Differences Between Joints, Dead Ends and Jambs

Even though cannabis has a history of thousands of years as a plant used for religion, health, and recreation, people eventually had to hide its existence as Prohibition swept across the world, not just the United States. Slang, nicknames, and puns have been part of extralegal activities for as long as we’ve had laws.

We can thank slang terms for helping to keep the passion for the plant alive, but let’s be honest: sometimes coded language can be confusing, especially for new consumers.

Smoking cannabis works in the same way as tobacco: wrapped in something else that can be smoked, or consumed in one of the traditional native styles, in a pipe format. Some people prefer one over the other, but in many cultures and regions people mix the two, which can be a surprise to someone who doesn’t expect either weed or the adrenaline rush from even a few pieces of tobacco.

Wrapped and smokable, cannabis goes by many names: joint, blunt, joint, pre-roll, bone, stick, roach, cannagar, and others, to name a few. Some of these terms even have different meanings in different regions of the world, so what should a smoker do if they’re not sure?

Main joint

Joints can be nice and fun for the smoker, providing them with something to share and have a good time, but what’s inside them? Mostly it’s just a weed. Rolled or stuffed into ready-made cones, knuckles are one of the best ways to eat them.

“Just” weed can still mean several things; There are some other types of joint that you should know about. Typically the joints are wrapped or stuffed with paper, but even this can be unclear. This paper can be made from hemp, rice, tea leaves, or even clear smoking pulp. Some papers are scented, most are not, and they come in different sizes, allowing you to fit up to 3.5 grams, known as an eighth, in the largest king-size paper.

The joints are usually pure cannabis, but it does include cannabis extracts, so lightweights, be careful. People roll them up with hashish, concentrates, oils, wax and diamonds, and even dip and decorate the joints with colorful kief and cannabis designs. Joints with increased efficiency are called infused joints, so first you should ask if you are a so-called “power hitter.”

Slips are something in between

In America and the UK, a joint means a joint rolled from tobacco and cannabis, with a ratio exactly like a roller. Like a joint, they are usually wrapped in paper or a paper wrapper. Across the pond, cannabis is smoked in smaller quantities along with tobacco; the flower is harder to find, so hashish is indeed common, and is often found inside a eurospliff.

In the US, a joint with less than 25% cannabis content is seen as something of a faux pas, while a higher ratio of 70% should be a warning to the average consumer who may be expecting less from a potent substance. “Roller’s Rights” is a stoner tradition where the roller gets the first hit, and in the world of spliffs, the ratio of tobacco to cannabis is also chosen.

The tobacco inside itself is another cultural variation. In Europe you can see many joints of tobacco, and in the US you can see people snatching a pinch from a bag or even rolling a piece of a regular cigarette into paper. In New York, whole-leaf tobacco of Caribbean origin, known as fronto or fronto-leaf, is also added to joints to add a powerful hit. Simply tear a strip off the front leaf and roll it into a large head of marijuana wrapped in paper, so in most cases the weed ratio is a little higher.

The term “spliff” itself is said to come from Jamaican English , which is also a region where it has a completely different meaning: there it is simply a weed.

Blunts are their own business

Think of a joint as a large joint wrapped not in paper, but rather the outer wrapper of a cigar, a processed tobacco wrapper, part of the front leaf, or sometimes a thick, flavored sheet of tea leaves or even cannabis. People are even making luxurious joints using rose petals, dried cannabis leaves, and gold flakes. However, what makes blunts so special is that they can be shared.

Most joints come with a lot of weed in them, but to pack all that weed in you also need some wrapping; dulls are known for being much more severe on the lungs and throat and driving people crazy. You’re dealing with the absolute circumference of a blunt object, even if you only get one hit; it comes from a huge cherry of burning weed, and it will be much more physical smoke than a small joint. Newbies, be careful.

Joints, blunts, and joints all have a few things in common: marijuana, the community that can create it, and design. With the right rollers, they can be shaped into almost any shape, even Baby Yoda or a brand logo.

Some prefer the tapered shape, others prefer a thick cigar or a thin and short style known as “dogmen” because you can smoke the whole thing while taking a quick walk around the block. Whatever you try, keep an eye out for quality weed , always share it whenever you can, and always let people know you messed up if they’re new to the game.