info dump - price of pot - usa
September 7, 2011 10:12 AM Subscribe
Info Dump - Data map of pot in the USA
Dude ... I can see my house from here
posted by Curious Artificer at 10:17 AM on September 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Curious Artificer at 10:17 AM on September 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
Mendocino officials estimate that pot cultivation accounts for up to two-thirds of the local economy...
!
...and plentiful supply means low prices throughout the Pacific Northwest.
But the murder rate is through the roof, right? Because pot leads to druggies leads to murder? Wasn't that it?
posted by DU at 10:20 AM on September 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
!
...and plentiful supply means low prices throughout the Pacific Northwest.
But the murder rate is through the roof, right? Because pot leads to druggies leads to murder? Wasn't that it?
posted by DU at 10:20 AM on September 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
I'm surprised to see that Washington State has relatively high penalties for low-level pot possession. Is that a function of it having an otherwise steady medical marijuana industry and being next to BC, or something else, or is there no really snappy answer to my stupid question?
posted by Sticherbeast at 10:23 AM on September 7, 2011
posted by Sticherbeast at 10:23 AM on September 7, 2011
Just one more example of the high cost of living in Northern Virginia.
posted by easily confused at 10:38 AM on September 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by easily confused at 10:38 AM on September 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
Wow, even $100/oz. seems expensive. Guess it's a good thing I don't smoke. Way too much of a cheapskate (but too proud to bogart).
posted by Eideteker at 10:41 AM on September 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Eideteker at 10:41 AM on September 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
I suppose that yellow swath in southeastern Cali has to do more with the fact that that area is essentially all desert than anything else? That had me wondering.
posted by jnnla at 10:49 AM on September 7, 2011
posted by jnnla at 10:49 AM on September 7, 2011
Hey, North Dakota, relax, man.
posted by Capt. Renault at 10:50 AM on September 7, 2011
posted by Capt. Renault at 10:50 AM on September 7, 2011
I'm kind of outing myself as a square here, but how much is an oz of marijuana? Like, are you paying $100 for a nice meal with your SO or are you paying $100 for a month worth of groceries?
posted by DU at 10:51 AM on September 7, 2011
posted by DU at 10:51 AM on September 7, 2011
More the latter than the former.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 10:57 AM on September 7, 2011
posted by Doofus Magoo at 10:57 AM on September 7, 2011
DU: right
Violence stalks the mountains above a quiet coastal town.
The slaying of Fort Bragg City Councilman Jere Melo is the latest event in an area populated by marijuana growers drawn to the isolation, good weather and laissez-faire culture.
posted by gottabefunky at 11:05 AM on September 7, 2011
Violence stalks the mountains above a quiet coastal town.
The slaying of Fort Bragg City Councilman Jere Melo is the latest event in an area populated by marijuana growers drawn to the isolation, good weather and laissez-faire culture.
posted by gottabefunky at 11:05 AM on September 7, 2011
An ounce might last a week in the hands of a high school kid spending all day stoned. Or a year if you're just doing a little a couple times a week after the kids are asleep so you can really enjoy the fuck out of a piece of boston cream pie. Pot is many things to many people.
posted by pjaust at 11:07 AM on September 7, 2011 [9 favorites]
posted by pjaust at 11:07 AM on September 7, 2011 [9 favorites]
Man, the State of Jefferson woulda been a state of mind, man...
posted by gottabefunky at 11:09 AM on September 7, 2011
posted by gottabefunky at 11:09 AM on September 7, 2011
DU, Re: an ounce of weed (not that I have any personal reason for knowing this or anything)
An ounce can be as large as a filled sandwich baggie or as small as a couple of hot dogs, depending on whether you're looking at funky old warehouse brickweed or fluffy fresh buds. Similarly, that amount can last as long as a month or as short a time as a week, depending on potency and the smoking habits of the user. I've known folks who can stretch an ounce to last an entire summer, but those are the people who smoke only on weekends, and not habitually. Obviously, your mileage may vary.
If you're a heavy daily user (meaning wake-and-bake to nightcaps), you can expect an ounce of primo to keep your head adjusted for maybe two to three weeks. Which isn't long for something that around here fetches about $300/per. But oh, those weeks...
posted by kinnakeet at 11:14 AM on September 7, 2011
An ounce can be as large as a filled sandwich baggie or as small as a couple of hot dogs, depending on whether you're looking at funky old warehouse brickweed or fluffy fresh buds. Similarly, that amount can last as long as a month or as short a time as a week, depending on potency and the smoking habits of the user. I've known folks who can stretch an ounce to last an entire summer, but those are the people who smoke only on weekends, and not habitually. Obviously, your mileage may vary.
If you're a heavy daily user (meaning wake-and-bake to nightcaps), you can expect an ounce of primo to keep your head adjusted for maybe two to three weeks. Which isn't long for something that around here fetches about $300/per. But oh, those weeks...
posted by kinnakeet at 11:14 AM on September 7, 2011
Most pot is sold in eighths in the US, as in eighths of an ounce. Depending on the quality and location, they can go for $30-60 each, usually $45 being the decent price for an eighth here on the west coast in most major cities. In central PA where I went to college it would get up to $60 because of lack of supply and usually one guy having to drive into a city or somewhere else to pick it up.
So being able to get an ounce for $100 is a huge bargain, considering that buying it by the eighth may cost 2.5x as much. But most people I know still only buy by the eighth even with the cost savings, as in Oregon anything that is an ounce or more is felony, compared to just a misdemeanor charge.
posted by mrzarquon at 11:16 AM on September 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
So being able to get an ounce for $100 is a huge bargain, considering that buying it by the eighth may cost 2.5x as much. But most people I know still only buy by the eighth even with the cost savings, as in Oregon anything that is an ounce or more is felony, compared to just a misdemeanor charge.
posted by mrzarquon at 11:16 AM on September 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
Good lord. I must be even more of a lightweight than I thought; 1/4 oz. lasts me a year. Literally.
a bottle of good scotch, on the other hand....
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:19 AM on September 7, 2011
a bottle of good scotch, on the other hand....
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:19 AM on September 7, 2011
Violence stalks the mountains above a quiet coastal town.
The slaying of Fort Bragg City Councilman Jere Melo is the latest event in an area populated by marijuana growers drawn to the isolation, good weather and laissez-faire culture.
"Two weeks later, Melo, 69, was gunned down. The suspect, Aaron Bassler, 35, was described by his father as schizophrenic and possibly also involved in Coleman's death. He had a bunker in the area and had been tending not marijuana but about 100 opium poppies, said Mendocino County Sheriff's Capt. Kurt Smallcomb. Melo was shot close by."
Yeah. Not to mention the fact that this "war" was started when "federal prosecutors announced a sweeping raid in which 460,000 pot plants were destroyed and 101 people arrested in and around Mendocino National Forest".
Sorry, but this particular kind of violence clearly has more to do with marijuana prohibition than marijuana: if the stuff wasn't illegal, people would be growing it in backyard greenhouses, not booby-trapped plots in the middle of a national forest.
posted by vorfeed at 11:21 AM on September 7, 2011 [5 favorites]
The slaying of Fort Bragg City Councilman Jere Melo is the latest event in an area populated by marijuana growers drawn to the isolation, good weather and laissez-faire culture.
"Two weeks later, Melo, 69, was gunned down. The suspect, Aaron Bassler, 35, was described by his father as schizophrenic and possibly also involved in Coleman's death. He had a bunker in the area and had been tending not marijuana but about 100 opium poppies, said Mendocino County Sheriff's Capt. Kurt Smallcomb. Melo was shot close by."
Yeah. Not to mention the fact that this "war" was started when "federal prosecutors announced a sweeping raid in which 460,000 pot plants were destroyed and 101 people arrested in and around Mendocino National Forest".
Sorry, but this particular kind of violence clearly has more to do with marijuana prohibition than marijuana: if the stuff wasn't illegal, people would be growing it in backyard greenhouses, not booby-trapped plots in the middle of a national forest.
posted by vorfeed at 11:21 AM on September 7, 2011 [5 favorites]
usually $45 being the decent price for an eighth here on the west coast in most major cities
my friend says that sounds about right for the east coast as well, prices higher outside major cites or for perks (home delivery for one), and said friend says that a full ounce would more likely dry out before he would have a chance to use all of it cause once my friend was paid in sandwich pages of soul diesel and could not physically smoke enough to make a dent in it over a month except that you become instantly popular with your friends and end up throwing a lot of movie parties which uses up the remainder.
posted by The Whelk at 11:26 AM on September 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
my friend says that sounds about right for the east coast as well, prices higher outside major cites or for perks (home delivery for one), and said friend says that a full ounce would more likely dry out before he would have a chance to use all of it cause once my friend was paid in sandwich pages of soul diesel and could not physically smoke enough to make a dent in it over a month except that you become instantly popular with your friends and end up throwing a lot of movie parties which uses up the remainder.
posted by The Whelk at 11:26 AM on September 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
They should just stop the stupid drug war, but they won't. Political suicide by appearing "soft on drugs/crime".
An ounce lasts me about three weeks to a month. Medical marijuana patient, and I have access to very wonderfu, fresh, organic grown marijuana. Can be costly, at around $250 an ounce, but I get free halfs here and there. Samples of this next strain or that. All in all, I can't complain.
Pretty much just a night time toker now, but it helps me sit still and ignore my back/leg pain. Not a solve all, but definitely helpful.
posted by handbanana at 11:28 AM on September 7, 2011
An ounce lasts me about three weeks to a month. Medical marijuana patient, and I have access to very wonderfu, fresh, organic grown marijuana. Can be costly, at around $250 an ounce, but I get free halfs here and there. Samples of this next strain or that. All in all, I can't complain.
Pretty much just a night time toker now, but it helps me sit still and ignore my back/leg pain. Not a solve all, but definitely helpful.
posted by handbanana at 11:28 AM on September 7, 2011
how the hell did "bag" become "pages" in that last comment, sheesh.....
posted by The Whelk at 11:29 AM on September 7, 2011
posted by The Whelk at 11:29 AM on September 7, 2011
I could hazard a guess.
posted by shakespeherian at 11:31 AM on September 7, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by shakespeherian at 11:31 AM on September 7, 2011 [4 favorites]
What's going on with Michigan in that map? I can't tell if they cut off the thumb or if someone is selling from a boat in the middle of Lake Huron.
posted by Copronymus at 11:34 AM on September 7, 2011
posted by Copronymus at 11:34 AM on September 7, 2011
Yeah, YMMV indeed. For my friend 1 oz lasts anywhere from 3-9 months, mostly depending on quality, as my friend's rate of consumption is pretty steady.
For the last purchase, my friend paid about 3x above my friend's local average (according to this plot) and got approximately 2.5x longer shelf-life for the increase in quality. My friend's on-deck purchase was for 1.75x abiove local average. Will be interesting to see how long it will last my friend.
lolol bag of pages COUGH COUGH COUGH
posted by not_on_display at 11:34 AM on September 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
For the last purchase, my friend paid about 3x above my friend's local average (according to this plot) and got approximately 2.5x longer shelf-life for the increase in quality. My friend's on-deck purchase was for 1.75x abiove local average. Will be interesting to see how long it will last my friend.
lolol bag of pages COUGH COUGH COUGH
posted by not_on_display at 11:34 AM on September 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
The county I grew up in in Kentucky was known for the amount of pot grown in it. When I was young (8-10 range) i once saw a bunch of jeeps go down the road, then a cloud of thick white smoke just start rolling toward the house about 15 minutes later. I was really hungry for supper that night.
posted by deezil at 11:41 AM on September 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by deezil at 11:41 AM on September 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
You know what medical marijuana has done to the pot scene in California? Really awesome dispensaries. Some of these places look like the Apple stores of pot. Imagine what full legalization would bring. The product labeling along is amazing.
posted by mrzarquon at 11:56 AM on September 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by mrzarquon at 11:56 AM on September 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
Out of curiosity, how does one in say, Washington state get started with the whole medical marijuana thing? Does your doctor basically write you a Rx for weed?
posted by xedrik at 12:00 PM on September 7, 2011
posted by xedrik at 12:00 PM on September 7, 2011
"I'm kind of outing myself as a square here"
posted by DU
Ha ha ha ha ha ha... waaaaay too late for that, brah.
(Or maybe it's just that as a fellow square, I can smell my own kind.)
posted by Eideteker at 12:06 PM on September 7, 2011
posted by DU
Ha ha ha ha ha ha... waaaaay too late for that, brah.
(Or maybe it's just that as a fellow square, I can smell my own kind.)
posted by Eideteker at 12:06 PM on September 7, 2011
Does your doctor basically write you a Rx for weed?
There's a special scrip they write which has WA state boilerplate. Qualification is based upon a listed of state-approved medical conditions that cause intractable pain. You then take the scrip to a dispensary or growing club.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:08 PM on September 7, 2011
There's a special scrip they write which has WA state boilerplate. Qualification is based upon a listed of state-approved medical conditions that cause intractable pain. You then take the scrip to a dispensary or growing club.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:08 PM on September 7, 2011
from my research on the topic, no state "writes" a prescription, but merely a recommendation for the patient to use medical marijuana. With marijuana being a scheduled 1 drug, a doctor cannot write a prescription for it, nor provide it. Doing so would/could result in a suspension or loss of their medical license.
posted by handbanana at 12:24 PM on September 7, 2011
posted by handbanana at 12:24 PM on September 7, 2011
We have "green" clinics in Oregon that advertise on the radio, basically saying that if you are suffering from, say, a bumped funny bone, you can come on in and they will write you a prescription.
posted by everichon at 12:24 PM on September 7, 2011
posted by everichon at 12:24 PM on September 7, 2011
Out of curiosity, how does one in say, Washington state get started with the whole medical marijuana thing?
Pick up a recent (print) Stranger. There should be at least a couple of pages of dispensaries advertising somewhere in there. Just for reference, last week's page 8 has a full page. You'll want to pick one that does NOT list prices. Give a local one a call, they usually work with a specific doctor and might be able to help. Cost of a card is $200 or so.
Just to be on the safe side you might want to find out about the whackadoo legal loopholes that enable you to actually carry Medicinal MJ legally in Washington.
Anywho, that's what a friend who's allegedly a grower for the co-ops allegedly told me.
posted by P.o.B. at 12:30 PM on September 7, 2011
Pick up a recent (print) Stranger. There should be at least a couple of pages of dispensaries advertising somewhere in there. Just for reference, last week's page 8 has a full page. You'll want to pick one that does NOT list prices. Give a local one a call, they usually work with a specific doctor and might be able to help. Cost of a card is $200 or so.
Just to be on the safe side you might want to find out about the whackadoo legal loopholes that enable you to actually carry Medicinal MJ legally in Washington.
Anywho, that's what a friend who's allegedly a grower for the co-ops allegedly told me.
posted by P.o.B. at 12:30 PM on September 7, 2011
Interesting. I wonder what Alaska and Hawaii would look like on this map. More info here and here.
posted by TedW at 1:07 PM on September 7, 2011
posted by TedW at 1:07 PM on September 7, 2011
Christ, for ONCE, couldn't they have included Alaska? It's like we are Canadian or something. It's probably all that B.C. weed we smoke.
posted by Foam Pants at 1:46 PM on September 7, 2011
posted by Foam Pants at 1:46 PM on September 7, 2011
Bulgaroktonos wrote: I think they want this to be a map of how marijuana policy impacts price, but it's really a map of how much pot they grow in SE Ohio/WV/Kentucky
If it were about how much is grown, most of the northern half of Arkansas would be blacker than black. I would love to know who is paying $100 an ounce there so I could point and laugh. Generic weed runs $800-$1200 a pound, again depending on quality. (and availability)
DU wrote: I'm kind of outing myself as a square here, but how much is an oz of marijuana? Like, are you paying $100 for a nice meal with your SO or are you paying $100 for a month worth of groceries?
It depends on quality. If a quarter of an ounce of good stuff doesn't last a person 3 weeks to a month, I'd call them a very heavy user. If a whole ounce of what they call dirt weed lasted a person a whole month, I'd call them a lightweight.
posted by wierdo at 2:30 PM on September 7, 2011
If it were about how much is grown, most of the northern half of Arkansas would be blacker than black. I would love to know who is paying $100 an ounce there so I could point and laugh. Generic weed runs $800-$1200 a pound, again depending on quality. (and availability)
DU wrote: I'm kind of outing myself as a square here, but how much is an oz of marijuana? Like, are you paying $100 for a nice meal with your SO or are you paying $100 for a month worth of groceries?
It depends on quality. If a quarter of an ounce of good stuff doesn't last a person 3 weeks to a month, I'd call them a very heavy user. If a whole ounce of what they call dirt weed lasted a person a whole month, I'd call them a lightweight.
posted by wierdo at 2:30 PM on September 7, 2011
This mean nothing. Are they talking high grade or low grade? If they're just mixing them in together, it looks to me like the localized price spikes are just metropolitan areas where people are more like to buy high grade, which is more expensive by about 350%, depending. Even then, there would be a lot of people out there with the wrong dealer.
posted by cmoj at 4:58 PM on September 7, 2011
posted by cmoj at 4:58 PM on September 7, 2011
merely a recommendation for the patient to use medical marijuana
That's correct (at least in WA), it is a recommendation, with no legal liability on the doctor's part for promoting marijuana usage that would put his or her medical license at risk, nor for any ill effects the user might suffer from consuming cannabis products (e.g., if you get emphysema, suffer a schizophrenic episode, etc., however unlikely, you're on your own).
It's a kind of 'third way' for the state to compromise and acknowledge the drug's medical applications, without legalizing it for recreational use, as well as help protect doctors and patients from run-ins with the law.
As a patient, you can possess up to sixty days of MMJ on hand. You can also grow a certain number of plants for yourself and other patients who also have official documentation.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 6:08 PM on September 7, 2011
That's correct (at least in WA), it is a recommendation, with no legal liability on the doctor's part for promoting marijuana usage that would put his or her medical license at risk, nor for any ill effects the user might suffer from consuming cannabis products (e.g., if you get emphysema, suffer a schizophrenic episode, etc., however unlikely, you're on your own).
It's a kind of 'third way' for the state to compromise and acknowledge the drug's medical applications, without legalizing it for recreational use, as well as help protect doctors and patients from run-ins with the law.
As a patient, you can possess up to sixty days of MMJ on hand. You can also grow a certain number of plants for yourself and other patients who also have official documentation.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 6:08 PM on September 7, 2011
This map means nothing because it doesn't take quality into account. Back when I lived in MO, we'd get ounces for like $90, but it was this awful-ass Mexican brick shit that I wouldn't even look at now.
(that's not to say there wasn't better weed available.... we were just cheap)
posted by Afroblanco at 9:03 PM on September 7, 2011
(that's not to say there wasn't better weed available.... we were just cheap)
posted by Afroblanco at 9:03 PM on September 7, 2011
Knordion Gott, an acquaintance and biweeker with a few thoughts on the topic, claims a run of six months or longer from an eighth. Quality dro, using a grinder with sharp metal teeth to maximize surface area, and vaping appear to be the secret. YMMV.
posted by Gordion Knott at 9:15 PM on September 7, 2011
posted by Gordion Knott at 9:15 PM on September 7, 2011
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posted by Bulgaroktonos at 10:15 AM on September 7, 2011 [3 favorites]