In 2018, Massachusetts was the first state on the East Coast to have legal recreational cannabis. As of today, a majority of the Northeast has followed suite or are gearing up to address adult-use legislation. Most recently, on Jan 10, 2023, you can finally buy weed in Connecticut as they launch the recreational sale of cannabis within its borders.
Comparing Cannabis Tax Rates In Connecticut and Massachusetts
When it comes to pricing, Connecticut places nearly a 20% tax rate on cannabis which includes the state’s 6.35% sales tax, a 10-15% rate depending on the THC content and an additional 3% sales tax for the town/city where the cannabis is sold.
Massachusetts has similar taxes on weed with the state’s 6.25% sales tax going towards the price along with an excise tax rate of 10.75% for recreational sales.
How Much Does Weed Cost In Connecticut vs Massachusetts?
One company that is both in Connecticut and Massachusetts is Fine Fettle, a Connecticut based dispensary chain that has three CT locations and two in Massachusetts. One strain that is sold at both the Rowley, Massachusetts and Stamford, Connecticut locations is White Runtz. The Rowley location sells Frozen White Runtz from Lifted Cannabis for $55 for 3.5 grams while the Stamford location sells White Runtz at the same price from CT Pharma. Keep in mind that if you are buying from the Stamford location, White Runtz will be labeled as Blancavec Flower H.
All Connecticut dispensaries have specific names for strains given to them by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. There are guides like Dabbin’ Dad that can help you decipher the names of these strains.
Looking at the prices of edibles, at the Rowley location, a 20 pack of strawberry flavored 100 milligram THC indica gummies retail for $30. Meanwhile, the Newington, Connecticut shop has a 20 pack of 100 milligram strawberry flavored gummies from Encore edibles for $35.
When it comes to the prices of vapes, Affinity Dispensary in New Haven, Connecticut sells .5 gram vapes for $50 that contain between 441-448 milligrams of THC. For comparison, Cannabist in Boston also sells .5 gram vapes, but the prices start at $32.
Recently, cannabis prices have begun to fall in Massachusetts. The average price for a gram of flower was $7.76 in October 2022. That same time in 2021, the average price was $14.38. One factor to the declining prices is the oversaturation of the cannabis market in Massachusetts. Similar states like Washington and Colorado have seen decreases in cannabis prices for similar reasons. In Connecticut, the average price for cannabis is $10.03 for a gram.
Is It Cheaper to Buy Weed in Connecticut or Massachusetts?
As of this writing, it is cheaper to buy weed in Massachusetts than in Connecticut. That could change as Connecticut allows more dispensaries to open and saturation of the cannabis market increases. As for Massachusetts, prices remain low but there is the possibility of rising prices.
