Bag of weed

Ten dollars worth of weed. This term is often used when buying from dealers in a prohibition state. A dime bag usually contains a single gram, but depending on your seller, you can get more or less for the price. The term ‘dime bags’ has been in use for decades, long before dealers started pricing by weight. But more and more dealers are doing away with the terminology.

You won’t find a dime of weed in a pot shop, but you might find it on the black market. If it were 1999, a dime would be common. Yes, in Giuliani-era NYC, for example, street dealers would sell dimes left and right. Hell, your bodega guy might even have pre-packaged dimes of weed hidden behind the counter — perfect for when you show up wasted and want to cop a sandwich and secure yourself a little nightcap nug. 

Today, however, a dime is less common. In 2019, few underground dealers will deliver you weed for less than a $60 order (typically at least an eighth of pot, especially if you’re in a state with prohibition laws on the books). But for the sake of this history lesson, let’s pretend dimes are still regularly pushed from your friendly neighborhood dealer. 

How Many Grams in a Dime Bag?

Here’s where things get fishy, and why people are using the dime bag less and less. A dime bag is a set dollar amount of weed and no set weight. This means the amount you get is going to weigh differently between sellers. Of course, the quality is going to greatly affect how much you get. Depending on where you are a dime bag will typically have between .5-1 grams. Of course, you could have a better hookup that gives you a bit more. Like I said, it’s going to vary greatly.

Dime Bag Size

The traditional dime bags are the mini ziplock-style bags like the one shown in the cover photo of this article. Sometimes the bags will display a printed design. The size of these bags usually range between 1-1.5 inches on each side, but you can get bags in every size imaginable.

With that said, it does not have to actually be a mini ziplock to be a dime bag. If you’re buying $10 of weed then it’s a dime no matter if it’s in a sandwich bag or anything else.

Nickel Bag

A nickel bag (we always used to call them ‘nicks’) is $5 worth of weed. This is the absolute smallest amount that anyone would sell you. Most often it’s going to be low-grade because $5 worth of high-grade would only be .25 grams or so. Usually, you’re going to get half a gram of low-quality stuff. It’s typically the same size bag as a dime with half the amount of cannabis inside, however, sometimes you will see even smaller bags used for nicks. 

Dub Sack

A dub sack is $20 worth of weed. The term dub was originally used to describe 20-inch rims. Again, the amount will vary depending on quality n’ such, but you’ll probably get anywhere from 1-3 grams. Of course, the size of a dub bag may be slightly larger than a dime bag – 2 inch x 2 inch is a common size. 

How Much Pot Is in a Dime of Weed?

The amount of pot you can get in a dime of weed varies from place to place, and from dispensary to dealer. To understand if you’re scoring a deal or getting ripped off, you need to get comfortable with the metric system.

US dispensaries (and the rest of the free world) operate in terms of ounces and grams. One ounce is quite a bit of bud and is equal to 28 grams. OK, technically you can buy pot by the pound, but that’s a whole lot of herb.

On average, a dime of weed, dimebag, or ten bag is equal to about half a gram of pot, which equates to about two average-sized joints (or two large spliffs). However, the overall amount you get from your dime depends on several factors.

Location

Supply and demand is the basis of any product cost. In the US, the most significant factor that determines the price of pot is legalization. States with legal dispensaries offer more supply, and thus costs tend to be lower. So if you’re in a state with legal marijuana, you’ll probably see a little more in your “dime of weed” than if you were in a state where marijuana is not legalized.

If you are purchasing legally, the next thing to consider is taxes. Different states tax marijuana at different rates. If you’re in a high tax state, you’ll likely see less in your dime (bummer). Typically, if you’re closer to where your cannabis is grown, you’ll see more weed in your dimebag.

Quality

Dispensaries carry high-quality bud that is grown, transported, stored, and sold, according to strict guidelines. These businesses also make sure the herb is pure and can classify strains based on their THC level. Indoor grown weed is pricier than outdoor or sungrown cannabis, due to production costs like electricity, water, and other factors related to licensing. With higher quality, comes higher cost, which translates to less pot in your dime of weed. Still, though, if you go to a dispensary and only drop 10 bucks, the budtender is likely going to roll his eyes at you… 

Time of year

Most outdoor farms have their harvest season in the early fall. If you time your purchasing right, you can take advantage of the influx of new herb and get a little extra in your dime. Additionally, the more you buy, the lower the cost per unit. Just like Costco, buying in bulk gives you the best deal in the long run (just make sure you store all of your weed correctly for later use).

TL/DR

A dime of weed is $10 worth of marijuana. That will get you different amounts of pot based on things like quality and location. But good luck finding anyone who sells dime bags in the black market anymore. Even the dealers who still slang weed in plastic cubes are likely pushing at least a dub, if not more. The more you know!

Conclusion

Like I said before, the terms nickel, dime, and dub are becoming antiquated. Using actual weights like grams and ounces lets you know exactly what you’re getting. Of course, there are still plenty of people who still use the term dime so it’s good to know.