New Yorkers: The World’s Biggest Stoners

New Yorkers are the world’s biggest stoners, according to the 2023 Cannabis Global Price Index. The study found New York residents consume more cannabis than any other city in the world. The price per gram averages $12.50.

At the same time, Montreal has the best prices at $5.90 per gram. Tokyo and Dublin, where cannabis is still illegal, have among the highest prices in the world.

But the world’s biggest stoners appear to be New Yorkers. The Big Apple consumes 62.3 metric tons of cannabis per year. Behind New York in Sydney, Australia, where residents (illegally) consume 45.8 metric tons of cannabis per year.

New Yorkers: The World’s Biggest Stoners

Some may question whether New Yorkers are the world’s biggest stoners. Especially considering that the California cannabis market is the largest in the world.

As well, Canadian connoisseurs aren’t looking to Quebec for free and fair cannabis markets. Whether through their home-grown ban, edible restrictions, or government-monopoly retail – the Quebec cannabis industry is a joke.

That said, the 2023 Cannabis Global Price Index was released by CFAH and collected data on cannabis prices from 140 cities worldwide.

New Yorkers are the world’s biggest stoners based on survey data from 140 cities.

“Legalizing cannabis is more likely to cause a price decline in the market, with prices falling by 11.13 percent on average,” it says. “The price of cannabis per gram in the United States might fall to $5.61 in 2030.”

The report draws data from surveys, the World Health Organization, and the UNODC World Drug Report 2022.

The Skinny on World Cannabis 

While New Yorkers came out on top for the highest consumption rates (i.e. New Yorkers are the world’s biggest stoners), other insights may help you plan a canna-vacation.

For example, countries with solid cannabis consumption rates are 30% more likely to have lower prices, according to the report.

Portland, Oregon, has the cheapest cannabis in the United States at $7 per gram. Outside the USA, Bangalore, India, has the most affordable illegal cannabis at $6 per gram.

The most expensive city in the USA for cannabis is the District of Columbia, where one can expect to pay $19.10 for a gram of cannabis.

Washington, D.C., joins cities in Norway, Russia, and Finland for high prices. But even in legal Estonia or Israel, the price per gram gets above $20.

Canada makes the list five times for the cheapest cannabis. Montreal ranks #1, followed by Notre Dame, Vancouver, Charlottetown, and Annapolis.

Surprisingly, Kabul, Afghanistan, has cheaper cannabis than Canada’s former pot capital, Vancouver. Likewise, Madrid, Spain (where cannabis is illegal) has lower prices than legal Portland.

The cheapest illegal cannabis in the USA comes from the capital of Wyoming. You can expect to pay $11.20 per gram in Cheyenne, cheaper than legal Chicago and New York.

Likewise, “illicit” cannabis in Kansas is only twenty cents more expensive than legal cannabis in Boston.

New Yorkers: The World’s Biggest Stoners

According to this report, New Yorkers may be the world’s biggest stoners, but they’re in good company. Los Angeles and Chicago join New York as states with high consumption rates. But Sydney, Australia, tops the world for illegal consumption.

Rome, Italy, ranks second in terms of “illicit” consumption of cannabis, with residents consuming 21.9 metric tons per year.

Houston cracks the top ten despite only partial legality and beats Toronto, Canada, where cannabis is legal.

Despite being illegal in their respective countries, Tokyo, Prague, and Vienna round out the top ten.

If New Yorkers may be the world’s biggest stoners, then who is their opposite? The Mormon presence in Salt Lake City likely contributes to low consumption rates.

With only 0.5 metric tons consumed per year, and partial legalization, the Crossroads of the West ranks the lowest in consumption but not in price. The average price per gram in SLC is $9.30.

According to the report, some of the lowest consumption rates in the world stem from the United States, where cannabis is either illegal or partially legal.

Prices & Production 

Of course, the CFAH’s 2023 Global Cannabis Price Index isn’t indisputable data.

As mentioned, they collected consumption figures from the World Health Organization. The WHO, of course, has proven itself inept and corrupt, as was the case before covid, but now it’s evident for all to see.

Likewise, the CFAH crowdsourced prices per gram from city-level polls. They also used the UNODC World Drug Report 2022.

As well, prices fluctuate depending on the time of year. A government report on cannabis in Canada found: “Cannabis prices in Canada vary according to season, with prices highest in Summer, as compared to the prices reported for Spring, Fall, and Winter.”

A lot of this has to do with distribution costs. The same report found that consumers in B.C., Ontario, and Quebec (provinces with significant cannabis production) have lower prices than “import” provinces.

The 2023 Cannabis Global Price Index provides excellent insight into the world’s cannabis markets. But as a be-all, end-all of weed data?

It’s unlikely New Yorkers are the biggest stoners in the world. They just happen to have a lot of people.

And there’s a reason Quebec has low cannabis prices. They have a lot of cannabis production and receive billions in federal money to stay in the country. This translates into subsidizing the cost of living, so Quebecers don’t feel obligated to vote for separation.

And it makes sense for “illicit” cannabis to be cheaper than legal cannabis since government taxes and regulations don’t handicap illicit production.

As always, the devil is in the details. Sometimes there’s more behind market prices than supply and demand.