IMO No.9: Let’s Talk Numbers: Weed Is Cheaper Than Booze
A Brief and Hopefully Legally Sufficient CYA:
This article is not financial advice, legal advice, or relationship advice. It’s just me, Brad, stating facts, running some basic math, and occasionally poking fun at our shared tendency to spend $74 on a round of craft cocktails and then wince at a $35 eighth of cannabis. If this ruins your next bar night, that’s on you, champ.
You know what’s wild? Somewhere along the line, it became completely normal to drop triple digits on a night out drinking—but if you tell people you spent $60 at the dispensary, they look at you like you’ve got a problem.
So let’s talk about it. Let’s run the numbers. Let’s be honest with ourselves. Because if we’re choosing our poisons based on economics and hangover math alone, cannabis might just be the sanest splurge in town.
The $14 Cocktail Crisis
Let’s start with booze. Go out with friends—any city, any day of the week—and odds are you’re spending at least $12–$15 per drink. Add tax and tip, and that’s $17 per drink, minimum. And unless you’re some kind of finance monk with the willpower of a saint, you’re not stopping at one.
Two drinks? That’s $34. Three? Now we’re flirting with $50. Throw in a round for the table or a flirtatious bartender situation, and suddenly you’ve got a bar tab that rivals your electric bill. And we haven’t even hit the late-night pizza, the Uber home, or the next morning’s Postmates brunch with extra bacon and regret.
Meanwhile, Over in Cannabis Land...
Now let’s say you spend $40 on a nice eighth of cannabis. Something from a local grower, organic, sun-grown, the kind of stuff that makes you want to text your ex a sincere apology or organize your spice rack alphabetically.
That $40 bag? It’s gonna last. You’re not smoking the whole thing in one night unless your party has Snoop-levels of commitment. More likely, you’re getting multiple sessions, over multiple nights, maybe even multiple weekends. That’s entertainment, relaxation, introspection, and some damn good sleep—all for less than the price of two IPAs and a tequila shot.
Dosage Matters (And Your Liver Thanks You)
Here’s where things get interesting. Alcohol is a blunt instrument. It’s hard to scale your buzz precisely. You’re either sober, buzzed, tipsy, or explaining to your friends why it made sense to text your boss a meme at 1:47 AM.
Cannabis? It's a dial, not a switch. You can microdose. You can find your sweet spot. You can not wake up with the emotional weight of five bad decisions and a $9 bagel.
And if you're into edibles, you’re looking at a few bucks per serving. A $20 edible pack might have ten 5mg servings. That’s ten evenings of mellow, for the price of one bar cocktail that tastes like lime-scented hand soap.
The Hangover Economy
Let’s not gloss over the hidden costs of drinking. The Advil. The hydration multipack. The Uber Eats overcompensation meal. The day lost to sluggish emails and blinking at spreadsheets like you’ve never seen Excel before. That’s productivity, time, and health down the drain.
Cannabis hangovers? They mostly don’t exist—unless you overdo it, in which case you’ll sleep like a rock and wake up just... hungry. Maybe a little foggy. But not full-body-despair-and-dry-heaving foggy.
Let’s Tally This Up
A Standard Night of Drinking:
- 3 drinks @ $17 = $51
- Late-night food = $15
- Uber home = $20
- Hangover brunch = $30
- Total = $116 (and your dignity)
A Chill Cannabis Evening:
- Share of a $40 eighth = $10
- Snacks you already had = $0
- Netflix = $0 (unless you rent Barbie again)
- Hangover = $0
- Total = $10
You could have eleven cannabis nights for the cost of one decent bender.
But What About Socializing?
Ah, the classic rebuttal: “But bars are fun!” Sure. Music, dancing, meeting new people—bars have their place. But they’re also loud, expensive, and often teetering on the edge of chaos.
Cannabis gatherings, on the other hand? They’re coming into their own. The vibe is slower, warmer, more connected. Conversations get weirder (in a good way). People remember what you said. You remember what you said. You like who you were.
Even in traditional bar settings, I’ve noticed a change. Instead of powering through four to ten rounds of cocktails and making a series of questionable decisions, I’ll take a microdose beforehand and find myself content sipping two or three really solid Old Fashioneds all evening. It’s like I have this inner meter now that says, “You’re good, champ. No need to chase chaos.”
And let’s not ignore the introverts and neurodivergent folks in the back. For some of us, a Dex Party with soft lighting, a curated playlist, and someone passing around a beautifully rolled joint is far more appealing than yelling over Pitbull remixes and dodging Jäger shots.
The Mental Health ROI
Look, alcohol can be fun. It can also be a depressant. And while it’s legal and widely accepted, it doesn’t always do your brain chemistry any favors.
Cannabis, on the other hand, when used responsibly, can support anxiety reduction, pain management, creativity, and even emotional processing. That’s not just stoner propaganda—that’s research. And it’s not nothing when the thing that helps you unwind doesn’t leave you questioning your life choices in the morning.
Weed Math: The Monthly Budget Breakdown
Let’s say you’re a casual cannabis user. You spend $100/month on flower or edibles. That’s three to four solid purchases, depending on your shop and tastes.
Compare that to a moderate drinker:
- 2 bar nights/week x $60 = $480/month
- Plus a few grocery store wine grabs = $60
- Total = $540/month
Boom. You just saved $440 a month.
That’s over $5,000 a year.
You could:
- Take a vacation
- Pay off a credit card
- Buy a whole new wardrobe
- Invest in a serious home espresso setup
- Or just breathe easier with a little more cushion
And you did it without giving up indulgence—you just switched your method.
The Optics Problem
So why doesn’t this add up for more people?
Stigma, mostly. Society still sees cannabis as “frivolous,” while alcohol is the default indulgence. A bar tab is just “a fun night,” while a dispensary receipt might make you feel like you have to explain yourself.
That’s backward.
Cannabis use—when intentional and moderate—can be healthier, cheaper, and more emotionally rewarding than drinking. But it’s still fighting the ghost of 80s anti-drug propaganda, while alcohol rides the coattails of every rom-com, bachelor party, and sports commercial ever made.
We’ve been conditioned to think nothing of a $17 cocktail but raise our eyebrows at a $30 pre-roll pack. It’s time to reframe that. To ask better questions. To notice how we feel afterward. And to do a little math now and then.
In Conclusion (a.k.a., The Part Where I Preach Softly)
Listen, I’m not telling anyone to give up drinking. I enjoy a good mezcal cocktail as much as the next guy. But if we’re talking straight dollars and sense—both financial and mental—it’s worth asking:
What are we really buying with our bar tabs?
And what are we missing when we write off cannabis as the “expensive” option?
Because when the hangover hits, the checking account dips, and the existential dread sets in, maybe the smartest money move isn’t more shots—maybe it’s a joint, a sativa gummy, and a conversation that actually goes somewhere.
Coming Up Next…
IMO No.10: Frogs in the Pot: The Water’s Hot, But We’re Not Dead Yet
We’re boiling slowly, y’all—and it’s time to talk about it. In this next piece, we explore how cannabis might just be the life raft for those of us feeling the slow simmer of modern life.
