The History of Marijuana Legalization

Marijuana cultivation in The United States dates back to the 1600s. Colonists grew a certain type of hemp known as cannabis.

The American government encouraged settlers to grow hemp at that time. The crop was used to make rope, clothing, and sails.

Up until the Civil War, the domestic growing of hemp flourished. However, after the war, hemp was imported instead.

By the end of the 1800s, marijuana was being used as a medical product. Americans could purchase remedies that contained marijuana in drug stores.

In 1910, after the Mexican Revolution, Mexican immigrants brought recreational marijuana with them when they flooded across the border into the USA.

This gave rise to fear of the drug trade and drug gangs. Anti-drug campaigns warned against a "Marijuana Menace". 

In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, many were unemployed. Fear of and resentment toward Mexican immigrants escalated. Governments and the public were so concerned about the potential problems associated with marijuana that twenty-nine states voted to outlaw marijuana. 

In 1937, Congress passed the Marihuana Tax Act. This act placed a tax on the sale of marijuana. According to the terms of the act possession and sale of marijuana became illegal. Medicinal use of marijuana was legal but there was a very expensive tax on it. Those who grew, imported, distributed, or prescribed marijuana had to pay a tax. Extensive record-keeping was required for the sale of medicinal marijuana. 

Some contend that the act, in effect, criminalized the use of, production of, and sale of marijuana.  Some saw the act as a way to cut the production of hemp that was, by then, being used as a cheaper paper product than pulp.

Others argued that the tax was necessary to curtail the negative effects of marijuana use. They believed that marijuana affected brain function and caused an increase in violence and crime.

Not everyone believed marijuana had harmful effects. The New York Academy of Medicine issued an extensive report dispelling the negatives of marijuana use. Their report said that marijuana did not increase violence or insanity. They also stated that its use did not lead to drug addiction nor did it lead to the use of harder drugs like heroin or cocaine.  

World War II saw a resurgence in the production of hemp. The U.S. Department of Agriculture encouraged farmers to grow hemp. It was used for such military gear as marine cordage and parachutes. The "Hemp for Victory" campaign registered 375,000 acres of hemp fields in the United States. 

By the 1950s, federal laws enforced mandatory sentences for drug-related offenses. However, by the 1960s more lenient attitudes towards marijuana were in place. 

By 1970, Congress had repealed mandatory penalties for drug-related offenses. In 1972, the Shafer Commission determined that personal use of marijuana should be decriminalized.

In 1976, a parent's movement against marijuana led to the 1980s War on Drugs with mandatory drug sentences re-enacted.

By the mid-1990s there was a major shift in public perception of marijuana. In 1996, California passed Proposition 215 allowing for the sale and medical use of marijuana.

Today, thirty states have legalized the medical and/or recreational use of marijuana.

Street Prices

Once known as black market prices, street prices are what you would pay when buying marijuana from someone who is not a licensed dealer. 

Street Quantities and Quality

As expected, there is a wide variation in quality when you purchase marijuana from a street source.

Advantages of Street Purchases

While you need to do your research before purchasing marijuana from a street source, you are not limited in the quantity you purchase. You may also be able to find good deals. In states and countries where marijuana is now legalized, street prices have reportedly dropped to less than half of those of licensed dispensaries. When you buy on the street, there is even some room to haggle over prices.

But when purchasing from a street source, it’s buyer beware. There is no guarantee of quality.

Factors that Affect Street Purchases

With street prices, it’s a law of supply and demand. Since licensed dispensaries opened, many who bought on the street aren’t doing so anymore. Thus, independent marijuana sellers have been forced to drop their prices.

With street purchases, there is also a wide variation in prices from one location to another.

Dispensary Prices

To run a legal dispensary, vendors must be licensed. There are also strict guidelines about quality and pricing. Buyers pay a sales tax of approximately 15% when they purchase from a dispensary.

In a dispensary, you can expect to pay an average of $9.99 per gram. The street price for a similar amount might be less than $6.40. That’s a saving of over thirty-five cents per gram.

Dispensary Quantities and Quality

Most dispensaries are clean, pleasant places. They often have knowledgeable staff happy to help you choose a product. Many dispensaries also run educational programs.

Advantages of Dispensaries

A CTV News report contends that the legalization of marijuana has driven up prices.

Dispensaries are eager to match the product you purchase to your goals. They encouraged you to ask questions and to learn about their many products. Their aim is to nurture return business.

Factors that Affect Dispensary Costs

1. Product Type and Quality

The brand of the product may affect its price. Other factors include the amount of THC in the product. Cost may also be determined by how it is produced. Growing and drying processes can affect the quality of the weed.

1. Supply and Demand

The degree of demand and the amount of marijuana available greatly affects the pricing of marijuana. If the supply is low and/or demand is high, then the cost of marijuana will increase.

How Dispensary Prices and Street Prices Regulate Each Other

Street prices can affect the pricing of dispensary marijuana. Street sellers can undercut the prices of legal dispensaries because they do not have the overhead of a store. They also do not have to buy a license and charge sales tax.

Once dispensaries of legal marijuana cropped up, street prices dropped as buyers were lured to dispensaries by guarantees of safety and quality of the product.

Why Buy Through Cannasaver?

Cannasaver and is the best option for getting the best weed deals anywhere. Dispensaries have some great options as far as all cannabis products are concerned and unlike the days where you used to have to buy from the street, you actually know what you’re getting. If prices seem a little high, check out our deals and save on flower, concentrates, edibles, and more!

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Been a while since you’ve bought any bud? Maybe you’re new to the marijuana world or maybe you’ve been smoking straight concentrates for a while.

Either way, it’s helpful to know exactly what you’re looking for when you head to the dispensary. 

There’s a lot more math involved with buying marijuana than there is with other products. You know exactly how many beers are in a six-pack or eggs are in a carton. You should also know exactly how much weed you’re getting when you purchase. 

Traditionally, weed is measured in terms of ounces.

The most common weights you can purchase weed at are:

·         Gram

·         ⅛ (eighth)

·         ¼ (quarter ounce)

·         ½ (half-ounce)

·         Full ounce

Obviously, how long each will last is completely dependent on how often you smoke. If you don’t smoke very much, it doesn’t make much sense to buy an ounce – regardless of it being a better deal per gram.

Buying in bulk is generally always going to get you the best deal – but it doesn’t matter if the weed goes to waste. Marijuana can even go bad if left unused and stored incorrectly for too long.

While it’s firstly most important to know your smoking habits before purchasing flower, it’s also important to have some general knowledge of the sizes and prices of weed.

Gram – 1g

A gram is generally the smallest amount of flower you can buy. Remember dime bags? Depending on where you’re from and how expensive weed was there, a gram of marijuana typically cost $10. That obviously varied with quality – but the general rule of thumb was that $10 bought you a gram.

 The price has stayed relatively the same since, but it does vary from dispensary to dispensary and strain to strain. Typically you’ll be paying between $6-$20 for a gram – the better quality the flower the higher the price.

A gram will usually pack about a joint or two, depending on how fat you roll them. A dispensary typically offers gram or half-gram pre-rolls – so a gram gets you roughly that.

This is going to be where you’re paying the most for your weed. It is cheap, but from a price-per-gram perspective, it’s the most expensive. It’s not until you start buying in bulk that this becomes apparent.

Dub – 2g

What even is a dub of weed, you may ask? Historically a "dub" was double a $10 sack, so would cost $20 depending on the local weed economy. However, the use & understood meaning of the word "dub" can vary by location. For example in the upper midwest of the United States it's often used to refer to a whole eighth.

It's important to note that this denomination is not often sold in dispensaries and is more colloquial in use.

⅛ Eighth – 3.5g

An eighth is going to be where you see that buying in bulk can save you money. Typically an eighth can cost anywhere from $15-$60, but that can vary based on quality of the bud. Some dispensaries will even sell four-gram eighths to promote purchasing bulkier amounts.

 When comparing a gram vs. an eighth, it will almost always be cheaper to buy an eighth than three and a half individual grams. 

Typically an eighth will give you about four to seven joints worth of weed – again, dependent completely on how much you pack. Bowl packs depend specifically on size of the bowl and how full you pack those as well. 

An eighth is good for those who smoke a little bit more than occasionally, but still not too often. How long it lasts depends entirely on you – but it’s safe to say that if you smoke more often, then bigger quantities are for you. 

¼ Quarter – 7g

A quarter-ounce is for people who smoke more often. At seven grams, it’s double the size of an eighth, but not double the price. It’s cheaper to buy one quarter than two separate eighths.  

Typically you’ll get about twelve to sixteen joints out of a quarter – dependent on you again. A quarter is usually going to run you somewhere between $40-$80 but can be cheaper or more expensive depending on the quality of the bud.

A quarter is good for frequent smokers, as it lasts twice as long as an eighth and has a good price point. It’s a good point between a small purchase and a larger, bulkier purchase.

½ Half-Ounce – 14g

Also known as half a zip, a half-ounce is a more serious purchase than the others. This is for a pretty serious smoker. Weighing in at fourteen grams, a half-ounce is for those who don’t want to be running out any time soon.

You’ll get – obviously – double the amount of weed you get from a quarter. So, think somewhere around two dozen joints in a half-ounce. It’ll cost you a bit more money, but this is really where buying in bulk saves in the long run.

Generally, a half-ounce will cost somewhere between $30-$120, much cheaper than buying two quarters or four eighths. Obviously, prices can get much higher or lower depending on quality.

Full Ounce – 28g

In most legal states, this is the largest amount of weed you can buy at any one time. An ounce is for the serious smoker, who doesn’t miss a day and doesn’t like being low.

For a general idea on size, it’s the legal limit a person can own in Colorado. This is because of the amount – an ounce is large enough that any bigger and people will think you have intent to distribute.

An ounce is a full 28 grams – should give you somewhere near 100 joints. Depends entirely on the quality of the weed and whether black market or legal, but the price range is generally somewhere between $50-$220. Look for prices even higher than that when dealing with high-quality stuff or in places where it's less available.

Quarter-Pound – 112g

The quarter-pound is a pretty rare size of marijuana. Four times the amount of an ounce, it’s still illegal to have this much weed on your person in Colorado.

 It’s hard to find anywhere to pick up a quarter-pound – but if you do, it’s going to be expensive. A quarter-pound is going to cost you somewhere around $800, but can easily be more or less depending on where you’re getting it from.

This amount of for a very serious smoker – and even then, it will take a while to go through.

Now that we’ve taken care of sizes and you know what you’re looking for, head into the dispensary and buy the perfect size for you. Check out our homepage first to make sure you’re not missing out on any killer deals. 

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Once you’ve spent some time deciding what flower strain you’ll be bringing home, you are ready to check out. As you begin to check out you ponder the question: how much should you be paying for weed?

Legalized Mary Jane is weaving and winding its way around the nation. Recreational marijuana has become much more accessible than ever before in recent years thanks to changes in the legislature regarding marijuana as a Schedule I drug.

Many dispensaries are either opening or plan to open all across the United States in the next few years. 

How Much Should You Pay For Weed?

When it comes to the business of marijuana, Colorado has been one of the leading states in marijuana reform for many years now.

Over the years, the price per pound of marijuana has continued to decrease in the state.

The cost of weed is lower in Colorado than in most other states. Be thankful!

In honor of summer coming around, I’d like to be your pricing guide to do my absolute best to break down what affects the price market of marijuana and show you how much you should be paying for weed in Colorado. 

So, What Determines Weed Price?

Much like in other businesses outside the industry, many factors drive the price of the product (marijuana).

Location, Location, Location

Things such as being a big city vs a small town can drive marijuana prices drastically. 

Popular places like Las Vegas or Los Angeles have higher prices on weed due to how popular those destinations are.

The kind of cities where the demand and supply are high enough to “justify” higher prices. 

As opposed to Colorado where marijuana is grown in larger amounts.

In the Denver area, there are so many dispensaries that the cluster alone dictates pricing. Often seeing many more deals than other states due to supply being higher.

Higher quality cannabis can be found at lower prices because high-quality weed can be found almost everywhere in the state. You can find many more eager dispensaries giving discounts due to a high production supply. These are found more often in the states that have had legalization longer.

Quality of the Buds

The quality of individual strains as they are rolled off production also helps in determining what will impact the price you will pay for it.

Cannabinoids found in different strains determine quality.

Strains of marijuana with higher CBD and/or THC typically raise prices on those strains.

Taxes

Much like with cigarettes or alcohol, taxes tend to bring what can be lower marijuana prices to much higher prices in a snap.

Often dispensary prices do not reflect this. Depending on where exactly you live, the price of your marijuana can range with the individual tax percentage each township puts in action.

In the state of Colorado, sales/retail tax for medical marijuana is 2.9% and 10% for recreational marijuana.

Time of Year

Harvesting times on different strains of cannabis play a big part in determining a city’s marijuana prices.

Think of marijuana as a crop, the season absolutely dictates when the plant flowers as well as when the plant needs to be harvested.

The conflict of this happening like a crop between so many dispensaries, each one with their individual grows will be harvesting their buds around the same time as well as trying to sell their batches at the same time.

This would result in the absolute ideal time to be a buyer.

Low, low prices.

So Now, The Weed Price Breakdown

Everything in the marijuana world is measured in grams.

The gram is the base weighing measurement for marijuana.

Due to variations in strains, the visual size of one gram can change from bud to bud. As to the prices below, each weight is based on the average price per weight in Colorado.

I’m going to break down the prices of each separate marijuana weight, and help you to determine how much you can roughly expect to pay for the particular weight.

A pre-rolled joint?

The price of a pre-rolled joint depends on the quantity and quality of the bud which fills the joint.

Roughly, you can expect a joint to cost between $7-$15 with fancy-style joints going up in price much higher.

For a Gram?

A gram of marijuana is most likely the smallest quantity you can purchase at a dispensary.

The reason most people buy marijuana this way is to typically test a strain before making a bigger purchase.

A consumer can expect to pay between $5-$18 for a gram. 

For An Eighth?

An eighth is exactly 3.5 grams or 1/8th of an ounce and the amount typically ranges in price from $25-$55 in Colorado.

If you buy an eighth for less than $25, minus discounts and such, you should start considering the quality or potency of any given flower.

For a Quarter?

A quarter weighs 7 grams or ¼ of an ounce.

Quarters typically range from $50 to $80 with premium quality quarters exceeding $120 in some areas of Colorado.

Small price discounts can occasionally be a factor in pricing quarters much like buying from a bulk store. Though, this is not always guaranteed.

For a Half Ounce?

A half-ounce is exactly 14 grams of marijuana or you guessed it, one half of an ounce.

The price typically costs between $90 and $160 in most dispensaries in Colorado.

At this amount, bulk prices are really getting much cheaper.

They can range anywhere from $75 to $180, but more likely will be closer to $120.

This is a typical amount of marijuana a heavy smoker/someone with high tolerances will typically buy.

For An Ounce?

An ounce (also known as an O or zip) of marijuana weighs 28 grams or exactly one ounce.

An ounce can roll up to 80-100 joints.

This amount is the legal amount of marijuana one may possess at one time in Colorado.

An ounce of cannabis normally costs between $100 and as high as $300.

Deals on Pre-rolls in Denver

Current deals on PRE-ROLLS include:

• Rocky Mountain High - LoDo Wazee - 2 full gram joints for $16 

• Strawberry Fields - 10 Standard pre-rolls for $50

• Mile High Green Cross - $84 for 8 Cavier pre-rolls

• La Bodega - $5 full gram joints

• LaContes - 7 pure greens pre-rolls for $31.50

• Oasis - .01 cent pre-roll for first-time visitor

Deals on Eighths in Denver

Current deals on EIGHTHS include:

• Doc’s Apothecary -  $20 OTD bargain 1/8s

• The Prime Leaf - 30% off pre-packaged eighths

• Mary Jane’s House - $18 OTD select strains

• The Lodge Cannabis - $25 connoiseur 1/8s

• Debbie’s Dispensary - Free eighth of Jilly Bean with every quarter of Mohave Reserve purchased

Deals on Quarters in Denver

Current deals on QUARTERS include:

• The Stone - $11.12 quarter of shake

• Spark Dispensary - $40 quarters

• The Cannabis Depot - $40 premiere shelf quarter

• AMCH Denver - $31 select strain quarters

Deals on Ounces in Denver

Current deals on OUNCES include:

• Reefer Madness -  $100 OTD flower

• The Lodge Cannabis - $39 ounce of popcorn buds or shake

• Rocky Mountain Blaze- $99 Ounces

• Herbs4you - $142 Top Shelf Ounces

• Clearance Cannabis - $39.95 Sun Grown Ounces

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