What is a zip of weed? How much is a zip of weed?

In this article, we will answer the questions, "what is a zip of weed?", "how many grams are in a zip of weed?", "how much does a zip of weed cost?", and “where does the term 'zip of weed' come from?” It can be hard to keep up with all the cannabis-related slang, especially if you're a new cannabis consumer. Not knowing the lingo can make you feel like an outsider in the cool kid's club. But don’t worry. We've all been there. By the end of this article, you will understand how much weed is in a zip, how much a zip of weed costs, and where the term "zip" came from.

How Much is a Zip of Weed?

So, how much weed is a zip? A zip of weed is an ounce of cannabis flower. A zip of weed is a lot of cannabis. In most states where cannabis is legal, a zip is the legal limit of cannabis an individual can purchase at one time. So, if a zip of weed is one ounce, how many grams are you getting? There are 28.35 grams per ounce, so there are 28.35 grams of cannabis flower in a zip of weed. When you are discussing an ounce of cannabis, you can refer to the ounce as a “zip.”

How Long Does a Zip of Weed Last?

If a zip of weed is one ounce of cannabis flower, how long does a zip of weed last? The amount of weed in a zip will give you up to:

• 88 joints (at 0.32 grams per joint)
• 56 bowls (at 0.5 grams per bowl)
• 23 blunts (at 1.2 grams per blunt)

Buying a zip of weed is essentially buying in bulk. Depending on where you live and the local laws, buying a zip can save you a lot of time waiting around at a dispensary. Buying a zip of weed is great if you want to minimize purchase frequency or you want to buy your favorite strain at a lower price.

How Much Do Zips of Weed Cost?

The price of a zip of weed varies based on:

• Strain type
• Growing method
• Brand
• Location
• Average market value

A September 2021 article states that in the United States an ounce of weed ranges from $235.00 in Los Angeles, California to over $400.00 in the state of New York. When buying a zip of marijuana, expect to pay a couple hundred dollars. This may sound like a lot, but when you do the math and add up the savings, the price is worth it. For example, if you were to buy a zip of marijuana in New York (where it’s the most expensive) for $400.00 and you rolled 88 joints, each joint would cost $4.54 each. How much would it cost to buy this quantity of cannabis in pre-rolls? The average cost of a pre-rolled joint has increased 15.12% from $8.40 in 2020 to $9.67 in 2021. If you were to buy 88 joints at $9.67, you would spend $850.96. By buying a zip of weed and rolling your own joints, you would save $450.96! That's enough savings to buy another zip of weed in New York! Wherever you are based, buying a zip of weed will save you a lot of money.

Where did the term "zip" come from?

So, why is an ounce of cannabis called a “zip”? The true origins are unknown, but there are three theories. The most common theory is that an ounce of cannabis is called a zip because an ounce of weed filled up a Ziplock bag. As rapper, cannabis advocate, and entrepreneur Wiz Khalifa rapped in his song “Get That Zip Off”, there are "28 grams in a Ziploc." While the Ziplock bag origin story may explain why we call an ounce of marijuana a “zip,” there are anecdotal reports of people buying a “zip” in an era when Ziplock bags were not used.

There are two alternate explanations for the term zip. Both are related to the fact that the shorthand form of ounce is “Oz.” The first explanation goes like this: beginning in the 1930s, an ounce of cannabis was referred to as a “lid” or an “O-zee”. Some people believe that “O-zee” shifted into “zip.” The third theory adds in an additional step. As we established, “O-zee” was a term for an ounce of marijuana. Over time, “O-zee” became “O”, which was a known term for an ounce of cannabis by the 1980s. The term “O” is still commonly used to refer to an ounce of cannabis. So, how did we get from “O” to “zip”? “O” looks like the number zero (0). “Zip” has been a known slang term for zero since the early 1900s. The slang meaning of “zip” was extended beyond zero to also refer to an “O”, or an ounce of cannabis flower.

How Many Grams is a Zip of Weed?

While we have established the exact weight of an ounce, how many grams do you get when you buy a zip of marijuana? An ounce is 28.35 grams, but it is often rounded down to 28 grams. In general, when you buy an ounce you will only receive 28 grams. That is why a quarter of an ounce of cannabis weighs 7 grams when you buy it at a dispensary. To learn how much a quarter costs and what a quarter of weed looks like, check out What Is A Quarter of Weed? Today, the term "zip" is still used in both legal and illegal markets. If you're curious about other interesting cannabis terms, check out What Is a Dub of Weed?

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