Joint

A joint containing about .7-g.

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

Joint is a slang term 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.^[1] Modern papers are now commonly made from a wide variety of materials including rice, hemp, and flax.^[2] 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,^[3] but can range widely in size.^[4]

Variations

Though all joints by definition must contain cannabis,^[5] 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^[6] 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 "tip" in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, a "carton" or "toncar" in France, and as "gerrick" in South Africa. This mouthpiece does not filter smoke, but does provide air space for the smoke to cool and condense, as well as prevent inhalation of debris particles, also referred to as 'feedback'.^[7]

The North American joint is typically rolled with only cannabis and paper. Except in the Northwest region where spliffs are as common as an all-cannabis joint, the "roach" refers to the tiny stub remaining once the joint has burned down, equivalent to a cigarette butt, except that it can be re-rolled into more joints. It can also be put in the carb (small hole next to the bowl of the pipe) as a 'roach clip' to hold the roach without burning your fingers.^[8] or bong (water pipe).

Some smokers mix cannabis, especially hashish, with tobacco or nicotine-free alternative herbs^[9] including sifted peppermint herb (the source of menthol), hops flowers (Humulus lupulus--low burning point, soft and delicate), basil, catnip, dandelion, eucalyptus etc.

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 iunctus, 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.^[10] There are also numerous additional slang or "street" terms for a joint in various regions, such as "bifta", "jay", and "doobie".^{[citation needed]}

The term spliff is a West Indian word of Jamaican English origin,^[11] but has spread to several western countries, particularly Britain, Ireland, 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 cigarette rolled with a mixture of hashish and tobacco.^[12]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joint

• Roach clip
• Rizla
• Spliff politics
• Zig-Zag (company)

Footnotes