When Colorado and Washington first legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, just 45% of Americans supported the measure. Today, public opinion has changed — 91% of Americans believe marijuana should be legal in some form, with 60% saying it should be legal for recreational use. Now, new research from Clever, a real estate data company, found Phoenix is the No. 10 best city for weed and stoners in America.
Phoenix is home to 1.2 dispensaries and 0.3 head shops per capita. Pot prices are also more affordable in Phoenix. Residents pay just $292 for 1 ounce of high-quality marijuana. If bought once a month for a year, that would amount to $3,507.
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The “green wave” of public support has prompted 35 states to legalize weed for medical use, with 18 states and the District of Columbia giving residents the green light to smoke for recreational purposes. As legal markets expand, the marijuana industry has grown rapidly.
If it seemed like weed was as essential as toilet paper during the pandemic, you’re not high. More than 20 governors thought so, too, and deemed marijuana businesses essential. In 2020, the industry netted $13.4 billion, a number expected to increase to $33.6 billion by 2025.
Americans are consuming more cannabis than ever before,
• 10x: Google Trends data for 13 common marijuana search terms
• 9x: Price of 1 ounce of high-quality marijuana and 1 ounce of medium-quality marijuana every three months as a percentage of annual income
and tourists are flocking to mature and emerging markets for weed-infused experiences. To determine the best cities for stoners, we analyzed publicly available data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Google Trends, Price of Weed, DISA Global Solutions, and Yelp.
Our weighted rankings evaluated various criteria, including:
• 30x: Legality of marijuana• 9x: Price of 1 ounce of high-quality weed
• 8x: Price of 1 ounce of medium-quality weed
• 7x: Number of dispensaries per 100,000 residents within 25 miles
• 7x: Number of head shops per 100,000 residents within 25 miles
• 4x: Number of Taco Bells per 100,000 residents
• 1x (each): Music festivals within a 100-mile radius, small concert venues per 100,000 residents, movie theaters per 100,000 residents, and number of local hiking trails according to the AllTrails database
Read on to learn if your city is flying high — or living in the stone(d) age.
WEED CITY STATISTICS
• Denver is the best city for stoners with 7x more dispensaries (9.8 dispensaries per 100,000 residents) than the average city on our list (1.4).
• Las Vegas has the most head shops with 2.5 per 100,000 residents. That’s 212% more than the average city on our list (0.8).
• Our top 15 cities have 2x as many dispensaries (3.2 per 100,000 residents) as the average city on our list (1.4), making marijuana easier to find. Weed is also more affordable in our top cities, with 1 ounce of high-quality marijuana costing $274, about 14% less than the average price ($318).
• The best weed cities are concentrated on the West Coast, with the Golden State boasting six cities in the top 15.
• Sacramento, Calif., has the least expensive weed prices of all 50 cities studied. One ounce of high-quality weed ($212) costs $106 less than the national average ($318), and 1 ounce of medium-quality weed ($177) costs $76 less than the national average ($253).
• San Jose, Calif., residents spend just 1.6% of their annual income on marijuana, making it the most affordable weed city on our list.
• Although marijuana is only legal for medicinal use in Oklahoma, Oklahoma City ranks No. 1 for “pot passion.” Those residents search for marijuana-related terms on Google 117% more than the national average.
• Kansas City stoners won’t go hungry with 3.8 Taco Bells per 100,000 residents. That’s 65% more than the average city (2.3).
• Overall, the bottom 10 cities have 88% fewer dispensaries (0.6 per 100,000 residents) and 28% fewer head shops (0.2 per 100,000 residents) than the average city.
• Although marijuana is fully legal in Washington, D.C., it is the worst city for stoners because of high prices — 1 ounce of high-quality weed costs $597, about 88% more than the national average ($318). Average consumers spend about 3.7% of their annual income on weed, but D.C. residents spend 54% more than that — 5.8%.
