# How much do illegal drugs cost? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 13, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864 "2003-02-13T17:22:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eada6e/32.png) [@phason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phason)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/1 "2003-02-13T17:22:21Z")
Is there a place to find out the street value of various illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, etc? Sometimes I see a DEA bust where they have a bag of cocaine about as big as a loaf of bread and they say the street value of it is X million dollars, but it’s hard to get an idea of what an average person pays for an average dose (hit? serving? whatever) of it. And I don’t know how much I trust the authorities to accurately represent the value of their bust. I also heard on the radio some DJ’s saying an ounce of marijuana is $500. An ounce doesn’t seem like very much and that seems like an awful lot to pay. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/2 "2003-02-13T18:10:38Z")
Well, a dime bag (ten bucks) is a pretty standard unit of measurement for most drugs. Of course, much as with a bag of potato chips, many people will consume more than one “serving” at a time :). I don’t trust the authorities either, but when they show a million dollar loaf of cocaine, keep in mine it would have been cut countless times before it made it’s way into many many dime bags. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/3 "2003-02-13T18:12:14Z")
\*Hello! And welcome to **Threads That Are About To Be Closed!** Today’s lucky contestant is **phason** , an unlicensed newbie from \. Let’s bring him out! \ Welcome! Tell us a little about yourself. While you still can, that is…\* 😃 😃 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/4 "2003-02-13T18:22:04Z")
What do we have for our guest, Don Pardo? ---
**Author:** ![Breezy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Breezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breezy)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/5 "2003-02-13T18:24:24Z")
I think it was a good question. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/6 "2003-02-13T18:30:40Z")
At least as good as, [How to start an illicit affair.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2951863#post2951863) This one has the advantage, as stated above, that it will likely be closed soon. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/7 "2003-02-13T18:32:30Z")
I don’t know. This is a good question. Or would you suggest that the questioner should just go to there nearest local dealer and ask. I also was interested in the relitive cost of drugs compared to safron by weight. Is safron more expensive than hashish, raw opium, herroin? I am genuinly interested, and would not know where to find a local drug dealer, let alone want to ask one questions. Bippy ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/8 "2003-02-13T18:34:47Z")
Phason said, “(hit? serving? whatever)”. Serving. That’s hilarious. Serving. “I’d like my serving of heroin, please.” “Police arrested a man driving a truck containing 1,000,000,000 servings of marijuana” “Only do one serving. This shit is good!” ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/9 "2003-02-13T18:37:32Z")
It is hard to have an idea of scale: when they talk about millions of $$ worth, what does that mean in human terms? When you don’t know (a) how much is spent in a day (b) how many people use it etc … if we knew how much it was worth on the street it might have a bit more meaning. But I can’t really think of a way of coming up with a meaningful statistic. Like: they seized enough crack to keep ten addicts high for a year … or something … ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/10 "2003-02-13T18:43:05Z")
Enough decent weed to give a user one good joint per day would cost, in my estimation, $2000 - $2500 per year, if bought by the ounce from a low-level street dealer. It’s been a while since I’ve smoked, but I think that’s a decent guess. hrh ---
**Author:** ![Emilio\_Lizardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Emilio\_Lizardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emilio_Lizardo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/11 "2003-02-13T18:44:29Z")
The price of drugs varies widely from one market to another, and the price of different drugs varies even more greatly. An ounce of pot is not that much, but an ounce of coke _is_ a lot, and an ounce of LSD is enough to get you classified as a terrorist were you to bring it within a few miles of a water supply. As with all commmodities, there are bulk discounts, and they are quite steep. My knowledge is about 15 years out of date but a pound of pot would cost, say 10 times as much as an ounce, and so forth. When authorities put a dollar value on a drug shipment, rest assured it will be based on the cost of the drugs divided into street-sized lots and sold at full price, rather than what the whole amount would cost. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/12 "2003-02-13T18:46:05Z")
Just read High Times Magazine. they give the prices for stuff all over the USA… I wonder why out library doesn’t have it? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/13 "2003-02-13T18:53:08Z")
OK can I get some ball park figures per ounce, like to the nearest order of magnitude. Hashish Raw Opium Non-Raw Opium Herroin Cocane Crack I have no idea if any of these are $10 or $10000 per ounce. Cheers, Bippy (well I guess Hashish isn’t $10000, cos I know people who use it and I know they seem to use fairly large quantities, and I’m pretty sure they aren’t billionairs) ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/14 "2003-02-13T20:21:53Z")
Back in the day, I lived in a smallish town with a lot of oil rig workers, so starting salaries ran around $17.00 per hour and went to young men who enjoyed their drugs and alcohol. The prices will be inflated by that (so was the quality) but to give you an idea of the economics of scale, one gram of good weed went for $20.00, an eigth (4 grams) for $50.00, and a quarter for $90.00. Or, y’know, so I heard. ---
**Author:** ![phason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eada6e/32.png) [@phason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phason)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/15 "2003-02-13T20:38:02Z")
The main reason I’m asking is because I’m concerned about the appearance that many of the anti-drug ads appear to be more propaganda based instead of fact based. This makes me wonder about the other drug claims I’ve heard. So if I see a DEA agent standing in front of a coffee can of marijuana and he says its street value is 5 million dollars, I’d like to be able to understand if that’s a factual estimate. Since people like me who don’t use drugs don’t have any idea how much drugs cost, there’s no way for me to evaluate their claims. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/16 "2003-02-13T20:52:10Z")
No, a coffee can of pot is worth about $1,000, and a coffee can full of coke is worth A SHITLOAD OF CASH. ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/17 "2003-02-13T20:55:15Z")
If a representative of the government said it, then I believe it, and that settles it. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Whynotski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/958977/32.png) [@Agent\_Whynotski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Whynotski)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/18 "2003-02-13T20:58:13Z")
[http://www.drugscope.org.uk/druginfo/drugsearch/ds\_results.asp?file=\wip\11\1\1\prices.html](http://www.drugscope.org.uk/druginfo/drugsearch/ds_results.asp?file=%5Cwip%5C11%5C1%5C1%5Cprices.html) ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/19 "2003-02-13T21:03:07Z")
500 dollars for an ounce of marijuana is ridiculous. Round these parts, its more like(prices as of the year 2000 or so): dime(1 gram) 10 bucks eighth(3.5 grams) $25 quarter ounce $40 Half ounce $70 Ounce $130 the next common size up is a QP(quarter pound), I don’t know what that costs. also these prices varied a lot, you might get an eighth of commercial weed for as low as $15-20, while an eighth of Kind bud would run $60 or more. ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864/20 "2003-02-13T21:46:06Z")
The price also depends on the quality of pot. According to err… gossip, schwag will set you back 20 for an eighth. Also, most ppl here do nitrous alongwith pot. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-illegal-drugs-cost/154864.md?page=2)