I agree. The prices for SEED are completely and utterly outrageous. $300 (or thereabouts) for 10!!! Give a 75% germ rate, and a 50% male ratio, you're looking at about $100 to $150 per seedling and you STILL have to grow it out for however long.

I'd be MORE than happy to pay top dollar for guaranteed female, well rooted clones, especially for quality genetics. $25 for a healthy, well rooted female clone sounds pretty reasonable to me. Someone took the time and trouble to select and root that clone, trays, peat pellets, lights, etc all cost money to produce those clones. Granted, the cutting itself is a freebie, but the cost of getting that clone to the dispensary isn't free.

If you were to pay even $50 per clone, and you bought 5, if you can grow at all you'll get around 10 oz. Depending on the prices in your area that's a significant savings over buying your meds in a dispensary or off the streets. Commercial growers can complain about the high prices of clones, but the dispensaries are not there to ensure the success and profitability of commercial grows. Just to take care of med patients.
So to recap, you pay $250 for 5 clones, wait 8 weeks and get between 8 and 10 oz. Hell, at 5 ounces (1 per plant) you'll save about $1200 over buying. Start up costs (lights, pots, growing supplies etc.) are just the cost of doing this, and really can't be applied in totality to the final cost of the grow.