According to the Weed Index, 2018 Cannabis Price Index report, Karachi city of Pakistan remains the second largest consumer of cannabis (toke), among the 120 cities studied by ABCD, an Israeli company which sells devices for at-home marijuana growth.
The use of marijuana in Pakistan is illegal, but that has done little to reduce the recreational use of the plant. A 2013 article by PRI details the drug enforcement in Pakistan:
Technically, selling any drugs in Pakistan can lead to life in prison, though in rare cases tribal leaders have called for drug trafficker’s public execution. In Karachi, however, such sentences are rare. Though the country’s bumbling police often enforce laws for harder drugs, they typically overlook hash. Cannabis is indigenous to South Asia, and inhabitants of the remote, unruly mountainous regions cultivate it widely; towering green plants with fragrant buds the size of fat cucumbers waft in the autumn breeze.
Marijuana Use Around The World
Despite having the second highest consumption rate among the cities apart of the ABCD study, Karachi falls way short of the level of toking done in New York, New York. The Big Apple consumed 77.44 metric tons of herb in 2018, compared to the 41.95 in Karachi. New Delhi, India came in an impressive third with 38.26 metric tons of weed consumption last year. Despite having the most headshops worldwide (156) Los Angeles, California came in fourth with 36.06.
Inside The Study
ABCD provides insight into the study:
ABCD, a data-driven media campaign outlet, has released new data which reveals the number of marijuana head and growshops in 120 cities around the world. This research, which builds on the 2018 Cannabis Price Index released earlier this year, reveals which locations around the world are ready to embrace cannabis legalisation [sic]. The aim of the study is to illustrate the continuous need for legislative reform on cannabis use around the world, and to determine if there are any lessons to be learned from those cities at the forefront of marijuana legalization.
“ABCD decided to conduct the extra research in order to to [sic]further the discussion around the medical and recreational use of cannabis, and the potential industry and business opportunities that would follow legalisation [sic],” the report continues. “By identifying the number of headshops as well as growshops, this study serves as an indicator to a city’s existing cannabis infrastructure and willingness to accept such reform on a larger scale.”
The study definitely shows if marijuana reform was conducted on a global scale, there would be a booming weed business. The only concern would be not allowing multinational corporations to monopolize the industry, squeezing out small growers and artificially setting unreasonable prices.
