Japan’s capital has topped a global weed price index, beating out 120 other cities. According to the survey, the Ecuadorian city of Quito has the cheapest weed—at just US$1.34 a gram. It’s nearly 25 times more expensive in Tokyo, and will set you back US$32.66 a gram.
Asian cities featured highly in the most expensive list with Seoul, Kyoto, Hong Kong, and Bangkok filling out the top five. Dublin, Tallinn, Shanghai, Beijing, and Oslo also made it into the top 10.
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South American cities were some of the cheapest places to buy weed with Bogota, Asuncion, Panama City, and Montevideo all making the top 10. According to the data, there doesn’t seem to be a strong relationship between the price of weed and the amount consumed. Quito only consumed 0.6 metric tonnes of weed versus, say, New York where it costs $10.76 a gram and topped the world for consumption at 77.44 metric tonnes.
The survey, commissioned by automatic cultivator device Seedo, also looked at how much cities could earn in tax revenue if they were to legalise weed. Interestingly, Cairo stood to gain the most from legalisation, raking in a hypothetical $384 million. Egypt currently has very strict drug laws, and retains the death penalty for anyone caught smuggling in large quantities of cannabis.
When it comes to a weed tax, two Australian cities made the global top 10. Sydney took out the number four spot, with $138 million coming if marijuana was legalised and taxed. For Melbourne, the potential revenue was $132 million.
“That illegal cannabis use is so high in countries that still carry the death penalty, such as Pakistan and Egypt, those in power ought to see how desperately new legislation is needed,” Seedo’s chief medical officer Uri Zeevi said.
“By removing the criminal element from marijuana, governments will then able to more safely regulate production, take away power from underground gangs, and as we’ve shown in this study, generate huge tax revenues.”
