He's correct, this "$10 a gram" question doesn't make much sense. Fortunately, I've studied this topic and can share some knowledge.
There are basically two qualities of marijuana on the market in the US: low grade Mexican imports, and high grade domestic/canadian. You could add a third, a 'midgrade', which would be really good mexican or low grade canadian (mass imported BC bud, aka 'beesters'). (Interestingly, in the UK and Europe, the Mexican equivalent is 'African').
The Mexican stuff sells for $200-$1200 a lb, depending on your proximity to the border. For instance, it might be $250 a lb in Las Cruces, NM, $500 in Albuquerque, and $600 in Denver. This equates to a price of $25-80 an ounce retail varying similarly by location. It is not very fresh, may be chemically adulterated (splashed with gasoline to hide the smell, for instance), is compressed into bricks. Your average teenager or blue collar worker smokes this. . Potency by weight is probably 2-6% active cannabinoids. Smell ranges from hay-like, to mildy sweet and herbal, to old and musty. It's the Budweiser of pot.
The other type is the high grade, aka 'kind bud', 'headdies', 'nugs', or so on. This is typically produced in hydroponic farms in the US, from seeds of Californian or Dutch varieties that have been the result of intensive breeding for quality. As such, it is much more fresh and potent. Sometimes the Canadian material is compressed a bit, but never into 'bricks' like the Mexican. Potency by weight is probably 5-25% active cannabinoids. This is preferred by connoisseur smokers, upscale customers, people concerned about their health and medical patients. That's the type you'll find at the medical dispensaries in California or Colorado, for instance - locally grown, high quality. Smell is fresh and herbal, showing a wide range of floral scents typical to the plant. A beer comparison would be a tasty craft brew from a brew pub or a regional microbrew. I guess the Canadian stuff would be the equivalent of Sam Adams. The prices range from $250 to $450 an ounce, showing little regional variation. My friend has a license to produce for dispensaries in Colorado, and he said the prices there are $175 to $350 an ounce, similar to the old prices on the black market. The price for this type is usually, as noted, $20-25 a gram. More typical is a 1/8 ounce (3.5 g) for $50-60, and a quarter ounce for $80-100. So, it actually works out to about $14 a gram.
And, there HAS been inflation in the price of this in the past 20 years, invalidating this article's viewpoint, but it goes in spurts. The price for a quarter ounce of this higher quality type was about $60-80 in the early 90s, and then became $80-100 in the later half of the decade. It's stayed remarkably stable at that price, and $350-400 an ounce, since then.
Kine is a hawaiian words that translates to "the one". It is used to express like or show praise towards something or someone. The term has been popularized in the continental United States in reference to potent Cannabis.
Seems reasonable. I don't think the neo-hippies I heard this from 5-15 years ago were thinking anything about Hawaii, though. They thought 'kind bud' or 'the kind' and either didn't think about it, or assumed that meant something that was 'nice' to them.
Sounds good to me. By the time I first heard this in person, people were saying 'kind bud' most definitely, though - so it has a place the vernacular in that form. Slang is a funny thing.
There are basically two qualities of marijuana on the market in the US: low grade Mexican imports, and high grade domestic/canadian. You could add a third, a 'midgrade', which would be really good mexican or low grade canadian (mass imported BC bud, aka 'beesters'). (Interestingly, in the UK and Europe, the Mexican equivalent is 'African').
The Mexican stuff sells for $200-$1200 a lb, depending on your proximity to the border. For instance, it might be $250 a lb in Las Cruces, NM, $500 in Albuquerque, and $600 in Denver. This equates to a price of $25-80 an ounce retail varying similarly by location. It is not very fresh, may be chemically adulterated (splashed with gasoline to hide the smell, for instance), is compressed into bricks. Your average teenager or blue collar worker smokes this. . Potency by weight is probably 2-6% active cannabinoids. Smell ranges from hay-like, to mildy sweet and herbal, to old and musty. It's the Budweiser of pot.
The other type is the high grade, aka 'kind bud', 'headdies', 'nugs', or so on. This is typically produced in hydroponic farms in the US, from seeds of Californian or Dutch varieties that have been the result of intensive breeding for quality. As such, it is much more fresh and potent. Sometimes the Canadian material is compressed a bit, but never into 'bricks' like the Mexican. Potency by weight is probably 5-25% active cannabinoids. This is preferred by connoisseur smokers, upscale customers, people concerned about their health and medical patients. That's the type you'll find at the medical dispensaries in California or Colorado, for instance - locally grown, high quality. Smell is fresh and herbal, showing a wide range of floral scents typical to the plant. A beer comparison would be a tasty craft brew from a brew pub or a regional microbrew. I guess the Canadian stuff would be the equivalent of Sam Adams. The prices range from $250 to $450 an ounce, showing little regional variation. My friend has a license to produce for dispensaries in Colorado, and he said the prices there are $175 to $350 an ounce, similar to the old prices on the black market. The price for this type is usually, as noted, $20-25 a gram. More typical is a 1/8 ounce (3.5 g) for $50-60, and a quarter ounce for $80-100. So, it actually works out to about $14 a gram.
And, there HAS been inflation in the price of this in the past 20 years, invalidating this article's viewpoint, but it goes in spurts. The price for a quarter ounce of this higher quality type was about $60-80 in the early 90s, and then became $80-100 in the later half of the decade. It's stayed remarkably stable at that price, and $350-400 an ounce, since then.