This City Is the Most Weed-Friendly: Ranking the Largest US Cities for Marijuana Access

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Published: August 10, 2023 4:00 pm

Last Updated: August 11, 2023 9:37 am

The smell of marijuana is now a common part of everyday life in many cities, similar to ridesharing and food delivery services. What was once illegal across the board has now been decriminalized for recreational use in 32 states and fully legalized in 21. However, local governments have their own regulations on dispensaries, so some cities are more welcoming to marijuana use than others.

To determine the most marijuana-friendly cities in America, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a ranking formulated by LawnStarter, a lawn care start-up that frequently conducts research into city and state amenities. The site started with a list of the 200 largest U.S. cities, then narrowed it down to 105 where recreational adult marijuana use is legal. These cities were evaluated across six categories made up of 18 different factors, weighted by importance.

The categories were: access (dispensaries, head shops, home grow legality); customer satisfaction (dispensary reviews); convenience (delivery services, credit card acceptance); lounging (cannabis hotels and lounges); entertainment (tours, events); and “munchies” (fast food and cheese availability). Data for these specific factors came from 14 different sites like CelebStoner and U.S. News, plus previous LawnStarter studies.

Click here to see the most marijuana-friendly cities in America

Thirty-three of the 40 cities on our list are on the West Coast or in the Pacific Northwest or Southwest. This isn’t too surprising, since the counterculture took root in the West in the 1960s – and Washington and Colorado were the first two states to legalize marijuana. Nearly half of the cities here, and three of the top four, are in California. These are the states that consume the most weed.

40. Seattle, Washington
> Access rank: 31/105
> Convenience rank: 60/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 49/105
> Overall score: 24.13

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39. Fresno, California
> Access rank: 62/105
> Convenience rank: 28/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 39/105
> Overall score: 24.2

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38. Scottsdale, Arizona
> Access rank: 73/105
> Convenience rank: 37/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 44/105
> Overall score: 26.1

37. Baltimore, Maryland
> Access rank: 98/105
> Convenience rank: 62/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 5/105
> Overall score: 26.15

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36. North Las Vegas, Nevada
> Access rank: 69/105
> Convenience rank: 70/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 4/105
> Overall score: 26.28

35. Escondido, California
> Access rank: 81/105
> Convenience rank: 56/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 9/105
> Overall score: 26.5

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34. Boston, Massachusetts
> Access rank: 18/105
> Convenience rank: 56/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 57/105
> Overall score: 26.94

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33. Henderson, Nevada
> Access rank: 65/105
> Convenience rank: 66/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 12/105
> Overall score: 27.26

32. Oxnard, California
> Access rank: 44/105
> Convenience rank: 47/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 10/105
> Overall score: 27.53

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31. Grand Rapids, Michigan
> Access rank: 11/105
> Convenience rank: 40/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 47/105
> Overall score: 27.59

New York, New York (CC BY 2.0) by JJBers

30. New York, New York
> Access rank: 20/105
> Convenience rank: 40/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 68/105
> Overall score: 27.68

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29. San Bernardino, California
> Access rank: 25/105
> Convenience rank: 52/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 13/105
> Overall score: 27.82

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Thornton, CO, welcome sign IMG 5209 by Billy Hathorn

Thornton, CO, welcome sign IMG 5209 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Billy Hathorn

28. Thornton, Colorado
> Access rank: 54/105
> Convenience rank: 18/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 27/105
> Overall score: 27.98

27. St. Louis, Missouri
> Access rank: 21/105
> Convenience rank: 62/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 41/105
> Overall score: 28.02

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26. Santa Rosa, California
> Access rank: 15/105
> Convenience rank: 59/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 36/105
> Overall score: 28.14

25. Albuquerque, New Mexico
> Access rank: 9/105
> Convenience rank: 46/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 55/105
> Overall score: 28.37

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24. Detroit, Michigan
> Access rank: 34/105
> Convenience rank: 52/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 15/105
> Overall score: 28.89

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23. Mesa, Arizona
> Access rank: 49/105
> Convenience rank: 62/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 17/105
> Overall score: 29.01

22. Glendale, Arizona
> Access rank: 28/105
> Convenience rank: 50/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 14/105
> Overall score: 30.21

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21. Corona, California
> Access rank: 58/105
> Convenience rank: 23/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 8/105
> Overall score: 30.75

20. Moreno Valley, California
> Access rank: 23/105
> Convenience rank: 33/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 6/105
> Overall score: 31.81

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19. Pomona, California
> Access rank: 41/105
> Convenience rank: 40/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 7/105
> Overall score: 31.9

ALSO READ: The 20 Countries Where People Buy the Most Marijuana

18. Riverside, California
> Access rank: 47/105
> Convenience rank: 21/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 2/105
> Overall score: 32.66

17. Phoenix, Arizona
> Access rank: 59/105
> Convenience rank: 55/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 18/105
> Overall score: 32.83

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16. Oakland, California
> Access rank: 17/105
> Convenience rank: 3/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 26/105
> Overall score: 33.08

15. Modesto, California
> Access rank: 16/105
> Convenience rank: 47/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 16/105
> Overall score: 33.5

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14. Salem, Oregon
> Access rank: 7/105
> Convenience rank: 66/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 30/105
> Overall score: 33.64

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13. San Jose, California
> Access rank: 40/105
> Convenience rank: 5/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 11/105
> Overall score: 33.65

12. Sacramento, California
> Access rank: 12/105
> Convenience rank: 1/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 28/105
> Overall score: 36.69

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11. Washington, D.C.
> Access rank: 13/105
> Convenience rank: 70/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 22/105
> Overall score: 37.12

10. Eugene, Oregon
> Access rank: 3/105
> Convenience rank: 65/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 35/105
> Overall score: 37.66

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9. San Diego, California
> Access rank: 22/105
> Convenience rank: 26/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 20/105
> Overall score: 38.38

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8. Torrance, California
> Access rank: 19/105
> Convenience rank: 26/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 1/105
> Overall score: 39.53

7. Portland, Oregon
> Access rank: 5/105
> Convenience rank: 54/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 42/105
> Overall score: 39.95

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6. Long Beach, California
> Access rank: 8/105
> Convenience rank: 23/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 19/105
> Overall score: 41.34

5. Las Vegas, Nevada
> Access rank: 10/105
> Convenience rank: 45/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 25/105
> Overall score: 45.21

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4. Santa Ana, California
> Access rank: 2/105
> Convenience rank: 16/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 3/105
> Overall score: 49.14

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3. Denver, Colorado
> Access rank: 4/105
> Convenience rank: 49/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 31/105
> Overall score: 50.97

Marina del Rey (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Pedro Szekely

2. Los Angeles, California
> Access rank: 6/105
> Convenience rank: 3/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 21/105
> Overall score: 57.5

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1. San Francisco, California
> Access rank: 1/105
> Convenience rank: 13/105
> Customer satisfaction rank: 33/105
> Overall score: 59.77

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