Quality and quantity go hand-in-hand when it comes to purchasing cannabis. There are numerous ways of checking quality for the average toker through smell, look, feel, and flower structure. For the cannabis connoisseur, they may factor in quality from more subjective means like ethical cultivation or a diverse cannabinoid.
Yet, the quantity question always is put on the back burner. Many might not know how much a dispensary should charge per gram and its reason, making it hard to justify buying more or very few strains.
Once you understand how much you should be charged for a gram, you won’t feel shortchanged the next time you walk in feeling adventures for newer strains or getting the most out of your favourite strains!
Visual Reference of a Gram
Contents
If you’re new to cannabis, a good starting quantity is typically a gram since it’s the smallest amount you can get at your local dispensary. A gram of cannabis is roughly as big as a bottle cap, depending on its density when you put it into perspective. It might not seem like a lot, but a gram can provide a decent toke session once freshly grinded.
A gram can provide at least one good joint that you can share with friends or two skinnier half-gram joints for solo smoking. Not into joints? A gram is enough to pack around 2-3 regular-sized bowls!
The Cost of a Gram
For a gram of cannabis, you can expect the typical price range to be as low as $6 to as high as $12. It’s an affordable price range for anyone new to cannabis or an experienced toker wishing to broaden their palate by providing enough for a good smoke session to get acquainted with the strain.
Depending on your region, they can dictate how high or low the prices for a gram of cannabis are. What might be expensive in one place will be less costly in another. However, additional factors can impact the price of a gram.
Factors that Influence Price
For the few places where cannabis is legal, certain factors influence its price – which naturally affects how much a gram should cost.
Here are the elements that can dictate the cost of a gram:
- market fluctuations
- tax rates
- cannabis quality
- cultivation method
- cannabis potency
In some places where cannabis is legal, a simple gram of higher-quality cannabis can cost as high as $20.
Licensed Producers vs. Street Prices
The advent of legalisation in certain places hasn’t quite stamped out those selling them illegally. Statistically, a cannabis dispensary has been shown to charge an average of $10 for a gram, while street prices average around $5-$6 in legal countries like Canada. Upon comparison, it may seem better for your wallet to find cannabis that isn’t from a retailer.
However, a lower price isn’t worth all the drawbacks of buying a gram illegally. Since dispensaries are licensed businesses, they follow certain regulations in your best interest, unlike buying cannabis from unreliable sources.
Here are a few risks you pose from going through unlicensed places or persons:
- Contamination: Can be susceptible to either a fungal infection or mould.
- Dubious Authenticity: Certain cannabis strains can easily be mislabeled and mislead consumers about what they’re buying.
- No Customer Care: If there is an issue with the cannabis you got, it’s not like you can get a refund or exchange with some random dealer.
A gram at a dispensary is a small price to pay as you consider what standards go into them being sold legally—by illegal means, paying a cheap price results in paying what you get – cheap quality and care.
For legal countries and states, the cost of cannabis naturally varies. However, the common denominator is that a gram’s price usually falls under an affordable price range. Any highly-priced grams are justified by higher quality – which as a toker, should look into what traits are considered high-end so you don’t end up getting scammed by reefer retailers.
After all, there is a reason why grams are meant to be at an affordable price. A gram is a decent amount for yourself, so you can best understand if it’s a strain you would enjoy. By having a base idea of a gram’s starting cost, you can ensure you’re getting the most out of a gram!
