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.
