A SK A STONER BY HERBERT FUEGO Dear Stoner: It’s pretty simple why weed sales are down: infl ation. Weed, like everything else, is now more expensive. Not sure why people are surprised. Pauline REC DEALS OF THE WEEK Promo Ounces Start From $49 Any Shelf Ounce for $75 Champagne Wax & Shatter 8 Grams For $75 Start From $69 Double Black Live Resin 8 Grams For $135 4 Grams For $70 1 Gram For $20 BOGO 50% OFF Promo Ounces All Edibles Dear Pauline: Everything but weed. As infl ation tops 9 percent in metro Denver and hovers above the national average across the rest of the state, cannabis has actually become much cheaper. From January 2021 to April 2022, the wholesale price per pound of fl ower fell over 46 percent on average in Colorado, according to the state Marijuana Enforcement Division; it’s now less than $800. During the same period, the price per pound for buds allocated for ex- traction fell about 55 percent on average, to less than $230. Monthly dispensary sales revenue has also fallen off signifi cantly, shrinking on a year-to-year basis for nine months straight. All of those are ingredients for cheaper weed. I’m seeing $30 price tags on eighths from Cookies and Snaxland on South Broad- way; last year, those same brands were com- manding closer to $60. Premium concentrate prices haven’t dropped as drastically, but I’m not seeing $90 grams of rosin anymore, that’s for sure. Infl ation is still probably affecting sales, though: When rent, gas and seemingly everything else costs more, extracurricular budgets go down. Vices have proven to be recession-proof, though, and cannabis prices always go back up eventually. Dear Stoner: I’ve seen way more cannabis acceptance in Amsterdam than Denver. I don’t get the Mile High reputation. Kade Dear Kade: Unlike Amsterdam, Denver actually has licensed stores where you can buy can- nabis — more per capita than anywhere else in the United States, mind you — and our pot is a helluva lot better than the ’90s weed sold in Amsterdam coffee shops, which could be closed to tourists soon if that city’s mayor gets her way. I’ll also have you know that Denver was recently ranked #1 and #2 on lists of American stoner cities by Real Estate Witch and Lawn- Starter, two prestigious companies that we’ve defi nitely heard of before and that would never create headline-grabbing lists for media plugs. In all seriousness, we wish the people run- ning Denver were cooler about social pot use, and European culture is indeed more self- regulating about gray-area substances. But if you’ve ever seen the thousands of tokers at Civic Center Park on 4/20, then you wouldn’t try to tell anyone that Denver doesn’t accept cannabis. 36 Send questions to [email protected]. APRIL 21-27, 2022 WESTWORD | REAL ESTATE | RENTALS | HEALTH WELLNESS | SERVICES | EMPLOYMENT | ADULT | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | westword.com
