"I don’t want to contribute to the cartels either."

For years, marijuana smuggling through the border flowed south to north, but since legalization in California things are changing. Some from Tijuana have found a market in the city that prefers to buy U.S.-grown marijuana.

Among those people, Johana (not her real name), has been supplying smuggled weed from the U.S. to women in Tijuana. She said that she heard from other women how common it is to be harassed by their men suppliers, and she thought to provide her services specifically to women.

“I thought it was a good idea, because weed that is commonly around in Tijuana comes from cartels, and there’s a violent environment. People can sell heavy drugs and you never know, I try to be the most professional possible. I arrange meetings in public and safe places and develop friendly relationships with my customers.”

Sara (not her real name), returned to smoking marijuana occasionally after a couple of years quitting. She crosses marijuana in small amounts from San Ysidro dispensaries to Tijuana.

“Buying in the other side is a whole different experience. It’s super safe; no one is pressuring you to buy. I'd rather pay more. I don’t want to contribute to the cartels either, I don’t like that kind of environment, because there are people who could have lost their lives for this.”

Sara claimed that her last male dealer pretended to be her friend, and saying he had a safer place to do the exchange, he invited her to his house.

“One day I went over and there were two friends of his I had met before. And suddenly one of them asked me if I ever had sex with three persons at the same time. I said I just came to buy and leave. I never did something to encourage this behavior. Fortunately nothing happened to me but I could have been worse.”

“Another time, someone offered me pills and told me not to play a fool because they knew I was a drug addict or that I was a prostitute.” Both Sara and Johana agree that marijuana’s legalization in Mexico could help to reduce the risks that women smokers have to go through, but Johana considers legalization complicated because cartels are so powerful, they will come out with ways to keep getting income from marijuana.

“That’s why I keep a low profile. I don’t want to mess with cartels. I just cross two or three kilograms to Tijuana. Weed has helped me with raising my two kids. My income increased 50 percent. I probably make $500 USD per month. It is not too much, but enough."