What Is The Difference Between A Blunt A Joint And A Spliff? - HuffPost

Skip to Main Content×Main MenuU.S. EditionNewsU.S. NewsWorld NewsBusinessEnvironmentHealthSocial JusticeCrimePoliticsCongressExtremismOpinionEntertainmentCulture & ArtsMediaCelebrityTV & FilmSportsLifeWellnessTravelTechStyle & BeautyFood & DrinkParentingRelationshipsMoneyHome & LivingWork/LifeShoppingVoicesBlack VoicesQueer VoicesLatino VoicesIndigenous VoicesAsian VoicesWomen's VoicesHuffPost PersonalFor Our PartnersWe Are GoldenSpotlight SeasonGamesHoroscopesVideoNewslettersInternationalU.S.U.K.EspañaFranceΕλλάδα (Greece)Italia日本 (Japan)한국 (Korea)Follow UsTerms | Privacy PolicyPart of HuffPost News. ©2026 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.×What's Hot NEWSPOLITICSENTERTAINMENTLIFESHOPPINGPERSONALVOICESGAMES

JournalismUnderPressure

Behind the scenes, real journalism faces real resistance. We keep reporting anyway. Member support protects our independence and keeps tough stories in the light. Join today to help defend a free press.

Join HuffPost

Already a member? Log in to hide these messages.

BLUNTS

A blunt is marijuana rolled with the tobacco-leaf "wrapper" from an inexpensive cigar. Now when we’re talking cigar don’t think of those big things Orson Welles smoked in Citizen Kane. They are smaller and thinner than a regular cigar and match closer to a cigarillo. Think Clint Eastwood in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

The name Blunt comes from the Phillies Blunt brand. Another commonly used nickname is "Dutch" when referring to Dutch Masters. Swisher Sweets and White Owl cigarillos are also popular but don’t have a corresponding slang term to them.

The biggest turn off to the blunt is the fact all tobacco has some level of nicotine. It’s not to the extent that big cigarette companies pump into their products but if you’re afraid of getting addicted or getting cancer it’s best to move onto another form of inhalation.

Advertisement

The tobacco in the blunt does provide an initial head rush and energetic physical buzz which hits before the cannabis takes effect. That initial kick is why many believe blunts are more powerful than joints. The truth is when you mix weed with nicotine, the two work synergistically in your body.

Meaning you’ll naturally feel both the buzz of the nicotine as well as the buzz of marijuana. The effect of the marijuana isn’t elevated because of the tobacco. You’re simply experiencing the two chemicals working independently of each other.

Advertisement

Researchers have found that with short term tobacco use, the receptors in the brain that attract cannabinoids can actually become more sensitive. But over long term use those receptors can actually become desensitized causing the blunt smoker to need more weed to get high.

It’s the same as smoking a joint and having a beer. You’re not more stoned. You’re just feeling both drunk and high at the same time.

The other difference between the blunt, the joint and the spliff and the reason many people claim they get higher on a blunt is because generally you’re putting about a gram of weed in a joint. But since the tobacco leaf in a blunt is bigger than your basic rolling paper, people tend to stuff a blunt with about two to three grams of weed. So you’re getting higher but that’s cause you’re smoking twice as much marijuana.

Advertisement

SPLIFFS

Now a spliff is essentially a blend of tobacco and cannabis. The term 'spliff' is a West Indian word of Jamaican English origin which has spread to several western countries, particularly the UK and many countries in Europe.

A spliff means different things in different regions. If you’re in Jamaica, a spliff is the same as a pure cannabis cigarette. But, in the United States and Europe, a spliff is a combination of marijuana and tobacco.

One of the nice things about spliffs is that they cut down the smell of marijuana. The tobacco scent adds a layer of smell, slightly masking the smell of weed.

Advertisement

The high from a spliff is also much more mild. It does depend on how much weed vs tobacco you mix but since there is less cannabis you’ll simply get less high.

JOINTS

Joints are rolled with lighter, partially translucent papers that lack the awful additives found in cigars and cigarettes. Rolling papers can be made out of a slew of healthy composites including corn, plant cellulose, hemp, rice, flax seed and wood fibers or wood pulp.

The Johno Show

Advertisement

A more modern addition to rolling paper are filters or what’s commonly known as crutch. I certainly didn’t have access to filters in my youth. We just smoked the joint until our fingertips were burning.

The word joint originates from the French word 'joined'. Its first usage in the sense of 'marijuana cigarette' is dated to 1938.

If you’re completely unable to roll your own joint you can pick up very inexpensive joint rollers in any head shop and in most dispensaries. They even make “cones”, which are basically partially constructed joints that you fill with flower and then twist close the opening at the end.

Advertisement

Well there’s your answer for you. Blunts don’t get you higher it’s just your body reacting to the additional buzz of the nicotine in the tobacco leaf. Spliffs definitely get you less high than a blunt or a joint and out of everything the safest and healthiest choice of smoking is the joint.

Tweets by johnoedRelated Go to HomepageLEAVE A COMMENTSuggest a correction|Submit a tipAdvertisement

From Our Partner

From Our Partner

HuffPost Shopping'sBest FindsLoading...Newsletter Sign UpThe Morning EmailWake up to the day's most important news. Sign up for HuffPost's Morning Email.Successfully Signed Up!Realness delivered to your inbox

By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Close TRENDING IN ContributorMore In Contributor