Back in the 60s and 70s, selling and buying marijuana was illegal, and a lucrative market opened to meet people’s need for weed. But this necessitated some code words to keep these activities hidden. Some of these fun weed slang terms also described specific cannabis weights and amounts or even street pricing.
Occasionally, you might still come across the slang term “dime” or “dime bag” when discussing cannabis. But what exactly does it mean? Why is it referred to as a “dime,” and what purpose does a dime bag of weed serve?
Our short guide aims to address these common questions and give some insight into the origins and significance of the term “dime bag” in the realm of cannabis.
Thanks to legal issues around the purchase and possession of cannabis, entertaining weed lingo evolved through the years to describe marijuana. There were slang terms for weed itself, as well as for weights, amounts, and prices. One of these was “dime.”
Unlike some other weed slang terms you may have heard, a dime bag does not refer to a specific amount or weight of cannabis product. It’s a pricing term. It means you’ll get weed priced at approximately $10.
When this slang originated, $10 was the standard price for just enough weed for one or two people to enjoy. The amount of weed in the baggie didn’t look much more than the size of a dime, which is what American ten-cent coins were called.
So small baggies of weed roughly the size of a dime, and selling for roughly $10, became known as “dime bags” or just “dimes.” And like many of the slang terms, the name stuck. Many veteran users still refer to weed using this pricing term today.
You’ll typically get around half a gram to a gram of weed in a dime bag. However, the actual quantity of weed varies and there are a few criteria that affect the amount you get. These are the top three:
The location may influence the amount of weed you get in a dime bag. It’s like any other product – availability and demand influences the cost from one location to the next.
The price goes up if the availability in a specific location does not meet demand. The price goes down if the demand is less than what’s available. So, although a dime bag of weed will always cost $10, the amount of weed that you get for that price will differ depending on your location.
Even the season can affect how much weed you get in a dime bag. Ever heard of “Croptober”? This is yet another fun slang term that refers to the peak season for weed availability.
Most outdoor cannabis growers harvest their weed bounty in the fall. The market is flooded with weed then, and you may get a better amount for the price. During the rest of the year, when a lot of the available weed is indoor grown in smaller amounts, you’ll probably get less for your dime.
What’s the use of a decent quantity of weed if the quality is subpar? Unfortunately, this is yet another factor that will influence how much weed you get in a dime bag.
If you don’t mind poor-quality weed, you’ll be okay. But $10 won’t get you far if you enjoy good quality nugs. Although street pricing and amounts seem kinder on the pocket than dispensary prices, think again. Some street dealers aren’t shy about charging top dollar, either.
Now, we get to the most important question of all. How many joints does a dime bag of weed make? Sadly, the answer is not very many at all.
You’ll usually get about a gram of weed in a dime bag purchased from a street dealer. However, you may often get less than that because of the factors mentioned above. So you might be able to roll 2-3 small joints, that’s about it. But it’s usually only enough for two home-rolled joints.
When purchasing weed from street dealers, it helps to know the lingo. That means knowing things like asking for a dime bag will undoubtedly cost you more than a dime, but not more than $10. But that doesn’t mean you can trust the product you receive.
You might not get the quantity or the quality of weed you expected for that price. There must be a better way to spend your hard-earned dimes. Fortunately, there is! Purchase your flower, prerolls, and other cannabis products from a trusted cannabis dispensary. Get them from Embarc.
