Best buds: Top 10 US cities to get stoned

Whether you seek inspiration, relief, or relaxation, certain U.S. cities are guaranteed to enhance your cannabis experience.

So where are the Best Cities in the USA cannabis lovers?

Travel experts ranked nearly 100 of the biggest US cities (where recreational marijuana use is legal) based on 12 key indicators of a smoking good time. 

Experts looked at access to dispensaries, head shops, consumption lounges, and 420-friendly lodging. Experts also considered the availability of tours and events and even munchie relief, among other factors.

See the top cities for toking up below. You’ll also find highlights, lowlights, and weedy wisdom from pot experts.

2022’s Best Cities for Stoners

Rank City

1    San Francisco, CA
2    Denver, CO
3    Las Vegas, NV
4    Long Beach, CA
5    Los Angeles, CA
6    Oakland, CA
7    Pasadena, CA
8    Portland, OR
9    Torrance, CA
10   San Diego, CA

2022’s Worst Cities for Stoners

Rank City

88   Chula Vista, CA
89   Rockford, IL
90   Virginia Beach, VA
91   Syracuse, NY
92   North Las Vegas, NV
93   Norfolk, VA
94   Bridgeport, CT
95   Newport News, VA
96   Chesapeake, VA
97   Newark, NJ

Highlights and Lowlights

* San Francisco Blazing (the Ganja Trail): The City by the Bay (No. 1) smoked the competition in our ranking this year, scoring 18 points higher than our previous gold medalist, Denver.

San Francisco dominated the Access category and also gave a dope performance in Munchies at No. 4. But consumers find many of the city’s dispensaries a bit of a drag. San Francisco ranked a middling 42 in average rating of cannabis dispensaries.

* Denver: One-Hit Wonder? The Mile High City was our 2021 cannabis capital. This year, the city’s high (rank, that is) has worn off slightly, coming down to spot No. 2.
Denver’s short fall from grace is partly due to new metrics we introduced in 2022, particularly the Munchies category, where the city placed 30 overall.

* California: The State of High: You’ll never have to ask, “Canna get a what what?” again in the Golden State. The answer is “everything” because California is the It place for stoners.

With seven cities in our top 10 — plus six more in our top 20 — there’s no better state than California to get totally baked. It is, after all, the true marijuana reform pioneer: California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996.

* Doobie Newbies: 2021 was a banner year for stoners in “new” states. New York, New Jersey, and New Mexico — along with Connecticut and Virginia — all joined the league of fun-weed states.

Not to take potshots, but the bottom 10 is made up mostly of the cities in these states. In their defense, building up the necessary infrastructure in a budding weed city takes time.