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Drugs

Weed Is More Popular Than Food in This Washington County

The average household in Spokane County may still spend more on beer than bud, though.
Photo via Flickr user Daniel Nig

Read: Smoking Weed Makes You a Loser, Says Study

If you compare Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board marijuana sales numbers with US Census data on grocery spending, residents of Spokane County seem to be dropping more cash on legal pot than they are on milk, wine, or bread, as the Spokesman-Review reports.

Seventeen county stores took in about $43 million in revenue from weed sales last year, which averages out to about $226 worth of marijuana per household. In comparison, Spokanites spent an average of $233 per household on beer, $155 on both milk and wine, $110 on bread, $63 on soda, and $47 on coffee.

That said, it's important to remember county weed revenue doesn't come strictly from locals—people make pilgrimages from conservative states like Idaho and Montana to score kush in Washington, so there's no telling exactly how much of that total was actually shelled out by weed-hungry natives.

According to the Spokesman-Review, numbers from the Washington Department of Revenue suggest it's just a matter of time before the booming weed business exceeds sales at music venues, bookstores, and museums across the state.