this stuff, but it’s not like we’re arresting five guys every night. What I’ve discovered is that we have a lot more problems with underage drinking than marijuana use.”

WeBeHigh.com lists the date that each town’s evaluation is posted on the site, and Yardley, which was added on Sept. 17, was likely posted by someone who caught the segment on T.V.—which is ironic, said S.K., 18, of Yardley, “NBC’s story only helped the site’s popularity, if you think about it.”

“I haven’t really had any encounters with law enforcement officials, but I have heard of people getting caught [in Yardley],” said M.F. “But in terms of getting away with smoking, it’s pretty easy to do. There are a number of places where the police don’t go.”

As for the three-out-of-five tolerance rating that Yardley received, “I’d agree with it,” M.F. said. “Or maybe even say 3.5, just because it’s easy to find places to smoke where you’re not going to be pestered.” M.F. listed a handful of locations all over Yardley that are considered well-known for being safe from police presence.

S.K. said that she thought a lot of her hometown’s description was fairly accurate, noting that prices were about right, and that police generally aren’t, as the site description says, “cool.” “But what is said about anyone in Tyler Park who’s playing Frisbee having bud on them? No way,” she said. “I play Frisbee in the park, and I usually don’t. Plus, Tyler Park isn’t even technically in Yardley.”

The Yardley Police Department did not return phone calls made to their business office last week.

People familiar with WeBeHigh.com were surprised that New Hope was not included with the 18 Pennsylvania towns listed in the guide. But, with the doors of a shop allegedly  known for catering to marijuana users, shutting not too long ago, some are beginning to think that New Hope’s culture of tolerance has begun to take a turn toward stricter enforcement.  

“So New Hope’s not in the guide just yet,” said S.K., who still considered New Hope to be far more pot-friendly than Yardley, Doylestown or Horsham. “The site gets added to constantly—give it a week.”