liars figure and figures lie...

A fair number of drug policy bloggers have been giving attention to a new report concerning how American domestic cannabis growers, specifically those supplying medical marijuana dispensaries, are giving the Mexican drug cartels a good run for their marijuana money. In the story, it is reported that Mexican cartels supply us with about 35M lbs of pot, and that it is roughly equal to half the American consumption, suggesting we consume around 70M lbs of bud. The article further states that 10% of Americans - or 32M of us - smoke pot in a given year (2007 was cited). Which means that the average stoner consumes about one kilo per annum, or a tad more than 35 ounces. And at a fair (but probably low) estimate of $200 per ounce, that means the average stoner spends $7000 per year on pot. Really?

In my heyday I never came close to smoking that much weed. And cannabis consumers skew younger, with most under the age of 40. How many of them do you think, especially given today's economy, spend that kinda dough on pot? So something is very wrong here. If the production levels are correct, then we've got many more than 32M cannabis consumers. And if the consumer numbers are correct, then the production numbers are way too high. I believe the number of stoners (occasional and regular) is closer to 50M, and production levels about the same - meaning the average stoner consumes around one pound per annum, at a cost of $3200 per year.

But in the final analysis, we really have no clue. The only true way to know our consumption levels is to repeal prohibition and replace it with a regulated market to control sales and distribution, very similar to what we now have for alcohol and tobacco.

Stay healthy and high when it helps