Let’s take a hard look at medical marijuana in Montana, how much money the state is making, and how much money dispensiearies are making.
First, let’s take a look at how many people in Montana smoke medical marijuana and where they’re at. We can get that information from the Montana Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS) website in a PDF about medical marijuana in Montana.
First, let’s take a look at how many people in Montana smoke medical marijuana and where they’re at. We can get that information from the Montana Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS) website in a PDF about medical marijuana in Montana.
Medical Marijuana in Montana
I’ve taken screenshots and this is what it looks like:
Medical Marijuana users in Montana by county
As you can see, all of Montana’s 56 counties have at least 1 medical marijuana user, although not all of them have providers (23 counties, or nearly half those in the state).
As was reported in the state newspapers a week or so ago, Gallatin County has the most medical marijuana users in Montana. Here’s how some others break down:
So those are the top 5 counties in the state, making up 4,332 of the state’s 8,168 patients, or 53%.
These numbers come from February, 2014…the most recent month for these detailed numbers. From what I can tell, the Montana Medical Marijuana Program updates their main numbers about once a quarter, while monthly numbers just show total users.
And that means for February we can get fun facts like this:
As was reported in the state newspapers a week or so ago, Gallatin County has the most medical marijuana users in Montana. Here’s how some others break down:
- Gallatin County: 1,436 patients;
- Flathead County: 1,011 patients;
- Missoula County: 767 patients;
- Silver Bow County: 634 patients;
- Lewis & Clark: 484 patients.
So those are the top 5 counties in the state, making up 4,332 of the state’s 8,168 patients, or 53%.
These numbers come from February, 2014…the most recent month for these detailed numbers. From what I can tell, the Montana Medical Marijuana Program updates their main numbers about once a quarter, while monthly numbers just show total users.
And that means for February we can get fun facts like this:
Medical conditions allowing medical marijuana in Montana
This shows what conditions people are using medical marijuana for. As you can see, the “catch-all” of Severe and Chronic Pain encompasses 5,260 users, or 64%.
So what’s the average age of those users? Take a look:
So what’s the average age of those users? Take a look:
Average age of medical marijuana users in Montana
As you can see, the average age of medical marijuana users in Montana is 47 years of age. Some of you are probably looking at those 4 people under the age of 18 and saying, ‘what the hell?’
Sometimes people have serious conditions that marijuana helps them with, what else can I say? Of course the most users are between the ages of 50 and 60, with 2,350 of the state’s users coming from that demographic, or 28%. If you add up everyone from the ages of 20 to 40 – perhaps ages we’d think of as healthy and not in need of this – you get 2,748 people, or 33%.
Where are people getting this pot from? Well, they get it from providers, and here’s a good look at what that looks like:
Where are people getting this pot from? Well, they get it from providers, and here’s a good look at what that looks like:
Medical marijuana patient/provider ratio in Montana
Here’s a table showing all the providers and how many medical marijuana patients they have. As you can see, the overwhelming majority of the 322 providers in the state are catering to just a few patients. Just 10 providers are catering to 100 patients or more…or 3%.
And those 3 providers giving to 200 patients are more? Those will most likely be providers in Gallatin, Flathead, and Missoula Counties that cater to larger populations.
And when it comes to patients, what about the doctor they get their medical marijuana prescription from? Here’s a chart:
And those 3 providers giving to 200 patients are more? Those will most likely be providers in Gallatin, Flathead, and Missoula Counties that cater to larger populations.
And when it comes to patients, what about the doctor they get their medical marijuana prescription from? Here’s a chart:
Medical marijuana doctors in Montana
As you can see, the vast majority of doctors – there are only 208 able to write prescriptions for this, or who choose to – cater to just a few patients.
But what about these doctors catering to hundreds of patients, or that guy signing up thousands? I don’t know, I don’t know what to say about that. I know there’s a clinic in the Flathead that caters to medical marijuana patients, so maybe that’s it.
And that’s where we need to make a detour from medical marijuana to recreational marijuana.
But what about these doctors catering to hundreds of patients, or that guy signing up thousands? I don’t know, I don’t know what to say about that. I know there’s a clinic in the Flathead that caters to medical marijuana patients, so maybe that’s it.
And that’s where we need to make a detour from medical marijuana to recreational marijuana.
Marijuana in Montana
How many people in Montana smoke pot? We know we have more than 8,000 medical users, but c’mon – we both know more people smoke than that.
According to an August 5 story by the Washington Post, 10.45% of Montanans have smoked marijuana in the past month. That would be 106,o68 people based on the projected 2013 population of 1,015,000 people in the state of Montana.
According to an August 5 story by the Washington Post, 10.45% of Montanans have smoked marijuana in the past month. That would be 106,o68 people based on the projected 2013 population of 1,015,000 people in the state of Montana.
Map showing marijuana use in America (click for Washington Post Link)
The article goes on to say that nationally, 7% of those over the age of 12 have tried marijuana in the past month. Of those ages 18 to 25, 19% had smoked in the past month. When people reach the age of 26 the rate goes down to 5%.
Back in 2012 Montana ranked #14 in the country for marijuana use, with 12.21% of citizens smoking. Of course we know that a lot more than that smoke, mainly because smoking pot is illegal and people tend not to talk about doing illegal things.
You can argue that with me, and I’d love to see you try.
So how much money is this bringing in for the state of Montana right now?
Medical marijuana users have to pay $75 for an application to the state, and providers have to pay $50 – that’s just to get started.
According to the program, this had yielded $550,900 by September of 2013…and that’s not even factoring in the $50 provider fee.
But let’s get serious, and get to the real numbers, tax income and income for those dispensiaries. This is what I want to find, and I can’t…at least not today.
But let’s speculate, shall we?
If you go to a medical marijuana dispensiary you’ll pay $10 for a gram of pot. What does a gram of pot look like?
Back in 2012 Montana ranked #14 in the country for marijuana use, with 12.21% of citizens smoking. Of course we know that a lot more than that smoke, mainly because smoking pot is illegal and people tend not to talk about doing illegal things.
You can argue that with me, and I’d love to see you try.
So how much money is this bringing in for the state of Montana right now?
Medical marijuana users have to pay $75 for an application to the state, and providers have to pay $50 – that’s just to get started.
According to the program, this had yielded $550,900 by September of 2013…and that’s not even factoring in the $50 provider fee.
But let’s get serious, and get to the real numbers, tax income and income for those dispensiaries. This is what I want to find, and I can’t…at least not today.
But let’s speculate, shall we?
If you go to a medical marijuana dispensiary you’ll pay $10 for a gram of pot. What does a gram of pot look like?
What does a gram of marijuana look like?
Now, how much is that, really? It takes 28 grams to make an ounce, and you have to realize that an ounce is exactly how much tobacco is in one pack of cigarettes.
I don’t know anyone that smokes an ounce of pot in a day, but I know several people that smoke two ounces of tobacco a day. Many people that smoke pot might do a gram a day, if even that.
If you look at some advertisements in Montana you’ll see that an ounce of medical marijuana typically goes for $200…if you have a good provider, which usually means a large provider.
The street price of that? An ounce of good pot might run you $200 to $300, depending on your dealer and the type you’re buying.
And this is what we want to know – how much pot is being sold each month or each financial quarter, and how much money the state is making off of that, or more aptly, the economy (in this case mainly black).
Even if every patient were spending $100 a month the number would be low, I’m sure of it. That’d give us $816,800 a month in gross revenue for those dispensiaries. In a year that’d be $9.8 million.
Going further, if we take the 106,068 people that have smoked pot in the past month and put them at spending $100 a month, that'd equal $10.6 million a month, or $127.2 million a year. In comparison, the burgeoning Montana craft brewing industry is a $60 million a year business for our economy.
In Colorado taxes on marijuana are around 29%, meaning an 1/8 of an ounce (a standard measurement) will cost you around $40 ($30 for the pot and $8.59 in taxes added). There are about 3.5 grams in one 1/8 of an ounce.
So that means if Colorado is selling an ounce (a very common monthly allotment for marijuana users) then that cost will be $325 ($250 average ounce price plus $72.5 in tax).
Lots of people are still calling their dealer, therefore, and just avoiding the taxes altogether. That’s called the free market and it’ll drive the tax rate down or it’ll continue like that.
But...do you think anyone cares? While many of you think the world will crumble when marijuana is legalized, the truth is that many people moving about you on a daily basis are smoking pot and the world is functioning just fine.
What’s not functioning is our current federal budget and the vast majority of those in the states. This is one answer for that.
I don’t know anyone that smokes an ounce of pot in a day, but I know several people that smoke two ounces of tobacco a day. Many people that smoke pot might do a gram a day, if even that.
If you look at some advertisements in Montana you’ll see that an ounce of medical marijuana typically goes for $200…if you have a good provider, which usually means a large provider.
The street price of that? An ounce of good pot might run you $200 to $300, depending on your dealer and the type you’re buying.
And this is what we want to know – how much pot is being sold each month or each financial quarter, and how much money the state is making off of that, or more aptly, the economy (in this case mainly black).
Even if every patient were spending $100 a month the number would be low, I’m sure of it. That’d give us $816,800 a month in gross revenue for those dispensiaries. In a year that’d be $9.8 million.
Going further, if we take the 106,068 people that have smoked pot in the past month and put them at spending $100 a month, that'd equal $10.6 million a month, or $127.2 million a year. In comparison, the burgeoning Montana craft brewing industry is a $60 million a year business for our economy.
In Colorado taxes on marijuana are around 29%, meaning an 1/8 of an ounce (a standard measurement) will cost you around $40 ($30 for the pot and $8.59 in taxes added). There are about 3.5 grams in one 1/8 of an ounce.
So that means if Colorado is selling an ounce (a very common monthly allotment for marijuana users) then that cost will be $325 ($250 average ounce price plus $72.5 in tax).
Lots of people are still calling their dealer, therefore, and just avoiding the taxes altogether. That’s called the free market and it’ll drive the tax rate down or it’ll continue like that.
But...do you think anyone cares? While many of you think the world will crumble when marijuana is legalized, the truth is that many people moving about you on a daily basis are smoking pot and the world is functioning just fine.
What’s not functioning is our current federal budget and the vast majority of those in the states. This is one answer for that.
