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Blunts
What are "blunts?"
The name, "Blunts," is a street name used
to describe a
marijuana and tobacco cigar. Other street names include "el-pees"
(LP's), According to one source,
blunts originated among Jamaicans
in New York City in the early 1980's.(1) Blunts take their
name from "Phillies
Blunt=FC" brand cigars, although other brands of
similar make (such as El Producto=FC, White Owl=FC, and Dutch Masters=
=FC)
are
also used for this purpose.
(1) Tobacco is removed from the inside of the cigar, and
replaced with marijuana.
Blunts
vs. Joints
Smoking marijuana inside the leaf or paper wrapper of a
cigar offers
several advantages to the user:
-The tobacco wrapper slows down the burning rate of
the
joint. This allows a greater number of users to share the same
joint.(1)
-A blunt holds more marijuana than a joint, and is
convenient to use and store. A single user can smoke it,
extinguish
it, and easily relight it. "That's what's so cool about
a blunt. Just put it out. It fits nicely in the
top pocket."(1)
-It looks like a legal drug. Even though it is illegal for
adolescents
to use tobacco products, blunts appear to be commercial
tobacco cigars. Policemen, teachers, and parents who ignore
cigarette
possession in minors are likely to ignore blunts as well.
-Nicotine from the tobacco
content may add to the effects of
the marijuana in a blunt. Nicotine is a stimulant, and marijuana
is a minor
hallucinogen with some depressant properties. Other
stimulant and depressant combinations include cocaine and heroin,
cocaine
and alcohol, amphetamines and alcohol. At this writing,
there appears to be no medical literature evaluating the
psychoactive
effects of using marijuana and tobacco together vs.
individually. However, some of the comments made in one magazine
interview
are intriguing and may indicate synergistic effects:
"The blunt is more effective
=FCthan smoking marijuana
alone=FC..." "When you smoke a blunt, you get twice
as high.
=2E . ." "At first, I didn't like it, 'cause it made me dizzy. . .
(1)
Why are Phillies Blunt=FC
cigars used?
Many other cigar brands are still being used to make blunts.
Users
say that the Phillies Blunt=FC brand produces less harsh-
tasting or sweeter smoke.(1) The leaf wrapper of a
Phillies
Blunt=FC is strong enough to hold together through the
manipulations of making a blunt. Other brands fall apart.
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