While it’s not technically legal in the UK, it’s no secret that a fair few people are partial to a spot of weed every now and then. And it’s rapidly becoming more and more accepted around the world, with California the latest state in the US to legalise the drug earlier this year.
And now you can find out how much the average eighth of weed should be setting you back in the major cities across the UK. The 2018 Cannabis Price Index, from Seedo, details the cost of marijuana in 120 global cities.
The study began first by selecting 120 cities across the world, including locations where cannabis is currently legal, illegal and partially legal, and where marijuana consumption data is available. Then, they looked into the price of weed per gram in each city (which we’ve converted into eighths).
Here’s how much an average eighth (about 3.5 grams) of weed costs across the UK, with London coming out on top as the most expensive at £22.54:
The survey also looked at the cheapest cities around the world for an eighth of cannabis:
Other interesting findings from the survey include:
- New York City has the highest consumption rate of cannabis, at 77.44 metric tons per year.
- Boston, USA has the most expensive cannabis of all the cities where it’s legal , at £7.71 ($11.01), while Montevideo, Uruguay has the least expensive at £2.91 ($4.15).
- While Tokyo, Japan has the most expensive cannabis of all cities where it’s illegal, at £22.86 ($32.66), Jakarta, Indonesia has the least expensive at £2.65 ($3.79), despite being classed as a Group 1 drug with harsh sentences such as life imprisonment and the death penalty.
- For cities where cannabis is partially legal, Bangkok, Thailand has the most expensive at £17.37 ($24.81), while Quito, Ecuador has the least expensive at 94p ($1.34).
The survey also looked at how much local governments could collect in taxes if they legalised the drug. For example, London could collect up to £166 million in taxes, while Manchester could see up to £41 million in extra tax revenue if they went down the legalisation route.
“This study has revealed some incredible insights into the kind of tax revenue that legalising weed could generate,” says Uri Zeevi, CMO at Seedo.
“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 (£109.48 million) in potential tax revenue per year.
“This is equivalent to providing nearly three months’ worth of free school meals to every single public school kid in New York City.”
Could this be the first step in a very hazy, very green future for the UK? We’ll see.
(Image: iStock)