This Is How Much Weed Is In the Average Joint?

Not every joint is the same size. Some marijuana smokers like to roll massive ones while others prefer them smaller. Seeing that medicinal cannabis users and connoisseurs can have various preferences and tastes, the “right” size for a joint and the “correct” amount of weed for it had always been subject to lively debates.

Now, the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence published a new and rather revealing study that could finally help lay to rest this age-old question on how much weed goes into a joint.

In their report, drug policy researchers Greg Ridgeway of the University of Pennsylvania together with Beau Kilmer of the Rand Corporation reveal to us the actual amount of cannabis that is in the “average” joint:

It is exactly 0.32 grams.

The researchers say that these estimates “can be incorporated into drug policy discussions to produce better understanding about illicit marijuana markets, the size of potential legalized marijuana markets, and health and behaviour outcomes.”

WHY THIS STUDY IS IMPORTANT

It is indeed true that many businesses and organizations can benefit from this study. Knowing the average amount of cannabis found in a typical joint allows policymakers and researchers to use this number as a standard for new laws, clinical trials and further research.

Dispensaries can now use the established average as a new benchmark that makes it easier for them to distribute proper amounts, ensuring more-consistent doses for medicinal cannabis users and recreational buyers alike.

In their study, the two researchers included approximately 10,000 cannabis users who had been previously arrested for possession between 2000 and 2010. One earlier but now defunct federal program, ADAM, helped the researchers to get insight into specific case data since it listed various information including the amounts of cannabis that led to the charges.

Based on this information, establishing the new 0.32 grams number wasn’t too difficult. All the researchers had to do was take the average of the available data. According to the scientists, the proposed average weight in their study is accurate by +/- 0.03 grams. This slight discrepancy is likely due to the fact that not all arrestees reported the weight of loose marijuana they purchased. Some of the participants in the study reported the number of joints which they purchased instead.

DISCREPANCIES IN PREVIOUS STUDIES

How much weed would be in a “typical” joint has long been extensively debated. In the past, there had been several attempts to cover this subject but the methods used had been controversial, at best. For instance, one different report conducted by a leading cannabis publication suggested the average amount being 0.75 grams, based on a survey of 3,000 of their readers.

Noteworthy to mention is that in this alternative study, more than a third of those asked claimed to use more than a gram of marijuana for a joint. There is obviously a big discrepancy between the number established by Ridgeway and Klime and that from the magazine.

It is possible that some readers of the journal who had been surveyed inflated their amounts, something that is not exactly uncommon among marijuana smokers. The other possible factor that might play a role in the magazine’s higher reported average number could be that not many recreational cannabis users actually weigh small batches of marijuana when they roll a joint for personal use.

In yet another but related study that had been conducted a long time ago, researchers asked participants to measure how much cannabis was in an average joint. By using dried herbs such as Oregano as a substitute for marijuana, it had been found that people tend to use significantly more herb when they roll joints as compared to when they smoked pipes.

Steven Voser

Steven Voser is an independent cannabis journalist with over 6 years of experience writing about all things weed; how to grow it, how best to enjoy it, and the booming industry and murky legal landscape surrounding it.

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