Who here feels like they need a new chapter? A fresh start? An opportunity to reset? We feel you on that. Once airports rev up again, we have a few places in mind where you can begin anew—and yes, you’ll be able to find marijuana dispensaries there. Our sheer curiosity led us down a rabbit hole of research to find the states with the most marijuana dispensaries per capita.

When we say per capita, we mean per 10,000 residents. Many factors contribute to the numbers of dispensaries in each state, such as

Legalization
Walkability
Economy/Economic Finances
Employment Rates
Crime Rates

The Number One Spot

Our research first led us to Cannabis Report World, which ranked the states with the most marijuana dispensaries per capita. Can you guess the number one spot? It’s not California…or Colorado…or Washington. It’s Oregon! According to Cannabis Report World, Oregon has 16.5 dispensaries per capita. I lived in Portland for many years and can attest to this: there’s practically a dispensary on every main street.

While some of you may have predicted Oregon as the winner, we bet you can’t guess second place. No, seriously, this one blew our minds. It’s Oklahoma! Freakin’ Oklahoma! It has 15.6 dispensaries per capita, followed by freakin’ Montana (specifically Missoula, a college town) with 15.1 dispensaries.

At first glance, you may not think of Oklahoma and Montana as marijuana-friendly states. It’s true that recreational use has not passed yet but patients with certain qualifying conditions may access marijuana for medical purposes. And it sounds like they’d have a pretty easy time getting it!

States With The Least Dispensaries Per Capita

As we mentioned earlier, the legalization of marijuana is a prime contributor to the number of dispensaries in a state. So, it should come as no surprise that states with no legal marijuana whatsoever do not have a single dispensary. That counts for…

Utah
Texas
Louisiana
Missouri
West Virginia
Idaho

Would You Ever Open Your Own Dispensary?

As legal marijuana gradually makes its way across the country, the number of dispensaries per capita could change at any moment! Coronavirus could the next massive contributor to marijuana legalization as so many governors have deemed it “essential.”

If access to marijuana feels limited in your city or state, why not open your own dispensary? Yes, it would be a massive undertaking, but it’s no different than any other business. Media outlet BPlans spoke to Mitch Woolhiser, owner of Northern Lights Cannabis Company in Denver, Colorado, about his journey.

“It’s one of the hardest things you could possibly do,” he says. “It can’t just be this fun thing. It has to be taken seriously. It’s still at the ground floor of the whole thing, considering the federal illegality of it. It’s still a good time to get in.”

How To Open Your Own Dispensary

Okay, so according to Mitch, opening your own dispensary takes a lot of work—but it’s totally possible at this rate of legalization. We already know that marijuana is a billion-dollar industry. Even the CBD industry brings in millions of dollars each year. To open your own dispensary, Mitch recommends the following steps…

Do your research on marijuana laws
Find a compliant rental property (can’t be near a school or church)
Write your business plan (access capita and set your budget)
Look into the competition of nearby dispensaries (a market search)
Get licensed…and then get product
Market the living hell out of your dispensary

We Should See More Dispensaries In The Future

Thankfully, the future of marijuana looks brighter than ever. Even during a global pandemic, people want their weed! In fact, it was during the coronavirus outbreak that dispensaries saw record-breaking sales from coast to coast. The need for marijuana is there, so go after it! If you’re not the dispensary-owning type, you could always move to a state with the most dispensaries per capita.