America’s tens of millions of stoners need not endure unequal access to their life-saving medicine and safer alternative to alcohol. They can vote with their feet for some fine cannabis cities, or stay to fix the terrible ones. Right now, all across the US, Americans enjoy widely different levels of weed freedom.
Real Estate Witch’s website computed the top 50 best weed cities in America, and the differences speak volumes. Denver, CO ranks No. 1. Louisville, KY ranks dead last. Below, Leafly presents some highlights and picks from each spot.
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No. 1 Denver, CO
John Denver wasn’t kidding! The Mile High City defends its name with a first-place finish in the stoner city rankings for 2024. I mean, it has a fricking Mile High 420 Fest. Colorado legalized in 2012, and today a mature cannabis industry competes to serve the highest-quality flower and extracts at the lowest price. Denver has nearly four times as many shops per capita as Los Angeles, and the top-shelf ounce average price there bucked inflation, falling $1 in the last year to $242 per ounce. Whether it’s fine dining, shows at Red Rocks, stunning trails, or killer art, Denver delivers for its irie residents and visitors. We can’t wait to visit again.
No. 2 Portland, OR
Leafly smokers are in love with Oregon’s world-class growers and their extract scene. From Archive, to Decibel, to Left Coast Standard to TrueCare Farms, Oregon has the juice! It sports the Northwest Cannafest, a crazy specialty in GMO Cookies, and even balanced CBD strains.
See all of our Oregon stories to smoke like a local.
No. 3 Las Vegas, NV
Sin City aims to corner the market on turnt-up cannabis fun. Las Vegas offers legal tree from the second you land. There’s kiosks in the airport, and the cabbies will drive you straight to da club. Combo that cannabis with a trippy visit to The Sphere, some tasty food, and so much more. The cherry on top: Las Vegas’ licensed cannabis smoking lounges are finally opening up. Read our Las Vegas weed visitor’s guide.
No. 4 Buffalo, NY
According to Whitney Economics, just 4 percent of New York smokers consume licensed cannabis. That’s a failure. But not in Buffalo, NY, where locals—including indigenous communities—charted a speedy path to tons of stores and literal tons of cultivation. That’s how you get safe access and do the will of the voters. Buffalo outranks New York City—ouch! Go Bills!
No. 5 Baltimore, MD
American cannabis regulators don’t want to learn from their competitors in other states. But we can still beg them to study Maryland. which canna-balled into adult-use sales in 2023 with a smash success launch. Existing medical growers bulked up, stores flipped from medical to recreational, and supplies never ran dry. May the speedy reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge inspire us all.
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Read more of our Maryland stories.
No. 6 Phoenix, AZ
It’s so great to see this big desert city flower into a cannabis capital. Phoenix has a huge amount of large-scale indoor cultivation bringing down prices. Its regulators did a savvy job of spreading clubs around the state, and getting city buy-in with the carrot of tax revenue, and another special incentive. Cities that ban stores must allow home-growers.
No. 7 Seattle, WA
Downs/Leafly)
Shout-out to all the amazing breeders and growers of Washington: From Exotic Genetix, to Torus, to Artizen to Freddy’s Fuego, Phat Panda, and Constellation rosin. The party is on Bainbridge Island this 4/20!
No. 8 Sacramento, CA
The world doesn’t know it yet, but Sacramento is going to run away with the weed bag. Killer indoor ships statewide from California’s capitol—Alien Labs, Amplified Farms, Natura, Seven Leaves, and so much more. SacTo is perfectly positioned between the foothills, the mountains, and the coast—with water, power, labor, and affordable land. Locals enjoy fine cannabis at fair prices from plentiful stores, and combine it with tasty eats, trips to the Sacramento River, and the mountains. Go meet your legislator with California NORML May 8, and demand ‘Deli-style.’
No. 9 Kansas City, MO
Hot damn! Welcome, Kansas City, Missouri, to America’s top 10 weed cities. Missouri pulled off an epic, drama-free 2023 legalization launch and K.C. is on fire with NFL champs The Chiefs, a new airport, a cleaned-up downtown, and the impending arrival of the US Women’s Soccer team stadium. Missouri has solid medical indoor that flipped to recreational, and they are rapidly getting up the learning curve on dope strains. Plus, world-class barbecue, jazz, shopping, affordability, and plenty of room for newcomers.
No. 10 Providence, RI
The East Coast continues to come alive with legal cannabis, and Providence’s jump up seven spots to rank in the top 10 is a testament to its progress. What is going on in Providence? Well, weed is fully legal. They’re epically passionate, and the town boasts twice as many head shops per capita as Seattle. It’s hard to find a map, but once you get there, expect to find weed-friends.
How we rank the top US weed cities
Real Estate Witch conjured its results by giving cities points for:
- Legality of cannabis
- The cost of weed
- Consumer interest as measured by Google Trends
- Dispensaries per 100,000 residents
- Doctors per 100,000 residents
- Average rating of dispensaries out of 5 stars
- Site visitors to Leafly
- And the prevalence of head shops, concert venues, fast food restaurants, hiking trails, and movie theaters
The ten worst cannabis cities in the US
By that token, here are the ten worst weed cities in America, as well:
- Louisville, KY
- Dallas, TX
- Atlanta, GA
- Houston, TX
- Birmingham, AL
- Nashville, TN
- Charlotte, NC
- Milwaukee, WI
- Memphis, TN
- Indianapolis, IN
Go to Real Estate Witch for more details.
And that’s a breezy walk through the top 10 weed cities in the US. You can find your tree in any of them using Leafly, so download the app and tap in to win. Enjoy this golden age of cannabis coast to coast!