with no regret I resort to smoking "resin/tar" when the situation comes down to it. smoking a decent amount gets me relatively buzzed. of course, not to say it's very pleasant or anything.
All the buds are various herbs and flowers used both historically and culturally across the world. They're not meant to get you high. Traditionally, most of the plants in the "legal buds" have been used for spiritual purposes, not to get one high.
A gram could last you and even some of your good buddies for a decent amount of time. It's hard to say exactly how long. Just keep in mind you only really need to take one or two decent hits to feel it, so it should last you much longer than most other smokable things...unless you really like it...