An ounce of weed visually: in joints, blunts, bowls, and edibles
By:Jake Dela Cruz
Organic cultivator
Buying cannabis in bulk at your local dispensary is a popular option in 2023 as it can save you time and money.
An ounce of weed (28 grams) can save you a whopping $100-200 compared to buying smaller weed amounts like a gram or eighth of weed.
If you are buying in bulk the biggest concern is how long is that oz going to last?
Marijuana loses 1.4% of THC each month so when buying in bulk you generally want to consume all of it within 1-2 months (learn: how long does weed stay good).
Below is a visual guide where I show you what one ounce of weed gives you per day in blunts, joints, bong rips, or edibles over a 28-day span (see photos below). That way you can compare the amount you smoke each month to see just how long an ounce would last you if you bought it.
Why buying in bulk saves you money
According to the California market, the average cost of an ounce is $240. If you were to pick up 2 eighths each week for the entire month that would cost you around $400 (a total of 8 eights in one month is equivalent to an ounce). Compare that to just buying an ounce one time for $240!
Buying an ounce will save you at least $160 plus it saves you three trips to the dispensary which saves you time and gas.
In one month an oz of cannabis will give you:
-1 blunt per day.
-3 joints per day.
-3 bong rips a day.
-2 pot brownies a day.
Learn: how much an ounce of weed costs (premium, popcorn, and shake)
An ounce broken down in blunts
A blunt is great for solo smoking if you have a much higher THC tolerance, or perfect for sharing with a group.
A nice hefty blunt that you can share with your friends usually contains about 1 gram of cannabis. There are 28 grams in an ounce so that would produce about 28 blunts per month (28 grams X 1 blunt = 28 blunts per month).
This would result in 1 blunt per day.
If that seems like way too much for you or your household then you can always opt to buy a half-ounce instead. That would provide 14 blunts where you can smoke half a blunt a day and still last the entire month.
Ounce broken down in joints
Joints are a popular method for smoking personal amounts of cannabis as compared to blunts.
If you a grinding some dense and fluffy buds you can roll about 3 joints with just one gram. Since an ounce has 28 grams that would equal 84 joints in a day (28 grams x 3 joints = 84 joints per month).
With 84 joints that would allow you to smoke up to 3 joints a day with an ounce.
If that seems like overkill then you can buy a ½ ounce instead where you can smoke 1.5 joints a day instead (think one fat joint for the evening and one tiny joint right before going to bed).
How many bong rips or bowls can I pack?
Smoking from weed pipes and bongs is the most popular form of cannabis consumption.
Both a pipe and a bong use a glass bowl and that glass bowl will use about .3 grams of ground cannabis per smoke. This measurement applies to any cannabis product that uses a glass bowl such as a bubbler, ice bong, and even a gas mask bong.
So that means one ounce will give you roughly 3 bowls per day no matter what device you use. Remember the .3 grams is a relatively decent bowl size and many people may pack much smaller bowls.
If your household generally smokes smaller bowls, than you will get about 5 bowls per day with an ounce each month – give or take.
How many pot brownies can an ounce make?
If you want to avoid smoking then edibles are one of the most popular options for cannabis consumption.
Edibles generally require you to make cannabutter first, and it takes about 3.5 grams to create 2 sticks of cannabutter.
In order to make 1 full tray of pot brownies (7 brownies) you will need 1 stick of cannabutter.
With that being said, 1 oz can make 56 square brownies which result in about 2 brownies a day in a monthly cycle. These brownies are super potent so two brownies are enough for 2 people and you can find the recipe here.
How much does an ounce of weed cost?
The cost of an ounce depends on the quality of the cannabis-based on the cultivation and the bud structure. An ounce of shake (the loose cannabis particles that fall off the buds) will be priced differently from say an ounce with all premium colas (the densest nug at the very top of the plant that has the most light exposure).
Below we will go over the different types of cannabis ounces you will see in your dispensaries, the pros and cons of each, and the average market cost.
Cost of medical grade cannabis ounce
Medical grade cannabis (same as top-shelf recreational marijuana) usually has amazing bud structure, beautiful colors, rich terpene aromas, and no seeds.
According to California prices, the average medical-grade ounce of weed cost $240 in 2023.
Shopping for an ounce can be confusing at times as one ounce will look completely different from another. Take a look at the image below where it’s the same price for this ounce as the image above, but the buds look completely different.
That’s because this oz is made of cola nugs (which is the very top of the cannabis plant that receives the most lighting).
The overexposure to light results in these nugs being much larger and denser making it seem like you are getting less, but it’s all the same when it comes to weight and measurement.
Oz weed price for popcorn nugs
The structure or shape of your buds will impact prices drastically. This isn’t because “size matters” in cannabis, it actually has to do with cultivation practices.
When cannabis cultivation is balanced correctly with light, CO2, and nutrients, the marijuana plant should yield beautiful buds that are dense and large. This results in more trichomes and cannabinoids which will make a much stronger and more impactful psychoactive high. Popcorn nugs are a result of either poor cultivation techniques or they are the nugs that got the least light exposure which results in fewer cannabinoids and trichomes.
So when you are buying an oz of popcorn nugs, the potency is actually a bit lower and that’s why it’s cheaper. Popcorn nugs can cost anywhere from $100-150 for an ounce, saving you nearly $250 when compared to buying standard eights.
Ounce of weed price for shake
Another popular way to buy an ounce and save some money is buying a shake of ounce.
This is the cheapest ounce of pot you can buy and it has nothing to do with cultivation or bud structure and everything to do with the logistics and transport of medical/recreational marijuana.
As cannabis is transported, processed, and landed there is a ton of movement from the handling of the plants during transit. The cannabis nugs rub against the packaging and tons of small particles fall to the bottom of the bags.
Dispensaries can’t sell this to you nor do they want to throw this away so they scoop it all up and measure them out into ounces and sell it for much lower prices.
Due to the handling and movement of the shake particles, you can expect far fewer trichomes and cannabinoids so this can result in a much weaker smoke.
An ounce of cannabis shake can cost as little as $75 saving you $325 when compared to buying eights weekly!
Pro-tip: I have only ever bought shake once, I found that the quality just wasn’t there as most of the trichomes had fallen off due to “handling”, but if you are looking for a great deal it’s one of the best options for saving cost, you’re just going to have to smoke much more of it.
How much does an ounce of weed weigh?
An ounce of marijuana contains exactly 28.3495 grams. This is why most dispensaries simplify by saying there are 28 grams in an ounce.
The avoirdupois ounce (which is exactly 28.349523125 g) is 1/16 of an avoirdupois pound.
Final thoughts
My name is Jake Dela Cruz and I’m an organic cannabis cultivator, and since I grow my own weed I’m very familiar with what an ounce of weed will yield me each month when I smoke. If you are in line at a medical marijuana dispensary trying to decide whether or not to buy an oz of weed this is the guide for you!
In this article, we discussed that with an ounce of cannabis you can get about:
-1 blunt per day
-3 joints per day
-2 pot brownies a day
-3 bong rips a day
-3-5 pipe hits per day
You just need to evaluate your current THC intake and compare it with the above list. If it’s about how much you smoke then I would say an ounce of pot is perfect for you each month. If it’s too much you can always buy a half-ounce instead.
Buying 1 oz of weed will ultimately save you at least $100 a month when compared to buying weekly or bi-weekly in smaller amounts.
