Is Weed Too Expensive?

Times are really tough out here for the average American citizen. The average income in the United States is what - around $30,00 a year? Not to mention the rate of inflation ensures that pay increases are made less and less significant each year. And of course, the cost of living for things like rent, healthcare, and more continues to climb with no end in sight for everyone. 

I surely am grateful for the fact that I have a steady job and income that I can count on in these hard times, because not everyone is so lucky. Weed is one of those things that also continues to fluctuate in price. For anyone that has traveled to different places in the country and taken a look at the local dispensaries, you may have noticed the large disparity between states and the price that marijuana runs for. 

In fact, depending on where you live in the United States, you may end up paying double or even triple what people in other states are paying for the same type of cannabis strain or product. Why is this? Well, a lot of it has to do with the complicated relationship between weed and the law and policies that allow it to exist in our nation. Most states have now legalized medical marijuana programs for specific patients that qualify, and a select few of those states have also legalized adult use as well. If you live in a state that has affordable cannabis, consider yourself lucky. In many places around the United States. Medical and recreational marijuana users alike are shelling out big bucks for weed on the regular.

So what about the cannabis industry makes for such a difference in the price of weed from state to state? Well, to answer this question, we should look at the top five states where weed is most expensive. The most expensive place to buy marijuana in the United States is Virginia, at about $18.60 per gram. This is by far the most expensive price in the country, since the second most expensive place is Pennsylvania with a price of $15.62 per gram. While that may not sound terribly expensive, you need to think about it in terms of buying an ounce. Say you wanted to buy an ounce of weed in Virginia. Do you know how much you would be paying? Try about $530! That’s like my whole monthly income and some more on top. Comparing that price to other states in the country really shows how pricey marijuana can be for some people. 

I really pity people that live in a place where cannabis is not affordable. Where I am from in Michigan, buying weed is relatively cheap compared to a lot of other places in the nation, and I am super grateful for that. Anyways, the problem with pricing weed so high is that it can be hard for medical marijuana patients to properly self-medicate with weed. 

Not to mention, insurance companies that normally cover the cost of other healthcare options do not cover medical marijuana. It is quite literally cheaper to get your hands on some dangerous opioids, which by the way is being called an epidemic by the World Health Organization, than it is to get an ounce of weed. 

If we truly want people to begin relying on other ways of medication rather than dangerous opioids that can lead to addiction and abuse, we need to start rethinking how we price marijuana in this country. Much of the reason that prices are so high is because of corporate taxes and licensing fees, as well as retail and excise taxes on marijuana.

Drying and Curing Cannabis

If you’re someone who likes to dry and harvest plants, you’ve probably looked at cannabis buds. If you’re someone who already does enjoy growing homegrown Kush, one of the big things that you must do, is to make sure that it’s cured and dried. Here, you’ll learn a little bit about this. 

What is it and Do I need to Do It? 

This is basically literally drying out your buds to reduce the moisture to make smoking and vaporizing easier. Curing is where you put the buds in containers for up to 2 weeks, offering better aroma and flavor as they start to mature. 

You may wonder if you need to do this. Well drying is something that’s good if you want to improve the shelf life and the quality of products. That’s because, cannabis buds which are freshly harvested have moisture in them, and you need to eliminate this moisture before you start to smoke. That’s because fresh buds definitely are a bit harsher on the flavor, and if you take out the moisture, it reduces the amount of harshness, and it also offer s a better terpene profile. The second reason is because fungi love those places, so by drying this, you do reduce the chances of this hitting your stash, causing mold to form. 

By letting these dry, it reduces this up to 15%, removing water from the layers of the buds. 

Curing is basically super imperative to do too, since it helps keep the weed fresh for a long time.  that’s because when you do harvest the buds, they’re filled with various starches and sugar, which bacteria and enzymes feed on, and that impacts the smoke that you have. 

How it’s done 

The best way to do this is to trim the buds either wet or dry. You can do this after you dry or cure them. it’s best to trim the buds when they’re wet, much more precise, and so that there isn’t any agitation when you handle these buds.  This is something that also takes a lot of buds to the top shelf options, which make it really good for those interested in really taking their cannabis cultivation to the next level. 

So how it’s done is simple.  you want to make sure that they’re dried after harvested, and you want to ensure that they dry on every single side so that it’s got an even smoke to it.  What you do is you harvest them, put them on wire racks or string these, and if you decide to use wired racks, ensure that you flip these so that they aren’t flat on one singular side. 

As for the humidity levels, keep it moderate, up to 55%, since this of course will help to ensure that there is moisture, but not so much that it will waterlog the buds. To cure them, once they’ve been fully dried, you want to take the buds and place these bad boys in a container which is airtight from there you can let this sit on the shelf, but only if you’re someone who is going to use this down the road. 

If you dry and cure the buds, it’ll help with the flavor profile. This is how a lot of the big dispensaries do this, and it’s something that can definitely be worth looking into if you’re a cannabis fanatic. Through this, you’ll also be able to really get the full benefits that are there, and also create a product that’s top shelf right from the comfort of your home, which is always a good thing.