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Been a while since you’ve bought any bud? Maybe you’re new to the marijuana world or maybe you’ve been smoking straight concentrates for a while.
Either way, it’s helpful to know exactly what you’re looking for when you head to the dispensary.
There’s a lot more math involved with buying marijuana than there is with other products. You know exactly how many beers are in a six-pack or eggs are in a carton. You should also know exactly how much weed you’re getting when you purchase.
Traditionally, weed is measured in terms of ounces.
The most common weights you can purchase weed at are:
· Gram
· ⅛ (eighth)
· ¼ (quarter ounce)
· ½ (half-ounce)
· Full ounce
Obviously, how long each will last is completely dependent on how often you smoke. If you don’t smoke very much, it doesn’t make much sense to buy an ounce – regardless of it being a better deal per gram.
Buying in bulk is generally always going to get you the best deal – but it doesn’t matter if the weed goes to waste. Marijuana can even go bad if left unused and stored incorrectly for too long.
While it’s firstly most important to know your smoking habits before purchasing flower, it’s also important to have some general knowledge of the sizes and prices of weed.
Gram – 1g
A gram is generally the smallest amount of flower you can buy. Remember dime bags? Depending on where you’re from and how expensive weed was there, a gram of marijuana typically cost $10. That obviously varied with quality – but the general rule of thumb was that $10 bought you a gram.
The price has stayed relatively the same since, but it does vary from dispensary to dispensary and strain to strain. Typically you’ll be paying between $6-$20 for a gram – the better quality the flower the higher the price.
A gram will usually pack about a joint or two, depending on how fat you roll them. A dispensary typically offers gram or half-gram pre-rolls – so a gram gets you roughly that.
This is going to be where you’re paying the most for your weed. It is cheap, but from a price-per-gram perspective, it’s the most expensive. It’s not until you start buying in bulk that this becomes apparent.
Dub – 2g
What even is a dub of weed, you may ask? Historically a "dub" was double a $10 sack, so would cost $20 depending on the local weed economy. However, the use & understood meaning of the word "dub" can vary by location. For example in the upper midwest of the United States it's often used to refer to a whole eighth.
It's important to note that this denomination is not often sold in dispensaries and is more colloquial in use.
⅛ Eighth – 3.5g
An eighth is going to be where you see that buying in bulk can save you money. Typically an eighth can cost anywhere from $15-$60, but that can vary based on quality of the bud. Some dispensaries will even sell four-gram eighths to promote purchasing bulkier amounts.
When comparing a gram vs. an eighth, it will almost always be cheaper to buy an eighth than three and a half individual grams.
Typically an eighth will give you about four to seven joints worth of weed – again, dependent completely on how much you pack. Bowl packs depend specifically on size of the bowl and how full you pack those as well.
An eighth is good for those who smoke a little bit more than occasionally, but still not too often. How long it lasts depends entirely on you – but it’s safe to say that if you smoke more often, then bigger quantities are for you.
¼ Quarter – 7g
A quarter-ounce is for people who smoke more often. At seven grams, it’s double the size of an eighth, but not double the price. It’s cheaper to buy one quarter than two separate eighths.
Typically you’ll get about twelve to sixteen joints out of a quarter – dependent on you again. A quarter is usually going to run you somewhere between $40-$80 but can be cheaper or more expensive depending on the quality of the bud.
A quarter is good for frequent smokers, as it lasts twice as long as an eighth and has a good price point. It’s a good point between a small purchase and a larger, bulkier purchase.
½ Half-Ounce – 14g
Also known as half a zip, a half-ounce is a more serious purchase than the others. This is for a pretty serious smoker. Weighing in at fourteen grams, a half-ounce is for those who don’t want to be running out any time soon.
You’ll get – obviously – double the amount of weed you get from a quarter. So, think somewhere around two dozen joints in a half-ounce. It’ll cost you a bit more money, but this is really where buying in bulk saves in the long run.
Generally, a half-ounce will cost somewhere between $30-$120, much cheaper than buying two quarters or four eighths. Obviously, prices can get much higher or lower depending on quality.
Full Ounce – 28g
In most legal states, this is the largest amount of weed you can buy at any one time. An ounce is for the serious smoker, who doesn’t miss a day and doesn’t like being low.
For a general idea on size, it’s the legal limit a person can own in Colorado. This is because of the amount – an ounce is large enough that any bigger and people will think you have intent to distribute.
An ounce is a full 28 grams – should give you somewhere near 100 joints. Depends entirely on the quality of the weed and whether black market or legal, but the price range is generally somewhere between $50-$220. Look for prices even higher than that when dealing with high-quality stuff or in places where it's less available.
Quarter-Pound – 112g
The quarter-pound is a pretty rare size of marijuana. Four times the amount of an ounce, it’s still illegal to have this much weed on your person in Colorado.
It’s hard to find anywhere to pick up a quarter-pound – but if you do, it’s going to be expensive. A quarter-pound is going to cost you somewhere around $800, but can easily be more or less depending on where you’re getting it from.
This amount of for a very serious smoker – and even then, it will take a while to go through.
Now that we’ve taken care of sizes and you know what you’re looking for, head into the dispensary and buy the perfect size for you. Check out our homepage first to make sure you’re not missing out on any killer deals.
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