Joint (cannabis)

Spliff

A spliff is a joint rolled with some tobacco. 'Spliff' is a West Indian word of Jamaican English origin which has spread to several western countries, particularly the UK and Europe. Its precise etymology is unknown, but it is attested as early as 1936.

The term "spliff" is sometimes used to distinguish a joint prepared with both cannabis and tobacco, as is commonly done in European countries, where joints containing only cannabis are uncommon. This type of cannabis has a play dough consistency and is therefore either made to be smoked in a pipe or to be mixed with tobacco if rolled into a joint. A hashish joint would be physically impossible to actually smoke without tobacco. In the West Indies where this term originated (especially Jamaica), a spliff is simply a marijuana cigarette, normally containing no tobacco.

In Europe, in certain Commonwealth nations, and more recently in North America, joints, or spliffs, typically include a cigarette filter or a bit of rolled thin cardboard in one end to serve as a mouthpiece, commonly referred to as the crutch, filter, or roach.

Roach clips

Small metal clips to facilitate the smoking of a "roach" are called "roach clips". In the UK the term roach is commonly used to describe the cardboard mouthpiece. Roach clips cover a wide variety of paraphernalia including custom-made roach clip jewelry from brass brazing rod, alligator clips, forceps, needle nose pliers, hemostats, ceramic pieces with holes through them, and tweezers.

Etymology

The word joint ultimately originated from French, where it is an adjective meaning 'joined' (past participle of the verb joindre), derived in turn from Latin iunctus, past participle of iungere ('join'/'bind'/'yoke'). 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 'place, building, establishment,' and especially to an opium den. Its first usage in the sense of 'marijuana cigarette' is dated to 1938.

Many slang terms are synonymous with the word joint. There is also a myth that, because it is smoked within a joint circle of friends, it is known as a 'joint'. 'J' or 'jay' can be used as an abbreviation for a generic joint. Another frequently used term is 'doobie.' The end or butt of a mostly smoked joint is referred to as a "roach" in U.S. and Australian slang.

References

References

1. Rubin, Vera. ''Cannabis and Culture''. Walter de Gruyter, 1975. p. 509.
2. e.g., in Jamaica: ''The Rastafarians'' by Leonard E. Barrett p. 130.
3. "Roll Your Own Magazine – Winter-Spring 2008". Ryomagazine.com.
4. (26 November 2006). "Dope activist to smoke 1m long joint". news.com.au.
5. World Health Organization: Division of Mental Health and Prevention of Substance Abuse. (1997). "Cannabis: a health perspective and research agenda".
6. (August 2017). "Anatomy of a Joint: Comparing Self-Reported and Actual Dose of Cannabis and Tobacco in a Joint, and How These Are Influenced by Controlled Acute Administration". Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
7. (2007-07-31). "One Marijuana Joint Can Equal Five Cigarettes".
8. "Marijuana and Lung Health".
9. "Joint". Dictionary.reference.com.
10. [https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/worlds-first-ejoint-given-its-debut-by-dutch-firm-says-its-selling-10000-a-day-9557607.html "World's first e-joint given its debut by Dutch firm, says it's selling 10,000 a day"] {{Webarchive. link. (25 September 2015 . ''[[The Independent]]''. Retrieved 8 December 2014.)
11. Wilder, Zoe. (2016-07-01). "World War IV: Joints Are Better Than Spliffs, But Why Doesn't Europe Agree?". merryjane.com.
12. Australian Government Department of Health: [http://www.groups.psychology.org.au/Assets/Files/National_Cannabis_Strategy_Consultation_Paper.pdf National Cannabis Strategy Consultation Paper] {{webarchive. link. (27 February 2011 , page 4. "Cannabis has been described as a 'Trojan Horse' for nicotine addiction, given the usual method of mixing cannabis with tobacco when preparing marijuana for administration.")
13. (2009). "Dictionary of Jamaican English". Cambridge Univ. Press.
14. "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com.
15. "The Free Dictionary".
16. "Roach Clip".
17. "Online Etymological Dictionary". Etymonline.com.
18. "Spliff". Dictionary.reference.com.
19. "Roach".