The 2018 Cannabis Price Index has revealed the cost of cannabis in 120 cities around the world. Let’s take a look at the results.
The study selected 120 cities across the world, including locations with different legal situations. Then, they looked into the price of cannabis per gram in each city. To calculate how much potential tax a city could make through legalization, researchers investigated how much tax is paid on the most popular brand of cigarettes, “as this offers the closest comparison”. They then looked at what percentage weed is currently taxed in cities where it’s already legalized in the US.
Uri Zeevi, CMO at Seedo says the following:
This study has revealed some incredible insights into the kind of tax revenue that legalizing weed could generate. Take New York City for instance, which has the highest consumption level in the study at 77.44 metric tons of cannabis per year. If they taxed marijuana at the average US cannabis tax level, the city could make $156.4 million in potential tax revenue per year. This is equivalent to providing nearly 3 months worth of free school meals to every single public school kid in New York City,
| # |
City |
Legality |
Price per gram, US$ |
Total possible tax collection, if taxed at cigarette level, mil US$ |
Total consumption in metric tons |
| 1 | Washington, DC | Partial | 18.08 | 47.51 | 6.18 |
| 2 | Chicago | Partial | 11.46 | 119.61 | 24.54 |
| 3 | Philadelphia | Partial | 11.30 | 68.37 | 14.22 |
| 4 | Boston | Legal | 11.01 | 28.59 | 6.10 |
| 5 | New York | Partial | 10.76 | 354.48 | 77.44 |
| 6 | Dallas | Partial | 10.03 | 51.01 | 11.95 |
| 7 | Houston | Partial | 10.03 | 89.13 | 20.89 |
| 8 | Phoenix | Partial | 9.35 | 58.26 | 14.65 |
| 9 | Miami | Partial | 9.27 | 16.24 | 4.12 |
| 10 | San Francisco | Legal | 9.27 | 30.94 | 7.85 |
| 11 | Los Angeles | Legal | 8.14 | 124.88 | 36.06 |
| 12 | Denver | Legal | 7.79 | 20.53 | 6.20 |
| 13 | Seattle | Legal | 7.58 | 20.59 | 6.39 |
Top 10 Most Expensive Cities |
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| # | City | Country | Legality | Price per gram, US$ |
| 1 | Tokyo | Japan | Illegal | 32.66 |
| 2 | Seoul | South Korea | Illegal | 32.44 |
| 3 | Kyoto | Japan | Illegal | 29.65 |
| 4 | Hong Kong | China | Illegal | 27.48 |
| 5 | Bangkok | Thailand | Partial | 24.81 |
| 6 | Dublin | Ireland | Illegal | 21.63 |
| 7 | Tallinn | Estonia | Partial | 20.98 |
| 8 | Shanghai | China | Illegal | 20.82 |
| 9 | Beijing | China | Illegal | 20.52 |
Top 10 Least Expensive Cities |
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| # | City | Country | Legality | Price per gram, US$ |
| 1 | Quito | Ecuador | Partial | 1.34 |
| 2 | Bogota | Colombia | Partial | 2.20 |
| 3 | Asuncion | Paraguay | Partial | 2.22 |
| 4 | Jakarta | Indonesia | Illegal | 3.79 |
| 5 | Panama City | Panama | Illegal | 3.85 |
| 6 | Johannesburg | South Africa | Illegal | 4.01 |
| 7 | Montevideo | Uruguay | Legal | 4.15 |
| 8 | Astana | Kazakhstan | Illegal | 4.22 |
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