Dispensaries are a wonderful and convenient place for marijuana users to buy. They’re always a friendly locations with quality products and recurring discounts. Dispensaries are a great option for many. But does all of this mean buying from them is the better idea? Homegrown weed might be best.
Table of Contents
Why Buy?
Variety of Flower: Dispensaries can give you a variety of strains that most self-growers wouldn't be able to offer.
Sales and Discounts: Most dispensaries provide sales and reward discounts for all their products at some point.
Regulated Flower Quality: Dispensaries are regulated and have to fulfill several requirements in order to sell products.
| Weight | 1 Gram | 1/8 ounce | 1/2 ounce | 1 ounce |
| Cost | $10-$15 | $25-$50 | $95-$250 | $130-$400 |
Prices vary by location and quality. Calculated pretax. Home grown based on grow systems only.
How much do you spend a month for weed?
Why Grow?
Control the Product: By growing marijuana yourself, you’ll have better control of the plant and what you're smoking.
Avoid Taxes: Not only are you paying for weed, you're paying a hell of a tax for it.
Save Money: Like I said before, dispensaries have a variety of flowers to choose from. However, you're paying a premium for something you might be able to do yourself.
Is your goal to grow your own weed in between dispensary pickups? Do you never want to buy bud again? You can buy an ounce at a time, but ask yourself: Is an ounce really enough?
If you always find yourself at a dispensary and have the ability to grow your own marijuana, consider your options. Take control of your own bud, and be ready to put in a little effort.
What's in Your Bank Account?
One of the biggest mistakes first-time growers make is purchasing the most expensive growing system on a closet budget. Before you decide that you want to grow, you’ll need to budget. Make sure you know how much you can afford in upfront costs and how much money you can spend monthly to complete the cycle. Some people can spend thousands of dollars on a grow room, but in reality, most people must think economically.
Spending money for quality products to design a grow room is a great idea. Not everyone wants to grow in a closet. (But some people do.) It varies from person to person
Homegrown
There are an array of ways to grow indoors. In reality, growing at home needs little space. An area can be as small as 1'x1′.
Soil Medium: This of course, is cultivating using soil.
Hydroponic Medium: Here, you grow the plants using a mineral nutrients solution without soil.
Closet Growing
If the intention is to grow in a small closest in the cheapest way possible, your main products are a bucket ($5), water source (monthly expense), lights ($18), soil ($6), feminized seeds (five for $40), and aluminum foil (check your cabinet).
Doing it this way will cost you less than $100 for initial payment. Not bad. But you have to consider a few things:
If you grow in a small space, like a closet, your yield might be as low as an ounce every three to four months. Your plant will most likely be small and low quality. You may find yourself still going to a dispensary even after starting your own grow.
| Weight | 1 Gram | 1/8 ounce | 1/2 oz | 1 oz |
| Store-bought | $10-$15 | $35-$50 | $95-$250 | $130-$400 |
| Home-grown | $3.50 | $12.50 | $50 | $100 |
Prices vary by location and quality. Calculated pretax. Home grown based on grow systems only.
Larger Spaces
Here's where the savings start to really kick in and the quality of the plants and flower begins to rise. You will have more room for your plant and better options for grow systems.
Soil Based: Growing in a larger space using a 5’x5′ tent can lead to a higher yield — potentially 20 ounces of marijuana a month — using soil. There are packages that make it easy to set up, and discounts are often available for the accessory items. The kit is a little expensive, costing about $500.
| Weight | 1 Gram | 1/8 ounce | 1/2 oz | 1 oz |
| Store-bought | $10-$15 | $35-$50 | $95-$250 | $130-$400 |
| Home-grown | $7.50 | $25 | $12.50 | $25 |
Prices vary by location and quality. Calculated pretax. Home grown based on grow systems only.
Hydroponics: Based on a grow room that measures 5' x 5', you could potentially get 20 percent more ounces per growing session with hydroponics than soil. With this option, you'll pay less than $400 for the grow system. Your initial, extra concerns include seeds, a water source, and buckets.
| Weight | 1 Gram | 1/8 ounce | 1/2 oz | 1 oz |
| Store-bought | $10-$15 | $35-$50 | $95-$250 | $130-$400 |
| Home-grown | $.71 | $2.50 | $10 | $20 |
Prices vary by location and quality. Calculated pretax. Home grown based on grow systems only.
Of course, the bigger the grow room, the higher the prices.
Other Potential Expenses to Consider
When you calculate the price of an ounce at a dispensary, you're spending about $2,600 pretax for a six-plant cycle. Even with extra expenses, if you grow at home, the yield would be worth the discount.
Lighting: The lights themselves don't have to be expensive — You can get them for as low as $70. Concern yourself with the monthly electric bill. It will rise, and you’ll have to pay for it.
Growing Systems: They need to be maintained. At some point, a defective part may need replacement.
More Seeds: You can't grow any more plants if you're out of seeds.
Bugs and Rodents: You'll have to make sure pests stay out of your grow.
Security: With any expensive hobby, you have to concern yourself with security and monitoring. There are various ways, but for large spaces, extra steps should be taken. Some growers use cameras and alarm systems (yes it's that serious).
Growing in your backyard shed? Easy target. The smell will be pungent, and someone might get a whiff and break in.
Unusable Plants: While weed doesn't really go bad like food does, marijuana experts give it about a year before it's considered expired, unless it grows mold and mildew beforehand.
Once you get over the initial costs, it's smooth sailing from there. Just don't forget about the recurring expenses. While prices of accessories will vary from place to place, the likelihood of saving money is high, if you know what you're doing.
Convenience and Quality
If you decide to head the grow-your-own direction, you'll save money over time. In fact, you could save a tremendous amount. The marijuana is regulated by you, and you determine its quality. But if you're not willing to put in the effort, the quality of your marijuana will take a downfall. Remember those bad bags over the years? You may not have the quality plants you would like. That's where the convenience of dispensaries come in.
Wait. Can I Even Grow?
Growing laws differ in all legal states. The good news is many states allow home-growing with a few restrictions concerning the amount of plants and their maturity. Some regulate by the ounce, while some regulate by the plant. A few states even allow up to six mature plants in a household.
The bad news? Home cultivation is not permitted in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Yes. I waited until the end to tell you.
