When purchasing cannabis at the dispensary it is important to know the scale cannabis is sold on. No longer are the days where you have to meet someone and they hand over whatever they happen to be selling that day. Now we live in a world where shopping for cannabis is just like shopping for wine or cigars; you have options.
TL; DR
So, how many grams are in an ounce? Here’s a complete breakdown of how cannabis is bought and sold and how many grams are in each increment.
- Eighth of an Ounce: 3.5 Grams
- Quarter of an Ounce: 7 Grams
- Half of an Ounce: 14 Grams
- Full Ounce: 28 Grams (28.395)
Cannabis is Measured in Grams but Sold in Eighths
The gram is the basic unit of measurement when it comes to cannabis plain and simple. So, according to Merriam-Webster, a gram is “a metric unit of mass equal to 1,000th of a kilogram.”
Grams are used to weigh everything from seed to sale in the cannabis industry and are the building blocks for personal cannabis purchases. Although marijuana flower is usually sold at retail establishments by the eighth of an ounce, quarter of an ounce or even a full ounce…
And strangely, extracts are sold by the gram and the half gram. I’m pretty sure they mix it up like that so there isn’t any confusion for the customers coming from the black market into a dispensary. That is also how it is sold illegally and that’s what people are used to.
Grams are the best way to understand how much cannabis you have and how much it is going to cost.
So anyway, how many grams are there in an ounce? Well, the official answer is 28.3495 grams per ounce.
Now most people will round that down to 28 grams per ounce. So, if you buy large quantities you end up losing a little over 1 gram for every 3 ounces you buy and since there are 16 ounces to a pound, you will lose 5-6 grams per pound and that can be 7 or 8 joints!
You see how that definitely adds up over time.
Some people when purchasing cannabis on the black market are buying 1-2 grams at a time. But the reality is that the eighth system is much more commonly used.
HOW MANY GRAMS TO AN OUNCE? | |
28 grams | 1 OUNCE |
14 grams | 1/2 OUNCE |
7 grams | 1/4 OUNCE |
3.5 grams | 1/8 OUNCE |
454 GRAMS | 1 POUND |
The eighth system is what most dispensaries sell, just like the black market. You start with 3.5 grams which equals an eighth of an ounce and then continue to double that amount from an eighth to a quarter to a half ounce all the way to 28 grams which equals an ounce of cannabis.
How much is an ounce really?
To give you some perspective the average smoker smokes between an eighth and a quarter ounce of cannabis every 2 weeks. Of course, some people out there can smoke up to an ounce in 2 weeks it just depends on the person’s tolerance.
An ounce is considered to be a significant amount of cannabis which should last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on the user.
Another comparison to help guide you through your cannabis purchase is that the average marijuana joint usually contains .5 grams to 1 gram of cannabis. Some oversize joints are sold in the 1-1.75-gram size but usually it is just too much cannabis; as the .5 – .7 is usually the perfect amount of weed for a regular size doob.
Oh, and for all the ballers out there… If you are looking to buy a pound of weed, there are 453.592 grams to a pound which is always rounded up to 454 when buying in bulk.
So, there you have it. You are now officially smarter than you were BEFORE you read this article!
Remember; 28 grams to an ounce. You’re welcome!
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Todd Denkin
For the past 11 years, as a C-Level Business Leader and Consultant, Todd has gained invaluable experience in the legal cannabis and hemp sphere, with 30 years of radio and television production experience while building and leading cannabis and hemp companies to success. This expertise has allowed him to be knowledgeable in identifying emerging market trends, navigating new companies into lucrative markets, and offering brand advertising and marketing direction to elevate the market presence of companies. You can learn more about Todd at: www.todddenkin.com or he can be contacted via email at todd@tnmnews.com.