The Blunt Vs. The Joint – Differences & Preferences

The cannabis dictionary is a true vault of wacky verbiage. There’s a slang term for every situation; doobies, dabs, airplane, wake & bake, sticky icky – you name it. Of course, some of these terms are used by cannabis consumers interchangeably depending on one’s mood. Still, some common terms have their own meanings and should not be mistaken for potentially interchangeable words.

If I were to think about one pair of such terms in the language of marijuana, my vote would go to “joint” and “blunt,” hands down. Of course, it may happen that you, too, use these words as the mood hits, and I’m not going to judge you because I used to do it as well.

But let’s face it, some cannabis enthusiasts are not that laid-back and using the wrong language may be an indicator that you’re either inexperienced or undereducated. So to avoid awkward situations in the future, it’s best to know at least some essential words from the marijuana slang.

Now, sit back, relax, and prepare for a nice portion of green knowledge. First, I’ll show you what makes a joint a joint and a blunt.

The Difference Between A Joint and Blunt

Figuring out the difference between a joint vs blunt is no rocket science. However, if you’re looking for a good comparison between these two, consider cigarettes and cigars, for example. In short, a joint is the cigarette model of cannabis, and blunts are the cigars.

Yep, that’s the difference between a joint and blunt in a nutshell.

But there are more details to which I would like to devote the next couple of paragraphs. So let’s dig into it, shall we?

Joints vs Blunts: The Paper Difference

When joining the joint vs blunt debate, it all boils down to the material you're about to roll your stuff in.

Joints are more common than blunts. That's because it's easier to find rolling papers for rolling a joint. That being said, using regular rolling papers will leave you with a joint. The rThis is because the regular rolling paper was designed for one purpose: to burn well enough for the cannabis inside to be inhaled without interruption.

Joint papers are usually made of rice or hemp, and they tend to be about 3 inches long and translucent. Some manufacturers sell their rolling papers with pre-cut filters in the package so that you don't have to make one yourself.

On the other hand, Blunt papers excel at thickness; they are heavier and give your blunt more character. Many blunt papers add their own shades of flavour. If you don't want to spend a fortune on your rolling material, you can go and buy one of those cheap convenience store cigars and cigarillos, throw out the tobacco, and fill them with your stash. There you go, have yourself a blunt!

Although rolling your cannabis in tobacco leaves is the classic way to enjoy a blunt, you don't need to hollow those cigars and pack them up like a wolf in sheep's clothing; many head shops around the world provide cannabis consumers with wraps designed specifically for blunts. These come in a myriad of textures, sizes and flavours, and they can take your blunt experience to an entirely new dimension.

Now, let's talk about other aspects in which blunts and joints differ.

Interior

Joint

The interior of a joint consists of marijuana only. You can use whatever strain you desire, but it is, and will always be, exclusively marijuana. Some weed folks often confuse joints with spliffs. Well, these two terms are also used interchangeably quite often, but they mean something entirely different. A spliff contains both cannabis and tobacco; thus, you shouldn't use this term to refer to a joint.

Blunt

Like joint, blunt consists of sheer cannabis, with no fillers at all, and as long as it's only weed inside, you can roll it with whatever strain you like. The only difference lies in size; blunts are bigger than joints and usually more generously packed with marijuana. Also, don't call a spliff a blunt! These two are completely different terms.

Size

Joint

Because most rolling papers come in the length of 3 inches, they look similar to a cigarette when rolled. Given this, they are usually thinner, but if you like to pack your joints generously, you can roll up the so-called “baseball bat,” whose top is wider than the bottom – plus, they are beautiful when rolled properly.

Blunt

Blunts can vary in size. Since they are wrapped in a paper meant for cigars, they are usually longer and thicker than joints. Blunts are also more loaded with marijuana which makes it thicker. Some guys like to pack their blunt to the limit so that it resembles a commercial cigar.

But regardless of the size, it's the tobacco paper or cigar wrap that makes blunt a blunt.

Flavour

Joint

The flavour of your joint will depend on the strain used to roll it. The majority of papers are flavourless, but you will find some flavoured wraps in many head shops.

Blunt

A blunt's flavour will depend on the wrapping you use. A blunt will deliver a mix of tobacco and cannabis flavours of the strain you choose in the most basic form. Experimenting with different weed strains for your tobacco rolling papers may be fun, but it may take some time to find the right strain to mix with the blunt paper of your choice. Look for the concentration level of certain terpenes in tobacco leaves and compare them with those occurring in your strain – this will be the quickest method to pair your weed and tobacco.

The Benefits Of A Joint

There is a reason why joints have been around for so long. After all, a joint comes with plenty of benefits; most notably, it's the size of a joint. In addition, because joints are usually thinner and shorter than blunts, they are easier to store and transport. On top of that, joints leave you with a couple of storage options, from a regular plastic bag to the back of your drawer. Creativity is the limit, you know.

Another benefit of consuming your weed in a joint is the ease of rolling. Regular papers are designed to be relatively easy to roll. Blunts are not that merciful, though. When rolling a blunt, you will need to spend about 6-8 minutes to complete the task, whereas an experienced smoker can roll a joint in 2-3 minutes.

Furthermore, when you smoke weed in joint form, you don't add other materials – it's only you and your favourite weed strain.

Last but not least, the joint is the most popular way to get weed into your system. When sparking a joint, you're contributing to a long and beautiful tradition going back thousands of years.

The Benefits Of A Blunt

As I said, the main difference between a joint vs blunt is the exterior in which your weed is wrapped. When smoking a blunt, you're smoking both marijuana and tobacco. That being said, you will get the effects of weed and tobacco combined, even if the latter is subtle.

However, smoking a blunt doesn't make you higher; it just makes you experience it in a slightly different way. May blunt enthusiasts describe the feeling as an added burst of energy from the tobacco leaf in a blunt.

So… Does that mean that when I put tobacco in my papers along with my weed, I'm smoking a blunt?

No, this is a spliff, and the process of adding tobacco to marijuana is called ‘batching.' You can batch a joint with tobacco, but you can also do it with other materials, such as tea or chamomile. In addition, some smokers like to mix weed with tobacco in the bong, referred to as a ‘popper' in the marijuana dictionary. But it is the tobacco leaf that makes a blunt a blunt – nothing else.

Anyway, most people choose blunts over joints because of the sensual experience rather than the high itself. For many smokers out there, it all boils down to the taste. You can experiment with different strains to improve the flavour of your blunt, but if you don't feel sure about that, we recommend choosing some flavoured tobacco papers.

There is another significant benefit of blunts: tobacco leaves are usually larger and heavier, so they're capable of holding more cannabis inside. An average joint can hold up to a gram of weed, whereas a blunt will hold three grams. So if you like your stuff rolled generously, your vote should go for Team Blunts in this case.

Blunts vs. Joints: Global Preferences

Blunts and joints may vary in popularity depending on the region. The way people roll their cannabis reflects the weed culture across the globe. In Europe, for example, neither joints nor blunts are popular Europe; people prefer to smoke spliffs there, a combination of marijuana and tobacco. On the other hand, consumers in the United States are more likely to roll joints, and the rest of both Americas love to roll fat blunts.

There is a global difference in terminology, too. For example, in Europe, joint means that cannabis is rolled with tobacco, whereas spliffs refer to cannabis exclusively. From the semantic point of view, a “joint” combines two items, so people associate it with the weed & tobacco mix.

Blunt Vs Joint: What's Your Choice?

Choosing between joints and blunts is a matter of personal preference. The nice thing about the whole blunt vs joint debate is that you can try different consumption methods and pick the best one for yourself. I mean, every opportunity to enjoy cannabis is a good opportunity.

The best way to figure out whether you prefer joints over blunts, or the other way round, is to run a quick experiment; roll a joint, smoke it, and once you're done, wrap your weed in a tobacco leaf or blunt paper and repeat the process.

That sounds like one hell of a one-person comparative study. But, well, when it comes to blunts vs joints, this should suffice.

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