Should black market weed cost as much as legal weed?

Yes. Here’s why.

One of the most common questions about cannabis is why is it so expensive?

Up until recently, cannabis was compared to precious metals by value per ounce.

Currently, the average price of gold is ~$1900/ounce. (Google)

The U.S. average price of cannabis is $319/ounce (and declining steadily), ranging up to nearly $600 in D.C. (Statista)

Concentrates vary widely; I’d say $60–75/gram or $1000–2000/ounce is a fair average for concentrates (with a WIDE range in quality).

For a while, hash enthusiasts were saying “invest in hash” as it was selling for more than its weight in gold.

With legalization, many question why cannabis still costs so much?

There is a lingering belief that the largest cost of producing cannabis is the illegality of it. This is not incorrect, but it is also inaccurate. There are plenty of costs associated with producing cannabis, and legality is surely one of the biggest, but is not the sole driver of of the market.

Even in legal situations, cannabis is expensive to grow, especially when compared with other agricultural goods.