Spending from $25 to $200, college students are willing to use their spare cash to splurge on weed. The prices depend on the amount and type, but on average $35 per eighth of an ounce, 3.5 grams, is most common in upstate New York.
A national study by the University of Michigan states that 38% of full-time college students ages 19-22 have used marijuana within 2017.
One Oswego State student, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he buys an eighth of an ounce of marijuana at least two times a month. This costs the student about $60 a month, or $30 for each transaction. The student said he buys from the same dealer each time, a person back in his home town, but is aware of the several dealers on campus. He also said he finds himself buying more when school gets stressful, saying he can sometimes last two months before needing to buy again.
Other students said the cost is somewhat the same across the board. One said an eighth ranges from $35 to $45. Another said the most she’s paid is $65.
An Oswego Police Department official said the most that is ever caught on a college student is a gram, costing about $10. Lt. Damian Waters said the city is always dealing with substance problems.
“The department deals with it regularly,” Waters said, and in today’s world with vapes, edibles and other forms of marijuana, there are a lot of weed encounters.
Waters had no comment on legalizing the drug for recreational use, but said he will “enforce the law.”
According to students, the average cost of a gram of weed for recreational use bought off the street in Oswego is about $10 – $15, which will allow for one joint or marijuana cigarette.
While unable to find students who use marijuana for certified medical purposes, New York state allows the use of medical marijuana, a growing industry that is affecting a lot of people. Kevin Harbison, who is the district manager for Verilife, a medical marijuana provider in upstate New York and Pennsylvania, said he sees the average customer from age 55 to 57. He has seen the occasional college student, but that is rare because of the certification process needed to be prescribed medical marijuana. Harbison, a former pharmacist, said that it costs “$150 in supplies per patient,” and that will be for a month.
Harbison retold the story of a 20-year-old man who fractured his back. The man was on 12 different medications, in a brace and used a walking cane. Harbison said after the man spent a few months using marijuana, he no longer was on medications or using a cane. Harbison said that example is one of the reasons he enjoys what he does, promoting medical marijuana. He said it promotes a “better quality of life.”
The Oxford Treatment Center, an American addiction facility with multiple locations, estimates that the average cost of one ounce, or 28 grams of medium quality marijuana in New York state is about $271. A joint typically costs $6.30. According to the center’s website, marijuana is a common substance used in the United States.
The website states, “22.2 million Americans have used it in the past month and many start using it in their adolescent years.” With marijuana being legal in some states for recreational or medical use. Prices and accessibility vary from state to state. Costing more per ounce in the eastern states, the national average per ounce is $326, according to the Oxford Treatment Center.
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