# Cocaine **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 19, 2001, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060 "2001-07-19T15:55:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![satanslawyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@satanslawyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/satanslawyer)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/1 "2001-07-19T15:55:10Z")
When you’ve got 8 guys sitting around turning tools, and you can’t have a radio because the crybaby’s in manufacturing will complain, you tend to have the topic of conversation wander around like a drunk on the freeway. Anyhoo, we got to talking about drugs and drug slang. And since none of us really got into the drug scene, there’s one thing we can’t seem to figure out. How much cocaine is in an 8-ball. We think it’s 1/8 of an ounce (the common size for a “Bag” of weed), but were not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/2 "2001-07-19T16:25:10Z")
That would be correct… So I have heard. ---
**Author:** ![b-side](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@b-side](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/b-side)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/3 "2001-07-19T16:27:51Z")
At the risk of having this thread monitored by project Echelon… An 8-ball should be 1/8 of an ounce or 3.5 grams. Of course, as with most products on the black market, a huge caveat emptor applies. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2001, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/4 "2001-07-19T22:02:07Z")
Wow, b-side, remind me to call you if I ever need a connection to the Shadowy Underworld. First the post about $3000 hookers, and now this! 😉 According to the US Government’s [drug policy site](http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/streetterms/ByAlpha.asp?strTerm=E) (a dubious source, I’ll grant you), the term has these meanings: Eight ball: 1/8 ounce of drugs Eightball: Crack mixed with heroin ---
**Author:** ![vandergeld](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e99b99/32.png) [@vandergeld](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandergeld)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2001, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/5 "2001-07-20T23:38:59Z")
[drug joke] hippie speedball: a triple espresso and 2 bong hits [/drug joke] ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2001, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/6 "2001-07-20T23:46:55Z")
An **eight-ball** is rarely 3.5 grams. It usually weighs out to 2.7 if your lucky. A **teener** is supposed to be half of an 8-ball, and usually is closer to 1.75 than an 8-ball, because if you halved what would be an 8-ball on the street wouldn’t even make out a line, and you would notice, because you would be looking at a rock or pile about the size of a pencil eraser, maybe more, hopefully not less. ---
**Author:** ![jane\_says](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jane\_says](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jane_says)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2001, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/7 "2001-07-21T00:08:17Z")
Wishbone, I disagree heartily. An 8-ball is most certainly 3.5 grams. All the time. 2.7 grams is, well, lacking damn near a gram. An real 8-ball is weighed on triple beams, without a baggie corner or twist tie fragment, and weighs precisely 3.5 grams. In all my years of doing bad, unhealthy things, I never had even the seediest guy try to sell me a 2.7g 8-ball. For a couple of years, I even sold it myself. I’m telling you that I’d have been sick with fear over selling something that short. As for a “teener” - I have never heard the term, and wonder if it might be something regional. If I were buying “half an 8-ball” I would certainly expect more than a pencil-eraser. Where I grew up, a single gram would make (at least) four respectable lines. Maybe the dealers in your area have their thumbs on the scales or something. ---
**Author:** ![jane\_says](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jane\_says](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jane_says)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2001, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/8 "2001-07-21T00:23:34Z")
Ick. Upon rereading my post, I would like to make it clear that I do not condone illegal drug use or any other illicit activity. I was simply stating some facts about a part of my life that thank God, is long over. No one should do coke - ever. Me included. And I don’t. So don’t buy or sell an 8-ball, or anything else that might get you into trouble. I do not advocate drug abuse of any kind. Drugs are bad, m’kay? ---
**Author:** ![b-side](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@b-side](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/b-side)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2001, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/9 "2001-07-21T02:36:41Z")
Beadalin, I assure you I am not as shady as all that, though it does seem I have a certain knowledge of all things bad. Meaning I agree with jane\_says; without question, the stuff is bad. As vandergeld implied, Beadalin, the crack(cocaine) and heroine mixture is a “speedball,” which we know is evil because it killed Jon Belushi. Of course an eight-ball is technically 1/8 of an ounce, hence the name, but I have known supposed eight-balls to weigh only 3 grams. I guess jane\_says always delt with better people. Sometimes that’s hard in NYC, where, by the way, one can routinely buy a “20 bag” of indeterminate weight and quality. Never heard of a “teener.” Would that be one six_teenth_ of an ounce? In any case, it is a stupid and as far as I know unused term. ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2001, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/10 "2001-07-21T02:41:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wishbone \* > **…because if you halved what would be an 8-ball on the street wouldn’t even make out a line…** Seven quarters of blow would not make a line? Who are you, Scarface? ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2001, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/11 "2001-07-21T07:52:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jane\_says \* > \*\* > > As for a “teener” - I have never heard the term, and wonder if it might be something regional. > \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by b-side \* > \*\* > > Never heard of a “teener.” Would that be one six_teenth_ of an ounce? In any case, it is a stupid and as far as I know unused term. > \*\* Yes, it stands for 1/16th of an oz. I can’t take credit for inventing the term, since it’s probably older than I am. When I typed in “teener” and “slang” in Google, I came up with [this.](http://www.metrich.com/slang/slang.htm#T) Then again I was never really into the yeaho, definitely much more of a tweeker. ---
**Author:** ![gtzaskar00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@gtzaskar00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gtzaskar00)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2001, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/12 "2001-07-21T21:17:09Z")
the 8ball is always an eight of an ounce… hence the name. If it isnt, walk away from the deal and find a better dealer. That is like buying half an ounce of weed and only getting 3/8… ---
**Author:** ![Schwanzong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Schwanzong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schwanzong)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2001, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/13 "2001-07-21T21:24:42Z")
Man, how can you guys still type with your fingers so burnt by the crack-pipe? ---
**Author:** ![jane\_says](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jane\_says](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jane_says)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2001, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/14 "2001-07-21T21:45:23Z")
What biting wit, Schwanzong! Except that until now crack hadn’t been mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![gtzaskar00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@gtzaskar00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gtzaskar00)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2001, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/15 "2001-07-21T22:10:01Z")
The only thing keeping me from typing that well are all these rolled up hundred dollar bills all over the desk… oh, and that mirror. ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2001, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/16 "2001-07-22T06:12:00Z")
1/8 ounce = eight ball 1 ounce = onion 1 kilogram = a pie Just so you can really impress your friends. PS: I don’t do drugs. ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2001, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine/73060/17 "2001-07-22T08:05:46Z")
Apparently, Cecil means cocaine. How… enlightening. > **[Office of National Drug Control Policy | The White House](https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/)** > > The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) leads and coordinates the nation’s drug policy so that it improves the health and lives of the American