Phoenix outranks these major US cities as best places for marijuana use. Here's why

Abigail Beck, Arizona Republic
Updated ·3 min read
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April 20, more commonly referred to as 4/20, is quickly approaching, and with it a renewed mania for marijuana. Phoenix is no exception.

A new study conducted by Real Estate Witch, an online resource for all things real estate, and Leafly, a website for cannabis consumers, revealed that Phoenix has the most passion for pot in the nation.

Arizona became the 13th state to legalize cannabis for recreational use in 2020 after Proposition 207, also known as the Smart and Safe Arizona Act, passed by a margin of about 20%, according to azmarijuana.com.

A Real Estate Witch survey determined that 74% of Americans have a non-negative view of cannabis smokers, 62% have tried it and four states, Florida, Idaho, Nebraska and South Dakota have marijuana legalization on the ballot this upcoming election cycle.

What makes Phoenix ‘the most passionate pot city’

Phoenix earned a perfect score of 100 for pot passion due to the volume of marijuana-related Google searches and Leafly site visits.

Also, Arizona is home to the only cannabis-infused kitchen in the United States, the study found. At Mint Café, customers can buy anything from weed pizza, to wings to a plethora of cannabis-infused baked goods.

More: Marijuana is legal in Arizona. What else to know about the once-forbidden plant

How does Phoenix rank for cannabis consumption?

Overall, Phoenix ranks sixth nationally for best weed cities, according to Real Estate Witch and Leafly. This is a jump from last year, when Phoenix was ranked 13th overall.

A variety of factors played into Phoenix’s top 10 rating, as noted by the study:

  • 2.7 marijuana retailers per 100,000 residents.

  • An average rating of 4.42 out of 5 stars for marijuana retailers across the state, which is the highest rating within the top seventeen best cities for cannabis consumers. Nationally, the rating is 3.59 out of 5. Phoenix ranks fourth overall for dispensary ratings.

  • 0.6 of doctors prescribe cannabis per 100,000 residents.

  • The average price of one ounce of high-quality cannabis costs $292.22, which below the national average of $318 and one ounce of middle quality cannabis costs $234.66.

  • Passion for pot and the Leafly Visitor Index, as measured by search trends, received a 100 out of 100.

  • There are 0.5 head shops, or drug paraphernalia stores, per every 100,000 residents.

'They're all plants:' 10 questions answered about growing cannabis at home in Arizona

Top 15 US cities for marijuana usage

Listed from highest to lowest rating, according to the Real Estate Witch and Leafly's study.

  1. Denver.

  2. Portland, Oregon.

  3. Las Vegas.

  4. Buffalo, New York.

  5. Baltimore.

  6. Phoenix.

  7. Seattle.

  8. Sacramento, California.

  9. Kansas City, Missouri.

  10. Providence, Rhode Island.

  11. Boston.

  12. San Jose, California.

  13. Hartford, Connecticut.

  14. San Francisco.

  15. Oklahoma City.

Top 15 worst cities for cannabis usage

Listed from lowest to highest rating, according to the Real Estate Witch and Leafly's study.

  1. Louisville, Kentucky.

  2. Dallas.

  3. Atlanta.

  4. Houston.

  5. Birmingham, Alabama.

  6. Nashville, Tennessee.

  7. Charlotte, North Carolina.

  8. Milwaukee.

  9. Memphis, Tennessee.

  10. Indianapolis.

  11. Raleigh, North Carolina.

  12. New Orleans.

  13. Salt Lake City.

  14. Miami.

  15. Pittsburg.

These municipalities either only allow marijuana for medicinal use, only allow CBD oil, have decriminalized cannabis or have a crossover of many of these factors.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Is Arizona 4/20 friendly? How it compares to other states