Global Cannabis Prices Surge as Coronavirus Disrupts Supply Chains

According to rtbf.be, cannabis resin comes from Morocco and must cross several borders to reach Belgium. Added to this are the closing of borders and customs controls that make trafficking more difficult. All these parameters justify this rise in the price of cannabis. According to Michel, a consumer in the Liège region, his usual dealer sold him 15 grams of shit for 150 euros this week. "But he warned me that the next order would be more expensive," he said.

This price increase also affects grass (the dried flower of the plant), especially that produced in the Netherlands and Belgium where cannabis remains a prohibited product. Jean-Marc, a modest customer, also complains about the soaring prices in Namur. "It’s 8 euros a gram instead of 6," he specifies. "I consume one gram per day, or four or five joints. I have a very modest income. This increase really hurts my wallet," he laments.

For Léonardo Di Bari, the director of the Phénix (Namur) addiction treatment center, the price increase is not yet being felt. "But we expect a significant reduction in drug circulation in the coming weeks," he confirms, before adding that confinement complicates contacts between dealers and consumers.

Faced with the difficulties on the ground, they resort to the post office and online payment. "I got it for 6 euros a gram, but I know it will be more expensive next time. I expect a 20% increase. I know people who have placed a big order at once because they fear a shortage. Like those who cleaned out the toilet paper shelves in supermarkets," says Philippe, a Brussels resident who ordered 20 grams of grass online last week.

Like Philippe, some consumers never meet their dealer: order by messaging like snapchat or on the dark web, payment by PC banking and delivery in the mailbox, in a well-packaged package to avoid odors. Even the dealing spots have been changed in the face of the new restrictions: "They are no longer nightclubs or public parks, but rather supermarket parking lots, or even the sidewalk in front of a fry shop. In short, where people still have a reason to be without risking too much police control," informs Jean-Marc.