4/20 ahead: Where does Florida rank on list for best cities for weed?
About 74% of Americans say they do not have a negative view of stoners, and 62% have actually tried marijuana themselves. But what cities are considered the best for marijuana users?
Online real estate platform Real Estate Witch conducted a study to find the top "weed cities" around the country, with four Florida cities placing within the top 50.
What makes a city a 'weed city'?
To determine the best weed cities in 2024, Real Estate Witch combined forces with Leafly — the leading online cannabis discovery marketplace and resource for cannabis consumers — to rank the 50 largest U.S. metros based on the following metrics:
Legality of cannabis
Google Trends data for common marijuana-related search terms
Dispensaries per 100,000 residents
Cannabis-prescribing doctors per 100,000 residents
Average rating of dispensaries out of 5 stars
Site visitors to Leafly
Number of head shops per 100,000 residents
Concert venues per 100,000 residents
Price of 1 ounce of high-quality weed
Affordability of high-quality weed
Price of 1 ounce of medium-quality weed
Affordability of medium-quality weed
Fast food restaurants per 100,000 residents
Local hiking trails according to the AllTrails database
Movie theaters per 100,000 residents
What is the top US city for weed?
Called the "king of kush," Denver was found to be best weed city in the country.
“It’s the Mile High City. It’s right there in the name,” says David Downs, senior content manager at Leafly. “I want to call out specifically that Colorado has amazing hash because it’s so high and dry and often cold.”
Marijuana is easily accessible in Denver, with a variety of dispensaries selling local favorites. It boasts the third-most dispensaries, with 10.4 per 100,000 residents — 4 times more than the average city. Denver also has the second-highest number of head shops, with 2.3 per 100,000 residents.
The price of pot is "practically unbeatable" in Denver, where an ounce of high-quality weed costs $242, compared to the average price of $318.
See the top 10 best weed cities:
Denver, Colorado
Portland, Oregan
Las Vegas, Nevada
Buffalo, New York
Baltimore, Maryland
Phoenix, Arizona
Seattle, Washington
Sacramento, California
Kansas City, Missouri
Providence, Rhode Island
Where did Florida cities rank for top weed cities?
Four Florida cities placed within the top 50 spots:
Orlando - 30
Tampa - 32
Jacksonville - 33
Miami - 37
Is weed legal in Florida?
Medical marijuana is currently legal in Florida only for residents who have been diagnosed with a qualifying condition and issued a Medical Marijuana ID Card. Medical marijuana must be purchased at a licensed dispensary.
The qualifying conditions are:
Cancer
Epilepsy
Glaucoma
HIV/AIDS
Crohn’s disease
Parkinson’s disease
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Medical conditions of the same kind or class, or comparable to the ones listed above
A terminal condition (must be diagnosed by a physician other than the one issuing the certification for the card)
Chronic nonmalignant pain caused by a qualifying medical condition or that originates from a qualifying medical condition and persists beyond the usual course of that qualifying medical condition
Qualified caregivers may get Medical Marijuana cards to buy, transport and prepare marijuana for use by patients.
Is Florida going to legalize recreational marijuana?
Possibly. It still needs to receive a supermajority or 60% of the vote.
Florida voters will see recreational marijuana on the ballot in Florida as an initiated constitutional amendment on Tuesday, Nov. 5, the same day as the presidential election.
Early voting for the 2024 general election begins Monday, Oct. 21.
Contributor: C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK Florida
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Recreational marijuana in Florida: What Florida cities are best?
