Pennsylvania has the fifth most expensive cannabis in the United States

Pennsylvania's marijuana consumers already know they're up against the long arm of the law when it comes to enjoying their drug of choice, but there's something else keeping cannabis somewhat prohibited in-state: Its price.

And here in Pennsylvania, a fresh ounce of bud (whatever the type) will run you $360 on average — the fifth most expensive bag in the United States.

The news comes this week from Forbes, which ranked all 50 states by their marijuana prices with data from Price of Weed, a website that has been collecting price reports from users online since 2010.

Sadly, Pennsylvania scored right there at the top, just behind states like Virginia and Iowa. Though, if it's any consolation, we tied for fifth with Maryland and South Dakota, both of which also averaged $360 per ounce of pot:

1. North Dakota — $387
2. New Hampshire — $367
3. Virginia — $363
4. Iowa — $362
5. Pennsylvania/Maryland/South Dakota — $360

Oddly, however, the street price of an ounce of marijuana in New Jersey is less expensive than in Pennsylvania at $343 — much cheaper than the previously reported $469-per-ounce price of medical marijuana in the same state.

Delaware has similarly cheap zips at $355 apiece, though older data from the same site indicated the first state's ounces ran $450 each. So, good for them.

The cheapest ounce of pot, perhaps not surprisingly, comes to us from Oregon at $204.

And I do mean "comes to us." According to the DEA, much of the United States' pot is grown in states like Oregon, California, Washington, Hawaii and the like. So with all that shipping and increased legal risk, the price tends to go up for the East Coast overall, which is geographically farther away than, say, Kansas, where an ounce runs $347.

So, should the East Coast go the DIY route with our inevitable medical, decriminalization, or legalization bills, we can likely expect prices to drop at least slightly. So, hopefully, good for us.

Until then, though, Pennsylvania cannabis consumers will have to remain frugal. After all, if you want to smoke up, first you've got to pay up.

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