In the ever growing world of marijuana, and its various markets across the globe and across legality, different terminology as well as slang is used to describe different measurements of weight.
In different situations more clear reference to weight is made, while others terms are more slang based for a myriad of reasons.
The terms used to describe an ounce of marijuana will ultimately change my geographical location as well as the context in which the weight is being discussed.
In this article we will cover what an ounce of marijuana actually is, what to expect when buying one, as well as what different terms are used, what they mean, and where they are used.
Read on to never be lost in terminology again!
What Is An Ounce Of Marijuana?
An ounce (oz) is a customary measurement in the US that can measure the weight of many things, yet in the cannabis community, an ounce is the base weight that most other measurements are based on.
An ounce is probably the most common measurement for marijuana, and is the one that growers will use the most, it is often quantified upwards or downwards: a quarter ounce, half an ounce, an eighth of an ounce, two ounce, three ounces, and so on.
So simply, an ounce of marijuana is simply a measurement of the quantity of marijuana you want.
An ounce is a lot of marijuana though. A quarter ounce is the more common measurement you might buy as a novice smoker, this would last you a week.
It is often growers or black market dealers who use ounces, it’s considered to be a bulk measurement, you wouldn’t purchase an ounce in its entirety unless you had plans to sell it or to save it for a long time.
An ounce can actually refer to several different measurements depending on the country or area you are in.
An English Imperial ounce is a different weight to a customary US ounce.
An ounce of marijuana is commonly around 28g, but in reality the actual measurement is specifically something like 28.349523125 g, but this could still change depending on the ‘type’ of ounce you are referring to.
Who Else Uses An Ounce As A Measurement?
Interestingly, other countries may adopt the US customary measurement system when they talk about marijuana, even if they don’t use this measurement system at all in that country.
For example, in Europe, Britain for example, they will commonly use the US customary system for measuring marijuana.
If you are buying cannabis in Europe you would likely still ask for ‘an eighth’ or ‘a quarter ounce’ or ‘an ounce’.
As we outlined, the British Imperial measurement for the conversion of a customary measurement of an ounce would be a decimal place beyond 28g which is not a fun measurement to weigh out accurately.
So in Europe they simply use our customary measurements as it makes it easier to measure it the same way.
It is more simple and easy to request an ounce of marijuana, expecting around 28g then asking for 28g specifically, or expecting to receive the exact measurement in weight.
Interestingly, one way weight is measured is through the amount of money paid.
You may ask for a ‘20 bag’ in England for around 2g of marijuana, using similar terminology in places like Australia which is similarly dominated by a black market.
Within these black markets as weight is not so regulated as it is when it is legal, these monetary measurements are a better gauge of what you want. A 20 bag may be different among different dealers.
What Other Slang Is Used To Describe An Ounce Of Marijuana?
There are many more slang terms for an ounce of marijuana that are used across America as well as other parts of the cannabis smoking world.
In the US you may hear the term ‘zip’ quite often, especially in hip hop lyrics.
Zip simply refers to one ounce of marijuana, the term seems to come from the ziploc bags which are very commonly used to package an ounce of marijuana.
‘O’ or ‘oz’ are other slang terms pronounced ‘ozz’ and ‘oh’. These are common references to an ounce that will be heard in the cannabis communities across the world.
This simply makes reference to the abbreviated reference to the measurement of an ounce, ‘oz’, while ‘o’ is simply a continuation of this abbreviation.
This is similar to a ‘quap’ which is a completely different measurement but applies the same logic.
A ‘quap’ refers to a quarter pound which is 4 ounces, the term ‘quap’ is a phonetic interpretation of ‘qp’ which indicates a quarter pound, just like an ‘oz’.
Why Is Slang Used For Marijuana Measurements?
There are a few reasons for this, one is to do with measurement discrepancies, while the other is more of a social reason.
Firstly, as we mentioned there isn’t really one agreed upon way to measure marijuana.
The most common is a combination of metric and imperial measurements.
A head shop will be fluent in both, you ask for 14 grams, they know what you mean, you ask for an eighth of an ounce, they know what you mean too.
So, slang terms can be useful sometimes, if you asked for a ‘zip’ anywhere most people will know this is in reference to an ounce of marijuana.
But it makes the measurements more universal, in England they may never use the measurement ‘quarter of an ounce’ in any other situation.
The other, more obvious, reason is that within a black market they will commonly use slang in order to create a language that authorities cannot understand without inside insight.
Essentially, these slang terms help them avoid detection if someone is listening to their conversation, they speak about in common society without people knowing.
In Summary
So, there you have it. An ounce, while a common US measurement, is actually a commonly used measurement globally for what is often around 28g of marijuana.
The measurement is most commonly used by head shops and black market dealers, a novice smoker would not commonly buy an ounce without intent to sell or keep it for a long time.
However it is a useful measurement to understand, within the cannabis community, as most other references to weight are derived from an ounce: an eight, a quarter, and so on.
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