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Smoking Cannabis: How Do Blunts, Spliffs, and Joints Compare?

Medically reviewed by Felecia Dawson, MD — Written by Adrienne Santos-Longhurst — Updated on October 2, 2025

Blunts
Spliffs
Joints
Alternatives
Takeaway

Blunts are cigars that have had the tobacco replaced with cannabis. They also contain a lot more pot than joints do.

The terms blunt, spliff, and joint are often used interchangeably, but they’re not quite the same. To make things a bit more complicated, pot lingo varies from place to place.

Here’s a look at what it all means in the United States.

What is a blunt, anyway?

Blunts are cigars that have had the tobacco removed and replaced with cannabis. They can also be rolled using tobacco leaf wrappers.

As for the name? It comes from the Phillies Blunt cigar brand. According to various internet sources, blunts originated in New York as a method for smoking cannabis discreetly, among other things.

Here are some things to consider before you get out that tobacco leaf or hit the corner store for a blunt wrap:

Blunts contain a lot more cannabis: Cigars are a lot bigger than the average joint. Smoking an entire blunt is roughly the equivalent of smoking six joints.
Cigars and their wrappers are highly toxic: Even if you remove the tobacco, high concentrations of cancer-causing nitrosamines and other toxins created during the fermentation process may remain. And because cigar wrappers are more porous than rolling papers, the burning is less complete, resulting in smoke that has higher concentrations of toxins.
You’re inhaling harmful toxins: All smoke is harmful to lung health, no matter what you’re inhaling. According to the American Lung Association, cannabis smoke contains a lot of the same toxins and carcinogens as tobacco smoke. Smoking cannabis usually involves inhaling deeper and holding large amounts of unfiltered smoke for longer. This exposes you to even more irritants and toxins that damage your lungs and airways.

What about spliffs?

A spliff is a blend of cannabis and tobacco, usually in cigarette rolling papers.

The word spliff is West Indian and is said to be a take on the words “split” — as in split the difference between weed and tobacco — and “whiff,” referring to the smell of the smoke. Or, perhaps, referring to how adding tobacco masks the smell of the pot.

Both cannabis and tobacco smoke can damage your lungs and increase your risk for several serious conditions. Adding tobacco to cannabis just means you’re getting the damaging effects of tobacco, too.

Here’s what you need to know:

Smoking tobacco and cannabis together can increase your risk for dependence: The two appear to balance out the negative symptoms caused by both and seem to enhance the enjoyable symptoms, such as relaxation. You may be less likely to notice the ill effects and more likely to keep smoking.
Unfiltered tobacco smoke increases your risk for lung cancer and death: A 2019 study found that people who smoke unfiltered cigarettes are twice as likely to die from lung cancer and 30% more likely to die of any cause than people who smoke filtered cigarettes. A spliff may contain less tobacco than a cigarette, but it’s still unfiltered tobacco smoke.

Where do joints fit in?

Joints are the simplest of the bunch. They’re just ground cannabis rolled in cigarette papers. Sometimes people roll them with a crutch, which is basically just a stiffer bit of paper to hold it in place.

Unlike spliffs and blunts, which contain tobacco, joints contain nothing but cannabis and the paper it’s rolled in. The upside to smoking joints is that you’re not exposing yourself to tobacco or nicotine.

Still, they’re not much better for you:

Cannabis smoke can be just as harmful as tobacco smoke: Smoking irritates the lungs. People who smoke cannabis often have the same symptoms as people who smoke tobacco, such as chronic cough and frequent lung infections.
Smoking cannabis may cause air pockets in the lungs: According to the American Lung Association, smoking cannabis has been linked to the development of large air bubbles in the lungs and air pockets between both lungs and the chest wall in young to middle-aged adults who smoke a lot.
Secondhand cannabis smoke may be more dangerous than directly inhaled smoke: Secondhand cannabis smoke contains a lot of the same toxins and carcinogens as directly inhaled smoke and may even contain more.

Which method is safer than the others?

Some might argue that joints are better for you because there’s no tobacco, but the potential benefit is minimal. There’s no safe way of smoking anything. Joints, spliffs, blunts, pipes, and bongs all carry risks.

With cannabis becoming increasingly accessible, you have more options than ever for consuming pot that don’t involve smoking.

Edibles

Ingesting cannabis isn’t new. People have been making pot brownies and steeping marijuana leaves for tea for ages. These days, you have more options in areas with legalized cannabis, including gummies, lollipops, and capsules.

Just keep in mind that overindulging is a lot easier with edibles, so go slow, especially if you’re new to cannabis.

Oils

Cannabidiol oil, or CBD oil, is derived from cannabis. CBD oil doesn’t contain THC, which is the compound that makes you high, but you get all of the other benefits.

You can apply CBD oil to your skin to relieve pain, add it to food and drinks, or buy CBD oil capsules.

Sprays

Sprays are a newer way of using cannabis. Liquids are infused with CBD and THC to make sprays that you apply under your tongue.

The catch? This is a relatively new method, so there’s not much research on the safety of cannabis sprays.

Vaping

There isn’t any long-term data available yet on the safety of vaping. But in recent years, it’s been linked to serious illnesses and even death.

If you’re going to give it a try anyway, be sure to get your cartridges from a licensed dispensary. Avoid liquids containing additives, including coloring, flavoring, and scents.

The bottom line

Blunts, spliffs, and joints are the main players when it comes to rolled cannabis. While each is slightly different from the other, they all come with the negative effects of smoking.

To use cannabis and avoid the harmful effects of smoke, consider an alternative method. Just be sure to get your products from a licensed dispensary. Be smart with your dosing to avoid any other unsavory effects, too.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Cannabis (marijuana). (2024). https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/cannabis-marijuana
Cigar smoking and cancer [Fact sheet]. (2010).https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/tobacco/cigars-fact-sheet
Is any type of smoking safe? (2024).https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/tobacco/is-any-type-of-smoking-safe.html
Marijuana and lung health. (2025).https://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/smoking-facts/marijuana-and-lung-health.html
Thomas N, et al. (2019). Filtered, unfiltered, light, ultralight, regular or mentholated: The effect of cigarette type on lung cancer incidence and mortality in the National Lung Screening Trial.https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2019.199.1_MeetingAbstracts.A5894

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Medically reviewed by Felecia Dawson, MD — Written by Adrienne Santos-Longhurst — Updated on October 2, 2025

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