Han Bing, Shi Yuyan
Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States.
Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States.
Int J Drug Policy. 2025 Mar;137:104722. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104722. Epub 2025 Feb 1.
Following cannabis legalization, sales in legal markets have steadily increased. Policies influencing product prices are crucial for cannabis regulation and control. This study aimed to evaluate the determinants of cannabis prices at the product, dispensary, and state levels in legal markets in the United States.
Nationwide data on product- and dispensary-level characteristics were collected in 2022 and merged with state-level policy data. The final analysis included 710,588 cannabis flower products from 3,693 dispensaries across 30 states and Washington D.C. with recreational and/or medical cannabis legalization. Multilevel mixed-effects regressions were used to estimate the associations between cannabis prices and product-, dispensary-, and state-level characteristics. Pre-rolls and dried flowers were analyzed separately.
The average standardized price per gram was $11.72 for pre-rolls and $9.05 for dried flowers, with significant variations across states. A positive association was found between prices and THC level (THC elasticity of price = 0.17, 95 % CI: 0.088, 0.25) and a negative association was found between prices and item weight (weight elasticity of price = -0.18, 95 % CI: -0.22, -0.14). There was limited evidence of associations between prices and dispensary-level characteristics, such as dispensary type (medical vs. recreational), license status, and density of nearby competitors. State tax rates at the retail level were positively associated with prices. These relationships were consistent for both pre-rolls and dried flowers.
Policies targeting potency and item weight may have substantial impacts on cannabis prices in legal markets. Future research is needed to examine how consumers respond to these policies.
随着大麻合法化，合法市场的销量稳步增长。影响产品价格的政策对于大麻监管至关重要。本研究旨在评估美国合法市场中产品、药房和州层面大麻价格的决定因素。
2022年收集了全国范围内产品和药房层面特征的数据，并与州层面政策数据合并。最终分析纳入了来自30个州和华盛顿特区3693家药房的710588种大麻花卉产品，这些地区大麻用于娱乐和/或医疗已合法化。采用多水平混合效应回归来估计大麻价格与产品、药房和州层面特征之间的关联。对预卷烟和干花分别进行了分析。
预卷烟每克平均标准化价格为11.72美元，干花为9.05美元，各州之间存在显著差异。价格与四氢大麻酚（THC）水平呈正相关（THC价格弹性=0.17，95%CI：0.088，0.25），与产品重量呈负相关（重量价格弹性=-0.18，95%CI：-0.22，-0.14）。价格与药房层面特征（如药房类型（医疗药房与娱乐药房）、许可证状态以及附近竞争对手密度）之间的关联证据有限。零售层面的州税率与价格呈正相关。这些关系在预卷烟和干花中均一致。
针对效力和产品重量的政策可能对合法市场的大麻价格产生重大影响。未来需要开展研究以考察消费者对这些政策的反应。
