If your favorite way to consume cannabis is smoking, blunts might be for you.

If you aren’t stingy with your stash, or your friends aren’t, and they too enjoy smoking marijuana, blunts are for you/them.

Or if you just want to get really freaking stoned in one sitting, smoking blunts is for you.

More Cannabis = More Opportunities

What’s a cigar called that’s had the tobacco removed and replaced with marijuana?

Put simply, a blunt represents a large quantity of rolled cannabis that’s ideal for smoking (more about the process of rolling blunts later).

Anytime a cannabis consumer finds themself with an abundance of weed, they should consider whether making blunts makes sense for that particular smoke session. Is there enough to share with my fellow cannabis enthusiasts? Can I afford to smoke a larger quantity and get higher than usual? Do I mind combining features of cigars and tobacco with my cannabis?

Did You Ever Notice How…?

The difference between cannabis culture and any other is the fascinating linguistic nuances and slang.

Take, for example, the parallels between the word “blunt” in a non-marijuana context versus a marijuana context.

When used as an adjective in standard English usage, blunt means to be straight to the point and direct. Being blunt involves honest action or speech without hesitation. And when you think about a cigar filled with weed instead of tobacco, “blunt” is precisely how we’d describe the high associated with this method of smoking cannabis.

Coincidence? Probably Not

Based on sheer ground cannabis volume, a blunt hits quick and hard and doesn’t sugarcoat itself.

Blunt smokers need to brace themselves for this high just as they would, say, a statement from a coworker or family member who delivers news bluntly. Without proper anticipation, it could be more than you can handle.

We’ll talk later about what your options for smoking weed are if this is not the type of high you seek, and what the difference is among them.

Clever Wordplay Wasn’t Exactly How Blunts Originated

Logically speaking, if you thought blunts were named simply for the way they got you high, you wouldn’t be wrong necessarily.

Blunts, however, were technically named after the Blunt cigar brand (featured in the Phillies cigar lineup) that originated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“Blunt” was actually a description of the cigar’s shape, which was shorter in length and wider in diameter, thus packing a bigger tobacco punch. Phillies come in a variety of different flavors, with the majority of them having a fruity taste and sweet smell.

As a manufacturer of cheap cigars with such a wide flavor assortment, Phillies is one of the most renowned tobacco companies among cannabis enthusiasts. Other popular cigar brands used to make blunts include White Owl and Swisher Sweets.

Ideally, Your Weed Is the Most Expensive Part of Your Blunt

Perhaps the biggest draw of Phillies, White Owl, and Swisher Sweets is how easily accessible they are generally. Walk into just about any gas station in the country and you’ll see the display. Clerks know that purchasers of these cheap cigars, more often than not, are using them to smoke cannabis, but what do they care? You bought something, right?

It doesn’t make a ton of sense to use an expensive cigar to roll a blunt, even if you also enjoy smoking tobacco. In that case, keep that cigar intact and smoke it another time.

Cigar paper in a blunt offers unique flavors, including a combination of cannabis and tobacco, but it’s the capacity to hold more weed that you want most.

Find Your Ideal Casing

The flipside of the above section is that, as a cannabis consumer, it’s entirely your prerogative whether to be a weed/hemp purist.

So long as your personal preference doesn’t conflict with your budget, smoke cannabis how you see fit. We mention cost-effective options like the Phillies Blunt cigar brand because we understand it would be a very popular choice. You should appreciate the difference among the various wraps from which to choose and identify which rolling material makes your best blunt.

Using Tobacco Leaf Wrappers = Smoking Weed + Tobacco

To be clear, whenever you use a deconstructed cigar to make blunts, you’re getting a hefty dose of nicotine also. Obviously whatever tobacco you discard makes a significant difference, but there may still be enough residual tobacco in tobacco wraps to compromise the pure flavor of your weed.

It’s also worth noting that nicotine creates an initial stimulating buzz (headrush) to which you not only may be unaccustomed, but that you also find disrupts your high. Whether that happens really just depends – the tobacco papers used to wrap most cigars can contain anywhere from one to six milligrams of nicotine. You won’t know until you spark the blunt, and you might actually enjoy it.

Consider A Blunt Wrap

If you don’t normally smoke cigars/cigarettes, and something about the taste or smell of your blunt seems off (aside from bad weed), it could be the effect of cannabis mixed with tobacco leaf. And that isn’t counting the added artificial tastes that come from using a cigar that contains flavored tobacco, flavored wrapping papers, or both.

However, options exist that won’t break the bank: blunt wraps. In fact, blunt wraps will have a similar price point to the Phillies, Swishers, Backwoods, etc. but you likely have to go online or to dispensaries and smoke shops to find the best ones. Blunt wraps are packaged in multiples, so it’s not hard to find a great bulk deal.

You’re Still Smoking Blunts Even with These Blunt Wraps

You may not care whether you’re smoking a true blunt, which is made with cigar rolling paper, because maybe you’re a health-conscious cannabis consumer uninterested in tobacco entirely. Your life and personal preference are far more important than any nicotine-laden blunt wrap. The chemical is addictive and dangerous, after all, and your choice to avoid even trace amounts found in tobacco papers is reasonable.

Finding blunt wraps that do not contain or smell of tobacco, therefore, makes all the difference. Fortunately, there are blunt wrappers made of alternative ingredients such as organic hemp, banana leaves, ebony leaves, corn husks, palm leaves, and even mint leaves.

These come flavored and unflavored, and some versions of hemp wraps are CBD positive, which is an added bonus. The natural CBD content wouldn’t add to your high, obviously, but it can provide an extra layer of relaxation. For a full, 100% nicotine-free experience, try a hemp blunt.

The Fastest Blunt Roll You Might Ever See

A quick demonstration of how to roll blunts comes from the very controversial 1990s movie Kids. In under a minute, Casper and his buddy have the blunt ready to enjoy. Granted, this scene was likely edited, and we can’t be sure how many takes were required, but you get the basic idea.

Blunts can definitely be rolled faster if, as the clip demonstrates, two people are working cooperatively. The reality, however, is that the rolling process takes practice and, in all likelihood, will be performed by one person (you).

He Didn’t Even Require a Knife or a Table…

Particularly if you’re new to the task, you’d be rolling your blunts at home on a hard, flat surface and possibly with tools, such as a sharp cutting object and weed grinder. The film’s version was outside in Washington Square Park (NYC), so they had to improvise, but Casper’s friend was also clearly a seasoned roller.

He was able to break apart the cigar using both hands, squeezing it between his thumb and index finger. It’s fairly easy to do, but a knife or razor blade to split it can also help. You notice he applied a generous amount of saliva before adding the ground cannabis; this is done to make the paper easier to roll. Once rolled, he licked the blunt again to seal it but, before smoking it, ran the lighter underneath back and forth. That’s known as “baking the blunt” and helps dry the casing so it stays sealed.

If Blunts Are Too Much, Try Rolling Joints Instead

In general, blunts are just a ton of weed. You may question whether you want to smoke that much at once by yourself, which is why they’re great for sharing with a group. For a quicker, more “individual serving” of marijuana, smoking joints is an ideal option.

Isn’t a Joint Just a Mini Blunt?

Not quite. The obvious main difference between joints and blunts is the amount they hold. You’re using the same type of cannabis in both – the best you can find – although volume is but one difference affecting how joints are rolled, smoked, and enjoyed. Rolling papers come in a myriad of sizes, designs, and flavors and, like blunt wraps, are made from different materials (again, think hemp) that suit your preference.

A Joint Is to a Cigarette What a Blunt Is to a Cigar

A joint more closely resembles a cigarette than a cigar. Joints can be rolled with cigarette rolling papers if that’s the aesthetic you’re going for (trying to disguise your joint?). Because they both use similar size rolling paper, they’re about equal in terms of volume; where the average cigarette contains around a half gram or so of tobacco, so too does the average joint with marijuana. A true joint should also contain zero nicotine, even if made with cigarette papers, as those are not made from tobacco.

But What Is a Spliff…?

The overwhelming similarity between joints and blunts is that their inner contents are 100% cannabis. But when you have a joint that contains up to 50/50 tobacco and marijuana, that’s known as a spliff. They’re common in places where weed is expensive and cigarette smoking is prevalent, such as some European nations.

So How Do I Roll Joints?

Just as with blunts, we turn to the internet for a fast visual tutorial on how to roll a joint.

This example comes from a popular Key & Peele sketch parodying Barack Obama’s college years. In it, Jordan Peele/Obama humorously compares joint paper to the Constitution and recommends that 10 joints be produced (which would be roughly equal to one and a half blunts).

Puff, Puff, Pass (the Joint)

As seen in the video, joints can be just as shareable as blunts. It depends on how much marijuana and joint rolling papers are available, and how friendly the group is. If you’re confident in your rolling abilities, do as the situation demands. In the end, it’s about how to most efficiently use your weed.

Can a Blunt be Used with a Gravity Bong?

Yes, a blunt can be used with a gravity bong. The gravity bong definition refers to a smoking device that uses water and gravity to create a vacuum, which pulls smoke into a chamber for inhalation. Users can easily place a lit blunt over the top of the gravity bong and let the smoke fill the chamber before inhaling.

Smoking Marijuana Involves Many Choices

The difference between smoking joints or blunts – or joints or spliffs – comes down to what you like and what health risks you’re willing to accept. Any form of smoke is harmful to the lungs, and marijuana smoke is no exception. The decision isn’t more difficult or controversial just because we’re talking about cannabis.

Remember to Keep an Eye Out (If You Have to)

Regardless of whether you smoke blunts or joints or spliffs, please be aware of your jurisdiction’s laws regarding public consumption of cannabis. It’d be a shame to slowly and meticulously roll something only to be ticketed for it!