Spliff

Spliff is slang for a cigarette rolled with a mixture of cannabis and tobacco. Spliffs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and are also commonly referred to as joints (in America especially), although joint may also refer to a cigarette made with cannabis alone (no tobacco). They are sometimes called zoots, doobies, or (often sarcastically) referred to with their old slang name of reefers, especially by people who have seen the classic moral panic film Reefer Madness. While reefer and joint are almost certainly American terms, spliff is a term from Jamaica.

A large spliff is made by joining three cigarette papers, so that the long sticky side of paper (a) is attached to the non-sticky side of paper (b). Paper (c) is then stuck to either of the ends of the combined papers (a + b). The large surface area (papers a + b + c) is now set for the introduction of the cannabis (and possibly tobacco). It is usual to add tobacco if the cannabis product is in its resinous (hashish) or oil-based form, or to add bulk and make it more easily and uniformly combustible. If the cannabis is in its leaf and flower form it may be considered less desirable to use tobacco, though this is largely a matter of personal taste. Once the correct mix is achieved, the spliff is carefully rolled, and stuck together with a twist in the paper at the end where paper (c) was attached, sealing the spliff. Sometimes a rolled up strip of cardboard known as a crutch or roach is inserted into the open end to prevent the contents slipping back into the mouth of the smoker, to eliminate the need for a roach clip, and to provide better flow. The crutch, then, is analogous to the filter tip found on most commercial tobacco cigarettes. Upon completion, the spliff is then lit and smoked.

Not all spliffs are made of multiple rolling papers. Many smokers have been known to instead make mini-spliffs or one-papes from a single sheet of rolling paper.

There is a large sub-culture interested in preparing spliffs of different shapes and sizes, from the classic Camberwell Carrot (see Withnail and I) to more esoteric constructions that have a degree of engineering to them such as the Dutch Tulip. A certain Mexican technique, for example, produces a fairly conical spliff.

There are striking differences in spliffs prepared in various parts of the world. In the U.S., for example, spliffs are generally made without tobacco and crutches, usually with small rolling papers. In Europe, however, spliffs are often rolled with tobacco and crutches, and larger rolling papers generally are used.

There is a lot of debate over whether or not to use tobacco. Many anti-tobacco smokers see tobacco as unnecessary and harmful to smoke. People who use tobacco claim it helps the joint burn.

Several songs have mentioned spliffs such as

• Afroman - Because I Got High
• Tiggy Bliss - The Holy Herb
• Pato Banton - Dont Sniff Coke
• Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - Creepin on Ah Come Up
• Burning Spear - Ganja Man
• Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefers - Jamaica Mistaica
• Cypress Hill - Mary Jane
• Fraternity of Man - Dont Bogart Me (Dont Bogart That Joint) (from the Easy Rider soundtrack)
• Bob Marley & The Wailers - Easy Skanking
• Ziggy Marley - One Good Spliff
• Sean Paul - We Be Burning
• Tom Petty - You Dont Know How It Feels (censored by MTV by using the word Niowge)
• Phish - Run Like An Antelope
• Peter Tosh - Legalize It
• The Toyes - Smoke Two Joints (covered by Sublime)
• UB40 - Mi Spliff
• Mindless Drug Hoover - The Reefer Song
• Muddy Waters - Champagne & Reefer

Copyrights

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Spliff.