Lifestyle

America’s top weed cities of 2023 announced

Published on April 13, 2023 · Last updated April 24, 2023
The US' best weed cities in 2024 include Kansas City, and Baltimore. Read the details.
The US' best weed cities in 2024 include Kansas City and Baltimore. Read the details.

Follow the smoke to the fire, America.

Tens of millions of weed lovers have some new spots to check out this year in seven states.

The real estate website Real Estate Witch has divined the top 10 best weed cities in the US for you. Real Estate Witch computed its list based on legality, number of weed doctors and stores, dispensary ratings, Leafly visitors, average pot prices, and cool stuff to do like concerts and hiking.

Below, Leafly has more on each stoner city. So book a ticket, plan a road trip, and take off for places where your lifestyle is not only protected but celebrated. 

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No. 1 Portland, OR

Double Motorboat Rosin Cartridge, grown by Archive Oregon. Hybrid. (Ryan Herron for Leafly)
Double Motorboat Rosin Cartridge, grown by Archive Oregon. Hybrid. (Ryan Herron for Leafly)

Put a bird on it! Portland, Oregon ranks as probably the freest place on the planet for weed fans. Oregon legalized adult-use cannabis in 2015, and intense competition has lowered the price of cheap ounces to $50. Ounces—not eighths. Portland has the most dispensaries per capita of any city on the list; there’s fancy stores like Serra, and budget options like Floyd’s. The music scene, the abundance of hiking trails, and the pot-positive people shine bright in Stumptown. 

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No. 2 Denver, CO

The Mile High City earns its name with a second place finish in the stoner city rankings for 2023. Colorado legalized in 2012 and today an all-singing, all-dancing, 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 a top-shelf ounce average just $243. Whether it’s Taco Bells, music venues, trails, or head shops, Denver delivers for its irie residents and visitors.

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No. 3 Buffalo, NY

Buffalo, New York is the dark horse of 2023 stoner cities. It came from nowhere to take third place thanks to fresh legalization in The Empire State, and a scrappy mix of cheap pot, a decent amount of stores, quality service, and a passionate weed scene. New York City has just a handful of dispensaries for nearly a million smokers. By contrast, indigenous landowners in Buffalo got a head start and have lots of stores open, with weed very cheap. Top-shelf ounces are now cheaper on average in Buffalo, NY than in San Francisco, CA. That’s just wild.

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Basom Bud Depot

(Courtesy Basom Bud Depot)
(Courtesy Basom Bud Depot)

387 Bloomingdale Rd, Basom, NY 14013

www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/basom-bud-depot

Basom, NY, you say? The hamlet of Basom has a quaint, neighborly feel, but the cannabis selection is anything but suburban. The Basom Bud Depot is located within the Tonawanda Indian Reservation, meaning you’re getting dank buds straight from the land’s oldest stewards at prices Manhattan dispensaries can’t beat. You can find a mix of new exotics and classic cultivars like Acapulco Gold, an array of concentrates, edibles, and vapes, while also filling up your tank.

Heron’s Landing Smoke Shop

(Courtesy Heron's Landing)
(Courtesy Heron’s Landing)

11186 Southwestern Blvd, Irving, NY 14081

www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/heron-s-landing-smoke-shop

More like Heron’s Takeoff. The Heron’s Landing Smoke Shop is a 100% Native-owned, new kind of one-stop-shop. It’s a gas station, smoke shop, cannabis dispensary, and diner located on Seneca Nation land, so your endocannabinoid system, your stomach, and car will all leave full and satisfied. They carry strains of the moment like Gary Payton and Runtz, as well as tasty hashes, disposable live resin vapes, and 1000 mg gummies. 

The Lab Dispensary

(Courtesy The Lab)
(Courtesy The Lab)

10924 Old Lake Shore Rd, Irving, NY 14081

www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/the-lab-dispensary

Join the likes of Frankenstein and Dexter when you step into The Lab, a Native- and family-owned adult use and medical cannabis dispensary on the Cattaraugus reservation. Beyond brimming mason jars of frosty buds—ounces start at $30!—they also offer ample accessories, high-dose edibles, and hash by the eighth. For those seeking a covert and comfy smoking spot, patrons can opt into a VIP membership for $50 a month that gives them access to a smoking lounge.

No. 4 Seattle, WA

The home of grunge, Amazon, and Starbucks loves to drink good, eat good, and smoke good—making Seattle the fourth best weed city in the US this year. I’m currently puffing on some devastatingly strong, world-class Gas Face; bred by Seed Junky Genetics, and grown by Torus. The 24.8% THC strain makes the crisp white April sun even more brilliant as the seagulls screech and wheel in the sky. Seattle has a chill, high-quality dispensary scene, with lots of options at any price. Top-shelf ounces average $248. Shawn Kemp Cannabis in Belltown has over 2,400 THC products for sale—dayam. Pair that amazing ganja with Seattle’s robust music scene, and gorgeous nature trails.

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No. 5 Baltimore, MD

Maryland is on the cusp of becoming the next legalization state, but Baltimore’s already earning accolades as the fifth best weed city in the US. Its robust medical cannabis scene has the most doctors per capita ready to write a recommendation than any city on the list. A serviceable amount of Maryland dispensaries exist, and they’re well-reviewed. Average dispensary prices are high, but no city loves weed as much as B’more.

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Remedy– Baltimore

(Courtesy Remedy)

7165-C Security Blvd Windsor Mill, MD 21244

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/remedy—baltimore

Registered Maryland medical cannabis patients get the highest-quality, most efficacious, and most carefully selected medications to relieve their ailments in a safe, welcoming, and comfortable environment. Remedy’s goal is to become Maryland’s leader in medical cannabis supply and support. Remedy’s second Location is located nearby in Columbia, MD. Wellness is a life-long physical and mental journey. Try Remedy’s patient-centered approach to care so you get the best experience and the best natural medicine every time you visit.

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No. 6 Las Vegas, NV

Back in the day, Nevada used to advertise prison time for a few joints. Today, Las Vegas is the sixth best weed city in the US, and an epicurean epicenter of the West. You’ll see weed advertising from the second you land as Harry Reid International Airport, where there are kiosks to pre-order bud. Cabbies will take you to their ‘favorite’ spot. Delivery service is world-class. Proper cannabis hotels and lounges are coming next. Nobody does decadence like Vegas; it has more head shops and Taco Bells per capita than any of the higher-ranked cities. It also has a surprisingly high amount of nature trails. Stay high-drated!

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No. 7 Sacramento, CA

Go, Sacramento, go. California’s capital city earns its place in the US’ 10 best weed cities list with plenty of really high-quality shops, low prices, and a lot of fast food and music. Leading cannabis brands like Alien Labs and Symbiotic Genetics call Sacramento home. We think it has the right mix of affordability, industry, and political alignment to become even more of a cannabis epicenter.

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Dank City Delivery

(Courtesy Dank City Delivery)
(Courtesy Dank City Delivery)

Serving the Sacramento area

www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/dank-city-delivery

Dank delivers the stank in Sacramento! This authentic, chill, mom-and-pop-run cannabis delivery service has edibles starting at $4 and pre-rolls starting at $5. Dank Delivery order minimums are usually $45, but they promise same-day service in Sacramento County and surrounding areas. With 271 menu items, we’d get the Lumpy’s brand flower from the maker of the Apple Fritter strain himself in his hometown. Order two $85 half ounces to be sitting on a zip for under $200. There are discounts for first orders, early birds and seniors, plus 14 live deals right now; 25% off first delivery.

Amuse Delivery – Sacramento

(Courtesy Amuse)
(Courtesy Amuse)

Serving Sacramento County and beyond

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/amuse-delivery-sacramento

Amuse delivery brings world-class cannabis and service to your door the same day, with a $65 order minimum. The company runs delivery hubs serving LA, Orange County, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Sacramento, with 321 menu items listed in Sac-town alone. Amuse has a price match guarantee, but you probably won’t need it when PacStone Blue Dream ounces are $135, Foxy top-shelf flower is just $30 an eighth, and PAX live rosin pods are $41. Amuse accepts cash, debit, and AeroPay. New customers get $30 off.

No. 8 San Diego, CA

The sun-drenched surf wonderland land of Jeff Spicoli takes eighth place in the country’s best weed cities. The city is still ramping up on licensing stores, but the ones that are open are really good, and deliver it to your door across the region. Average top-shelf ounces run $270 and falling. San Diegans love their herb, their tacos, their nature trails, and music clubs. No one is surprised to see San Diego shredding the gnar on this list.

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Torrey Holistics & Cali Holistics

(Courtesy Torrey Holistics)
(Courtesy Torrey Holistics)

10671 Roselle St #100, San Diego, CA 92121

810 Paseo Del Rey Chula Vista, CA 91910

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/torrey-holistics

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/california-holistics

San Diego and Chula Vista’s Torrey Holistics and Cali Holistics earn their stellar reviews from medical and adult-use cannabis customers with fast and easy in-store shopping, parking lot pickup, and delivery from Carlsbad, CA to Chula Vista. Torrey Holistics advertises 465 products for sale with eighth-ounces starting at just $12. Ounces top out at just $140. Shop the high-end stuff from Cannabiotix and Northern Emeralds, or support outdoor farms with Sun+Earth certified Farm Cut Harmony Rose in the 14-gram jar. There’s Dreamt sleep tinctures for retirees and Wyld gummies to have some fun. Veterans, seniors, and early birds all get discounts; a compassion program gives away weed to those in need.

Mountainside San Diego

Serving the San Diego area

https://mountainsideco.com/

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/mountainside-cooperative

Coming out of the Santa Cruz mountains, Mountainside San Diego has legit, medical cannabis collective roots and good taste. The 8-year-old group specializes in delivery to Carlsbad, Encinitas, Vista, Oceanside, and the Lake Forest areas of Southern California. Fresh on the menu, the Arcata Fire Rainbow Beltsrosin shows off Mountainside’s curation skills. Mountainside also packages up their own bargain flower eighths for just $20. Aiming for the best weed at a reasonable price, Mountainside never charges a delivery fee or minimum.

No. 9 Los Angeles, CA

America thinks Los Angeles is the number one weed city in the US, but it squeaks out a ninth place finish on this list. Why so low? Five years after legal sales started in California, LA has just three dispensaries per 100,000 people—the same as Buffalo, NY. And LA legal weed is more expensive than Buffalo—yikes. Los Angeles is massive and has a lot going for it, whether it’s music venues or trails. But the city that gave the world the seminal rap album “The Chronic” and the strain OG Kush still has yet to license a single cannabis event. If you want to smoke weed legally in public, you have to drive out to Adelanto, CA in the desert. That’s not the recipe for success.

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The Farmacy Westwood

(Courtesy The Farmacy)

1035 Gayley Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90024

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/farmacy-westwood

Call it a place of higher learning. For UCLA students and locals, the Farmacy has offered patients and later rec users a broad range of products that can help you study, or help you relax after midterms for well over a decade. The Farmacy’s menu is vast but mercurially curated—on Leafly it’s 35 pages of products! Its flower selection? Dean’s list. Edibles? Summa cum laude. They even have seeds if you dare to grow your own.

The Rose Collective

411 Rose Ave, Venice, CA 90291

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/the-rose-collective

Would a rose by any other name smell as dank? Probably not. The Rose Collective has held it down for canna lovers and patients in Venice Beach since 2007, serving up a beginner-friendly and cannasseur mix of strains and products within a stylish store facade. Their menu boasts over 500 SKUs, and they run weekly deals. 

Amuse Delivery – Los Angeles

(Courtesy Amuse)

Los Angeles, CA

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/amuse-delivery-los-angeles

It’s rather amusing that in the last few years, the dispensary can come to you. Amuse Delivery is one such option, a cheeky delivery service that keeps its menus packed with hundreds of items across a wide range of cannabis tastes, from $10 eighths to $100 ounces. And, should you find a better deal, they guarantee a price match.

No. 10 San Francisco, CA

Moe Greens cannabis lounge in San Francisco (Leafly File Photo by Jamie Soja)
Moe Greens cannabis lounge in San Francisco (Leafly File Photo by Jamie Soja)

Rounding out the top 10 list is the city where the cannabis freedom movement took off—San Francisco. The city that pioneered medical cannabis has no use anymore for pot doctors. San Francisco went legal in 2016, yet SF has less than one-third the number of dispensaries per capita than Portland and higher average prices than Las Vegas. SF’s copious amount of trails and music venues rescue it from falling out of the top 10 list entirely. You gotta pump those numbers up, SF.

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Purple Star MD

2520 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/purple-star-md

Looking for healing in San Francisco? Set your compass for Purple Star MD. Located in the heart of the city’s historic Mission District, this dispensary’s long standing reputation as a community haven is reinforced with affordable prices (including “always-on” discounts for veterans, seniors and those battling cancer), reliably impeccable customer service, and a rotating selection of NorCal’s finest cannabis strains. Swing by for big bargains on dabs and delicacies with 20% off wax and edibles or blast off to the cosmos with the latest heat from Alien Labs.

Elevated San Francisco

2442 Bayshore Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94134

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/elevated-sf

Come for the deals, come back for the service. That’s the motto at Elevated San Francisco, where customers come to sample the best NorCal cannabis has to offer. In addition to their storefront location in Visitacion Valley, Elevated goes above and beyond with a delivery service that covers a sizable swath of the southern Bay Area. With an array of popular products always in stock, it’s no surprise that Elevated SF has become a go-to destination for both locals and tourists alike. Shop for stellar savings like BIG half-ounces for as cheap as $42 (pre-tax) and a diverse array of tasty wax and concentrates.

Amuse Delivery – San Francisco

(Courtesy Amuse)

Serving the Bay Area

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/amuse-delivery-bay-area

With Amuse Delivery, the entire Bay Area can order a smile straight to their door in the form of 600+ cannabis products available on-demand. Sweetening the pot are perks like free delivery on every order and Amuse’s price-match guarantee, making this delivery service the full package when it comes to getting cannabis delivered quickly, discreetly, and affordably in San Francisco and across the greater Bay Area. Enjoy special offers like Amuse’s 4/20 Box, which packs $124 worth of premium cannabis items into a goodies box priced at just $59.99. Save green and stay on-the-go this 4/20 with Amuse!

Bonus City—No. 11 Boston, MA

And here’s your bonus 11th-place weed city in the US—Boston. It’s got an OK number of stores that are pretty well-liked. Prices are relatively high but falling. What Bostonians lack in store options they make up for with passion for ganja and a fair amount of music venues. Bonus, Massachusetts lets you grow weed at home, and you can buy clones of Chemdog from the breeder Chemdog himself.

Sponsored message

Doobie

(Courtesy Doobie delivery)

Serving the Boston area

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/doobie-delivery-f9a5f

No need to pahk the cah in the Hahvahd yahd—Doobie will do that for you. If you find yourself in need of artisanal edibles, loud buds, or infused prerolls, Doobie’s cannabis delivery service can provide you with all that in more in the same timeframe it takes to order a pizza. They also service areas in Missouri.

High Profile x Budega in Boston, and Roslindale

Deli-style, for the win. (Courtesy High Profile)
Deli-style, for the win. (Courtesy High Profile)

43 Freeport St, Boston, MA 02122

3995 Washington St, Roslindale, MA 02131

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/high-profile-boston

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/high-profile-roslindale

Two is always better than one. High Profile x Budega’s two locations bring back a medical days classic—your weed, deli style! No need to go by prepacked numbers here; pick the exact buds you want at the amount you want. They carry a mix of East and West Coast brands for locals and visitors alike. 

Bud Bus

Serving the Boston area

https://www.leafly.com/dispensary-info/bud-bus

No time for a dispensary run? No problem. Bud Bus delivery would prefer you don’t lift a finger, unless it’s to take another hit. They run weekly deals and curate a strong roster of zaza and boutique brands, from Camino to Jealousy, our 2022 strain of the year. For the bougie in all of us!


Don’t see your city? Check for it over on Clever’s real estate site. Hope to see you in the clubs of America’s new cannabis capitals.

Produced by David Downs, with Amelia Williams and Zack Ruskin

Discuss America’s best weed cities civilly in the comments below.

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Leafly Staff
Leafly Staff
Leafly is the world’s largest cannabis information resource, empowering people in legal cannabis markets to learn about the right products for their lifestyle and wellness needs. Our team of cannabis professionals collectively share years of experience in all corners of the market, from growing and retail, to science and medicine, to data and technology.
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