When it comes to getting high for less, herb-loving Oregonians have reason to cheer. Marijuana prices in the Beaver State rank among the lowest in the nation.
In a new report analyzing the effect that legalization and decriminalization have on the price of marijuana, the kind buds at Forbes crunched numbers culled from PriceOfWeed.com, a crowd-sourced site that describes itself as "a global price index for marijuana."
According to Forbes' map, marijuana users in the most expensive state pay nearly double what those in the least expensive state shell out. In Oregon, where medical marijuana is legal and recreational weed will be once the new law kicks in July 1, an ounce of high-quality weed can run $204. In North Dakota, the price is more like $387.
Overall, weed is generally less expensive out West. East of the Mississippi, that high-quality ounce goes for less than $300 on average only in Michigan and Florida. Forbes' thesis that legal weed generally correlates with lower prices holds up: In Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, the four states that have legalized recreational marijuana, the price of an ounce falls below the national average of $315.96, according to PriceOfWeed data.
Legalization isn't just good news for users looking for a less costly high. A year after Colorado became the first state in the nation to allow recreational marijuana, the state raked in $53 million in weed-related tax revenue.
Including those that have actually legalized recreational marijuana, 19 states plus the District of Columbia have laws decriminalizing marijuana possession. Just last week, Illinois moved one step closer to becoming the next state to decriminalize marijuana.
This article has been updated with additional information about the implementation of Oregon's marijuana market.
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