A Complete Guide on Weed Measurements
You go to the store to buy a dozen eggs, two pounds of apples, a gallon of almond milk, a two-liter bottle of seltzer, and a pint of coconut yogurt. You understand exactly how much of everything you’re getting, and you know how to use it.
Cannabis is much different. Cannabis measurements use a combination of metric, imperial, and slang. If you don’t regularly purchase cannabis, it’s only reasonable to be a little confused. You want to be sure you’re buying the proper amount for your needs.
Decoding the measurements and understanding what they mean in terms of unofficial serving sizes will help you determine the quantity you need.
Serving Sizes of Cannabis
Serving sizes will vary from person to person or sometimes from strain to strain. It all depends on the strength of a particular strain and how you want to feel. Some people prefer to microdose their cannabis.
Some regular users opt for larger serving sizes to match their seasoned tolerances.
As a general rule, it’s best to assume that a serving size for a new user would be about 0.3 grams, the size of the average joint. Somewhat experienced cannabis users will use about 0.5 grams in a joint. Very experienced users will use about 1 gram in a joint.
For the sake of simplicity, we’ll use the average joint size of 0.5 grams as a frame of reference.
A Gram
One gram of cannabis is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a single gram. This is enough to roll three small joints, two average joints, or one large joint. This is the most important thing to remember when looking at other measurements.
Correlating the portions of an ounce to the amount of grams they contain will help you determine how many servings you’ll get out of each weight. Depending on the strain and the quality, a gram can run anywhere from $10 to $15.
An Eighth
An eighth of cannabis is an eighth of an ounce or 3.5 grams. This is the smallest size that most dispensaries sell, other than pre-rolled joints. You’ll get seven average-sized joints out of this size, which is one a day for a week.
Daily cannabis users who only shop for their immediate needs will find an eighth sufficient. As you go up in quantity, the price goes down a little bit.
When you buy an eighth, the price will usually work out somewhere between $10 and $13 a gram. Premium strains may be as high as $20 per gram in this quantity.
A Quarter
A quarter of cannabis is a quarter of an ounce or seven grams. This is a weekly supply for daily experienced cannabis users who may use a full gram a day. It’s enough to roll 14 average-sized joints.
This is the weight where savings become more apparent. It’s not unusual for a quarter to work out to $5 per gram for an average strain. Rare strains of premium grown strains will usually equate to $12 to $15 a gram at this quantity, making it more cost-effective to splurge on something fancy.
A Half
A half-ounce is 14 grams, which works out to 28 average joints or 14 large joints. This is a very popular weight for people who are loyal to a specific strain.
Average quality cannabis goes for about $5 per gram at this quantity. High quality or boutique cannabis will widely vary in price, but premium strains will usually run about $10 per gram when you purchase them in half-ounce quantities.
An Ounce
An ounce of cannabis weighs about 28 grams, which is 28 large joints or 56 average joints. This is the maximum quantity of cannabis that can be recreationally purchased at once.
Daily cannabis users or medical cannabis users will often buy their cannabis an ounce at a time if they’re loyal to a particular strain. An ounce is where the savings per gram become the most significant.
Standard cannabis will usually work out to about $4.60 per gram, and top-shelf strains will price between $6.40 and $7 per gram. This is the least expensive way to purchase high-quality cannabis. At an ounce, its prices are comparable to average quality strains per gram.
Less Formal Measurements
Most dispensaries don’t use informal measurements because it gives the wrong impression. Before recreational legalization in many states across the US, these measurements were used as a kind of code to speak.
Some cannabis brands will label their products with cannabis culture vernacular to speak to the history of cannabis. This is a tongue and cheek nod to days past.
A Nickel
A nickel refers to $5 worth of cannabis, usually less than a gram. This isn’t a quantity you’ll encounter at a dispensary.
A Dime
A dime refers to $10 worth of cannabis, but the term is interchangeable with a gram.
A Dub
A dub means $20 worth of cannabis, usually 2 grams of high-quality cannabis or an eighth of lower-quality cannabis.
A QP
A QP refers to a quarter of a pound, or four ounces of cannabis. It isn’t legal anywhere in the United States to purchase this quantity of cannabis for personal use. You won’t run into a legal scenario where you have an opportunity to purchase this much cannabis unless you own a licensed dispensary. If you own a licensed dispensary, you already understand cannabis quantities.
How Much Cannabis Should I Buy?
If you’re new to cannabis, it’s probably unwise to buy more than an eighth of any particular strain. If you can find a strain you’d like to try sold as a single pre-roll, that’s even better.
You’ll have an opportunity to test new types of cannabis and determine what you like without having to finish strains you aren’t wild about or, even worse, wasting the cannabis.
The Stori app can help you with this process. When you try a new strain, you can record it and rate it on the Stori app. You can include notes about your experience and preferences and use the app to find similar strains that may better suit your tastes.
Once you’ve figured out your favorites, you can purchase larger quantities of strains you intend to use regularly, but it’s essential to store them to maintain their freshness. Cannabis needs to be protected from light, air, and excessive moisture. Humidity needs to be kept at a stable level to preserve the flavor of its tasty terpenes.
Before you buy a larger quantity of weed, you’ll need to consider where you’re going to put it. We’ll make that easy for you.
Store Your Cannabis with Stori
Cannabis is special and sometimes expensive. Everything requires proper storage. You wouldn’t put a bottle of good wine in a plastic bag and stuff it in your underwear drawer. You shouldn’t do that with your cannabis.
Cannabis is inherently fragile. The cannabinoids and terpenes can convert and evaporate. It can dry out, and if it comes into contact with too much moisture, it can develop mold.
Proper storage is always important, but it’s even more critical when you need your cannabis to last more than a few days.
The Stori case is a fully child-resistant organizational and storage system for your cannabis. The case comes with six aluminum light-proof and air-tight pods and tubes with color-coded lids.
These pods are designed specifically for the preservation of your cannabis. You can use dry-erase markers to write the strain name and purchase date on the pods’ lids, helping you keep track of your personal cannabis inventory.
Inside the top of each pod lid is a little place to insert a Boveda pack.
Boveda packs convert your Stori pods into little portable humidors. They regulate perfect humidity inside each pod, preserving your terpenes to keep your cannabis fresh and tasty for months. When the pack begins to thoroughly harden, just swap it out for a new one.
Stori is your guide to a better high and tastier cannabis. No matter how much you buy, we have you covered.
Sources:
CBD Dosage: How Much to Take | CFAH
How Evaporation of Terpenes in Cannabis Can Cost You | Boveda