Everyone has to start somewhere. If you’ve never bought weed before, you might not know where that “somewhere” is. There are grams, ounces, and pounds being tossed around. If you grew up in the United States, you might not even have the proper framework to establish what a gram would look like. It’s from a completely different system of measurement than the one they taught in school.
You might be familiar with ounces from soda cans, but an ounce of liquid is a lot different from an ounce of something solid. And then there are all of these fractions. An eighth or a quarter of what, exactly?
Weed has been prohibited for most of modern American history, leading to a lack of established and universally understood measurements. The underground market established its own system, and people who have been smoking weed for years are already used to this system. With the legalization of weed, it seems odd to change something that has worked so well for so long.
If you’re new, there’s a little bit of decoding to do. Once you understand when metric is used and when imperial is used and have a decent idea of size comparisons, it’s easier to buy the right amount.
There’s a little bit of metric and a little bit of imperial
Metric and imperial measurements are used interchangeably when referring to weed. Imperial measurements apply to large quantities and metric measurements apply to small quantities.
When metric is used
Ounces are larger than grams, and they’re harder to use for small measurements. People who use weed infrequently don’t need a very large amount. Weed that would be considered a single serving is measured in grams instead of ounces simply because grams make more sense when working on a smaller scale.
Grams are usually used to refer to a single cannabis flower, which would be called a bud or a nug under most circumstances. A nug will only weigh a gram or two. Pre-rolls are joints that someone has already made for you. Isn’t that nice of them? They’re also measured in grams due to their single-serving quantities.
When imperial is used
Imperial is used to measuring a stash or a shareable amount. If you’re buying weed measured in metric, chances are slim you’re going to smoke it all alone in one day. The fraction measurements, like an eighth and a quarter, refer to an ounce rather than a gram.
A breakdown of measurement equivalents
One gram weighs 0.035274 ounces. It’s much easier to ask for a gram than it is to ask for 0.035274 ounces, which is why grams work so well for smaller amounts of weed. Switching to ounces when working with larger quantities also simplifies things.
An eighth is 3.5 grams, a quarter is 7 grams, half is 14 grams, and a full ounce is 28 grams.
Size and price comparisons for popular measurements of weed
Measurement doesn’t always give you a precise image of how much of something you’re getting. It’s the pound of feathers versus a pound of bricks analogy. A pound of bricks is visually much smaller than a pound of feathers. A pound of bricks will fit comfortably in your hand while a pound of feathers would fill a bag several times larger than your pillow.
Weed’s size and density don’t always easily translate to a visual representation. For example, indica is a little denser than sativa. A gram of indica may appear smaller than a gram of sativa, even though they’re both the exact same amount of weed. That’s something you’ll want to keep in mind when developing a frame of reference.
Prices of weed will also vary dramatically depending on where you live. States with legal recreational pot typically have the lowest prices, but this isn’t always the case. Recreational weed is legal in Washington DC, but you’re likely to pay the highest prices in the country there. What you pay is going to depend on where you live and what state you’re buying from.
The quality of weed is also a significant factor. Something grown cheaply and easily in a dirt pot is always going to be more expensive than something that was grown carefully and deliberately in a controlled environment. Think about it like the difference between mass-grown produce and organic produce from a family farm. You usually pay more for quality.
How much is a gram of weed?
A gram of weed weighs one gram.
Now that the obvious is out of the way, it’s reasonable to expect that a gram of indica will be a single bud that’s a little larger than a big grape. A gram of sativa will probably be similar in size to a small strawberry.
A gram is usually anywhere between $7 and $18 depending on where you’re getting it from and the quality of the weed itself.
How much is an eighth of weed?
An eighth of weed, or 3.5 grams, is visually similar to a lime kiwi, or a couple of strawberries. An eighth will last a casual solo smoker for a while, or a pair of casual smokers for about two weeks. Prices usually vary between $25 and $65 for an eighth.
How much is a quarter of weed?
A quarter is about the same volume as an apple. It’s one of the most popular amounts of weed to purchase. It’s some for now and some for later, or enough for a really good weekend with your best friends. Expect to pay anywhere between $50 and $125 for a quarter.
How much is a half-ounce of weed?
A half-ounce is a lot. It’s not quite a Costco bulk-sized amount of weed, but it’s definitely more than what you’ll need for the immediate future. This is what you’ll buy if you’re planning ahead. A half is similar in volume to a grapefruit, and you’ll definitely feel the weight in your hand. A half-ounce goes for anywhere between $100 and $250.
How much is an ounce of weed?
Bulk shoppers and frequent users will keep an ounce at a time where the law permits. An ounce goes beyond a stash and enters into stockpile territory. You can roll more than three dozen average joints out of an ounce. In volume, an ounce will look similar to a coconut. In price, it will run you between $200 and $500.
How much is a QP of weed?
A QP refers to a quarter of a pound. There are 16 ounces in a pound, making a QP 4 ounces. We won’t get too far into the information here, because quantities this large aren’t usually legal for an individual to possess even in states where recreational weed has been greenlit. We will say this: it’s a stupidly large amount of weed and it’s really expensive.
How much weed do I need?
Asking how much weed you need is like asking how much food you need. How many people are you feeding and how long are you shopping for? If you smoke a lot of weed, you’re going to want a lot of weed. If you’re a weekender who likes to have a few joints handy, you probably don’t need that much.
The easiest way to determine how much weed you need is to break down quantities into joints. The average joint weighs about a third of a gram, so expect three joints per gram. How many joints do you think you’ll smoke within the next month?
Weed stays fresh for about six months in standard conditions. If you have the coin to drop on a six-month supply, go for it. If you’re trying new weeds or if you like to alternate between strains, you might not want to buy a six-month supply of the exact same thing.
When you’re dabbling with new stuff, an eighth is enough to help you determine whether or not you like what you have. If you’re not crazy about it, you haven’t wasted too much. You’ll also be out soon, giving you an opportunity to pick up something new.
The takeaway
If you’re new to weed or trying to discover a new favorite strain, anywhere from a gram to an eighth is going to be enough. If you’re a regular cannabis user going for a tried and true favorite, pick up a larger quantity.
Emjay has flower and prerolls in both small and large quantities. We offer so many different kinds of indicas, sativas, and hybrids that you can easily build yourself a little sampler pack. Try an eighth of this and an eighth of that until you find the perfect fit. Best of all, we’ll deliver it right to you. We’ll be at your door with your goody bag in half an hour or less!
