Looking for a legal green in USA that doesn’t push your bank account into the red? Well, then head to the Pacific Northwest.
Prices tend to increase the further east you go. Though many states do have medical marijuana markets, a lack of space for production in many areas and strict laws tend to dissuade many would-be producers from getting into the game, stunting supply. Also, imports from heavy production areas, like California, are very far away, and it can be quite risky to transport product all the way across the country in violation of federal law.
According to MarketWatch, Oregon has the lowest average prices of dispensary cannabis at $214 an ounce. Perfect Price, a price optimization company, analyzed the menu prices for cannabis flowers from 6,000 dispensaries in Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Arizona, California and Michigan, and found that the states with fully operational adult-use markets had lower prices than those with where only medicinal pot is legal.
Colorado came in second to Oregon with cannabis averaging $225 an ounce, and Washington took third place with $238 an ounce. The most expensive state was Michigan with an average dispensary price of $301 an ounce. Arizona and California averaged $290 and $299 an ounce, respectively.
The cities of San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are where you’re bound to find the country’s most expensive marijuana, even from medical dispensaries. This is because California sits at the crossroads of an influx of illegal imports from Mexico.
However, it’s interesting to note that among the states analyzed, the cheapest city for buying weed was not in Oregon—but in Colorado. At $192 an ounce, Aurora, Colorado had the cheapest average dispensary price. Grand Rapids, Michigan had the most expensive prices at $392 an ounce.
Cash Required
Although it is possible for adults age 21 and over to legally buy recreational marijuana (cannabis) in the states of Oregon, Colorado, and Washington, existing federal laws make it difficult for potential customers to use checks, credit cards, debit cards, or any kind of electronic payment system to buy recreational marijuana.
This situation is due to the fact that the purchase, sale, and consumption of marijuana is still considered illegal by the federal government, and traditionally the federal government has made it very difficult for banks, credit card companies, and other financial institutions to work with marijuana-related businesses. As a result, you will likely only be able to use cash to buy by legal recreational marijuana.
How much marijuana can I buy?
Each state has slightly different rules on how much you can buy at one time:
- In Washington, all adults who are 21 or older are allowed to purchase a maximum of one ounce (28.3 grams) of marijuana (or its equivalent).
- In Colorado, residents of that state who are at least 21 years old can purchase up to one ounce at a time, but non-residents can purchase only up to one quarter of an ounce at one time.
- In Oregon, adults 21 and over can purchase up to one quarter of an ounce at one time.
