American Marijuana Supply Chain
A description of those involved in the marijuana supply chain. Starts from end user and moves to cultivation. Prices and units included.
Most Americans who smoke cannibus do not produce their own, so a supply and demand chain is initiated. Except in larger cities or older, rural communities, the price of cannibus is standard across the Continental US. Most of those who purchase marijuana purchase it in fractions of ounces. The standard unit is the 1/8 ounce. In many of the less potent products, units smaller than the 1/8 ounce are seen.
The least potent leaves of the plant (schwag) usually go from $10 to $25 per 1/8 ounce. A mixture of leaves and flower buds with or without a generous supply of fruitlessly smoked stems and seeds (midis) usually go from $25 to $45 per 1/8 ounce. A healthy supply of flower buds of typical potency (kb, bud, nugs) usually go from $45 to $60 per 1/8 ounce. A hearty supply of flower buds of exceptional potency (headies) often come with their own special names for the harvest and go from $55 to $80 per 1/8 ounce.
What many Americans may not realize is the extent to which the marijuana distribution industry functions and how the actual price per 1/8 ounce of bud (pp1/8ozb) changes. The pp1/8ozb is the price paid for the population in possession.
From largest population to smallest:
(End User) cannibus user with a friend with a direct tie to the supply chain. Carries marijuana by 1 gram or less. Services self. $45-$60 pp1/8ozb
(Hook-up) Cannibus user with a direct tie to the supply chain. Carries marijuana by 1 gram or less. Services friends. $45-$60 pp1/8ozb
(Dealer lvl 1) Is or isn’t a cannibus user. Carries marijuana in half or whole ounces and distributes them in 1/4, 1/8, or 1/16 ounces, or half or whole grams. Income from distribution is not high enough to live on. Deals for supplementary income, to finance their smoking habits, or for a hobby. Services small groups (cliques). $35-$40 pp1/8ozb
(Dealer lvl 2) Is or isn’t a cannibus user. Carries marijuana in 1/4 pounds (quap). Distributes marijuana in 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 ounces. May sell smaller fractions, but typically avoids. Income from distribution is high enough to live on, but not often enough for luxury. Many 2nd level dealers hold other jobs which compliment their unaccountable income from distribution (tipped service work). Services larger groups (threads). $19-$34 pp1/8ozb
(Supplier) Is or isn’t a cannibus user. Carries marijuana by the pound and may cultivate it on a profitable scale. Distributes marijuana by 1, 1/2, 1/4, or 1/16 pounds. Income is high enough not to necessitate supplementary sources of income. Services populations in one or more counties. $0.33-$10 pp1/8ozb
(Grower) Is or isn’t a cannibus user. Cultivates marijuana on a massively profitable scale. Distributes marijuana by pounds. Income is high enough to necessitate money laundering. Services one or more states. >$0.01-$10 pp1/8ozb
So, when you go to see “your guy,” just think of all the hands your bud had to go through to get to you, how many busts had to be thwarted, and how efficient government-encouraged organized crime can be.
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23 Comments
annonymous, posted this comment on Nov 19th, 2007
sweet, a lil inaccurate, but close enough
Mr Candid, posted this comment on Nov 29th, 2007
Whatever..all the people I deal with that sell 1/4 to 1/2 lb units without exception all smoke themselves and as far as pricing goes it’s just like Sam’s Club, you get much more product for your money when you buy in bulk, when I buy a 1/2 Pound I generally pay about 1/2 the price per Ounce of what I would pay if I only bought an single ounce from the same guy, dope dealers are looking to move their product and it’s less risky for them to sell a larger quantity of green to one person and make less money than it is to sell it in smaller quantities to many people for more money. just my take
Dude, posted this comment on Nov 29th, 2007
a little inaccurate? Try incredibly inaccurate, in most cases. These prices are all jacked up. Doing the math, you’re saying someone buying in QPs (1/4 lb, for you newbs) is paying at least $600? And the next step up is somebody buying pounds for $40? This is clearly somebody who has never worked in this industry (or has only for a very short period of time).
You’re not even taking into account regional differences. In the beginning to start by saying that 1/8th oz. are the typical unit. This tells me that you live in the northern states. In the south, 1/8ths are only mentioned with top quality bud. It is hard to buy less than 1/2 oz of schwagg or mids at a time. What goes for as much as $30 per 1/8th oz in the north, goes for as little as $20 per full oz in the south. Conversely, high quality buds available in the north for $40 per 1/8th oz can go for as much as $50-$60 or more for the same amount in the south.
It’s also pointless to use 1/8th oz as your scale the whole way through. It becomes moot after the first ‘level’. Doing it in oz is much easier. Yes, it is more than the average user buys, but it’s stupid to break down a pound in 1/8ths. (Hey, I gotta offer some constructive criticism in the midst of all the negativity)
The market simply cannot be made this simple. Even aside from regional variation, the marijuana supply chain is too unpredictably for this to be accurately applied to anyplace. People are constantly starting up, getting busted, quitting, etc, and each time that happens it affects the whole market in both directions. This may be a nice chart of averages, but in this case, no place is average.
Man I’m high…
Canadian Guy, posted this comment on Nov 29th, 2007
Ouch, I feel sorry for you guys, I pay 140 an o and that’s what this article calls a hearty supply of flower buds of exceptional potency. now granted that’s still pretty low per standard canadian pricing, but if I don’t go through normal channels, I pay no more than 180 an o, maybe 200 if I’m in a hurry.
Dimadooo, posted this comment on Nov 30th, 2007
I love weed!
bcowie, posted this comment on Nov 30th, 2007
This is so inaccurate I think someone just made it up out of thin air! I don\’t know anyone who smokes leaves,much less pay $25 per 1/8. You wouldn’t get high, but you might get a sore throat or a headache.
mexican dude, posted this comment on Nov 30th, 2007
Hi, I am Mexican, and i can tell u that theres some excellent Mexican weed and the best thing is that un can get an oz for 50 bucks, and I’m talking chronic, 100 and u get the greatest oz of weed in the market, and I’m speaking of what this article defines as End User level. And I’m also speaking of Tijuana prices which are the highest if u go south u might get kilos (2.2 lb) for the same price, maybe less…
Jasmine, posted this comment on Nov 30th, 2007
thats really interesting information..i like it very much thanx for sharing it
jasmine
tech-chek.blogspot.com
Angelina Mina, posted this comment on Nov 30th, 2007
this article is nice n sweet thanx for it and keep on updating such article…
Angelina Mina
happy-funtime.blogspot.com
Haha, posted this comment on Nov 30th, 2007
I love how people think they are in-the-know when it comes to pot because they know a few dealers and believe any “facts” the dealers or other people tell them.
“Oh place X has better prices/quality than place Y”
The only prices you know about are the ones that are given to you by the people you know, everything else you couldn’t possibly know so don’t pretend that you do
ThatOtherDude, posted this comment on Dec 1st, 2007
Listen to the dude in comment 4 he is more marijuanically, lol, correct than anyone!
chimera, posted this comment on Dec 2nd, 2007
i’m in san francisco, prices are around 50-60/eighth oz on the street, maybe 40/eighth if you know someone. the bud can range from okay to amazing, but you need to know how to spot it. the dealers will all try to hustle you by selling light bags, so always haggle unless it looks like an honest go.
as for the supply chain, we have *legal dispensaries for medical marijuana. i believe a lot of the good weed that hits the streets comes from these places, is supplied to street kids by someone with a club card, then is marked up 10-20 dollars/eighth. sometimes you’ll see bubble hash or hash oil for sale in the street too, and i feel like those have to come from dispensaries as well.
Cheech, posted this comment on Dec 8th, 2007
Weed should be free man.
delaweed, posted this comment on Dec 30th, 2007
Where i live its either mids for $10 a gram nug for $15 or headies for $20 and sometimes you can find better stuff for anywhere from $25 to $60. Local dealers will deliver as little as 1 gram.most dealers either buy it by the ounce from their ace (supplyer) or travel down south where it goes for very cheap. Here you are allways seeing different strains but its all classified as mids, heds, or nug.
Danni Marino, posted this comment on Feb 29th, 2008
lol… I smoke weed, i have bought it and sold it. this is the dumbest article ever. its not controlled and thus you can not have a stable architecture like this. poster #4 is right. this is great if you live in a video game world.
2fo, posted this comment on Jul 19th, 2008
i am an indoor white widow grower and i can produce up to 30 lbs in 5 months after i cure them and am not a smoker… but i used to sell a pound for $3,000 but since my dealers are now life long homies i give it to them for $2,000/pound… i make about $45,000 every 5-6 months after rent and utility bills.
russianbear, posted this comment on Sep 8th, 2008
eh man i pay 30 for 1/4qt, 80 for 1/2qt
so u saying i get it directly from the supplier?
shadows, posted this comment on Nov 17th, 2008
Mexican dude what city should I get my flight tickets for.
l,s, posted this comment on Dec 13th, 2008
how do you weigh nickel and dimes
synesthesiaac, posted this comment on Mar 2nd, 2009
1/8 oz in Canada is typically called a “half-quad” and goes for around $25-30 where $35+ would be the price set for more luxury buds like BC bud or Durban Diesel.
Here it ALL depends on who you know. If you have a friend who happens to be a higher level dealer (who chops in pounds) then you’re pretty much set up and can hook up half-o’s for only $70-80. In most cases it’s a ratio that exceeds 2:1.
uk420, posted this comment on Jun 16th, 2009
stop it !! all of you, don’t comment this guy can’t even spell cannabis!!!
Aaron, posted this comment on Jul 12th, 2009
cannabis… CANNA-BIS. It isn\’t hard. By the way… this guy has no idea what he\’s talking about. CANNABIS!!!!
elio diiorio, posted this comment on Oct 17th, 2007
interesting breakdown of cannibis industry