Joint (cannabis)

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Spliff redirects here. For other uses, see Spliff (disambiguation).

A joint, containing about .7 g. Rolling a narrower joint permits a lower burning temperature and better economy through reduced loss of THC.

A rolling machine (A); Cannabis joint (B); ground-up cannabis (C); a booklet of rolling papers (D)

A joint prior to rolling. Notice the paper mouthpiece on the left hand side.

An unrolled joint made with a mix of tobacco & cannabis, popular in Europe, especially within the United Kingdom. Studies indicate the combination of cannabis and tobacco can cause nicotine addiction.^[1]

Joint is slang for a cigarette rolled using cannabis. Rolling papers are the most common rolling medium among industrialized countries, however brown paper, cigarettes with the tobacco removed, and newspaper are commonly used throughout the developing world.^[2] Modern papers are now commonly made from a wide variety of materials including rice, hemp, and flax.^[3] One of the newest innovations in joint-rolling technology has been the introduction of transparent cellulose-based rolling papers.

A joint typically contains between 0.25 and 0.5 g of cannabis,^[4] however joints are not defined by size, and can range from extremely small to 100 grams.^[5]

[edit] Etymology

The word "joint" ultimately comes from French, where it is an adjective meaning "joined" (past participle of the verb joindre), derived in turn from Latin junctus, past participle of iungo meaning "I join".

By 1821, "joint" had become an Anglo-Irish term for an annexe, or a side-room "joined" to a main room. By 1877, this had developed into U.S. slang for a (usually shady) "place, building, establishment", especially referring to an opium den. By 1935, "joint" was being used to refer to the hypodermic needles used to inject heroin and other drugs; this may have been influenced by the secondary meaning of "joint" in the sense of something done "in common" or shared. Its first usage in the sense of "marijuana cigarette" is dated to 1938.^[6]

The term spliff is a West Indian word of Jamaican English origin,^[7] but has spread to several western countries, particularly Britain, Europe, Canada and the United States. Its precise etymology is unknown, but it is attested as early as 1936. While Jamaican spliffs are generally conical in shape, those elsewhere tend to be cylindrical and of varying lengths. "Spliff" can also refer to various styles of marijuana or hashish cigarette rolled with a mixture of cannabis and tobacco.^[8]

There are also numerous additional slang or "street" terms for a joint in various regions, such as "bifta", "jay", and "doobie".

[edit] Variations

Though all joints by definition must contain cannabis,^[9] there are regional differences in their method of preparation.

In Europe, and to some extent in Canada, joints, or spliffs, are often rolled with a mix of tobacco and cannabis, and typically include a bit of cardboard or business card in one end to serve as a mouthpiece. This is known as a crutch or "roach" in some parts of Europe, a "cardy" or "set" in New Zealand, a "filter" in Canada, a "tip" in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, and as "gerrick" in South Africa. This mouthpiece does not filter smoke, but does provide room for the smoke to cool and condense, as well as prevent inhalation of large particles of debris.^[10]

The North American joint is typically rolled with only cannabis and no tobacco or cardboard, and the "roach" refers to the tiny stub remaining once the joint has burned down, equivalent to a cigarette butt, except that it can also be smoked. Collecting joint roaches is common, as the cannabis in them can be re-rolled into more joints or they can be smoked in a pipe or water pipe. Cannabis from roaches is more potent than normal marijuana due to the collected residue on the cannabis.

Some smokers use menthol tobacco in combination with cannabis. Nicotine-free mixing alternatives[1] include sifted peppermint herb (the source of menthol), hops flowers (easy-burning, soft and delicate), basil, catnip, dandelion, etc.

A newer practice, most commonly found in America originating in urban areas, the blunt, is similar to a joint or spliff: blunt wrap or some times a cheap cigar is unrolled, all of the tobacco removed, the missing tobacco replaced with marijuana or hashish, and re-rolled.

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joint

• Roach clip
• Hashish
• Hemp
• Legality of cannabis by country
• Rizla
• Zig-Zag (company)
• Spliff politics

[edit] Footnotes