People insert a filter when rolling a joint for many different reasons. Some think it looks less messy or saves money; others do it for health reasons; and there are also those who want the best flavour with every drag, or a combination of all of the above.
During a person’s consumption journey, it is common for them to change habits in this respect. Maybe, for many years, cannabis is “rolled” simply because that’s how the person started using without questioning the benefits or risks of use in any particular way. However, as time goes by, it is usual to adopt strategies for reducing the risks of smoking. In fact, more and more people are replacing smoking with vaping as a way to enjoy the benefits of consumption. However, by so doing, they fail to realise that most of the damage is associated with the smoke.
In the 1950s, society started to become aware of the carcinogenic effects of smoking. In response, the tobacco industry started to put filters in cigarettes. This innovation became a marketing tool, designed to retain current smokers and recruit new ones. Subsequently, synthetic plastic-based cellulose acetate became the main component of cigarette filters, even though the scientific knowledge of the chemical effects acknowledged that filters were unlikely to provide any significant protection for people’s health. In the mid-1960s, cigarette designers realised that the complexity of the “filter problem” arose from one simple fact: what is harmful in the smoke and what gives gratification to the smoker are basically one and the same thing.
If the issue is the risks associated with cannabis consumption, we could establish a scale from less to more as to risk for people’s health. First, at the lowest end, there is consuming cannabis orally or vaping it. Second, with a higher risk, there is smoking only cannabis, without tobacco and without a filter. Following on the gradient of risk there is smoking marijuana without tobacco and without a filter, followed by cannabis with tobacco and with a filter. And last, as the top-most health risk practice, there is smoking cannabis and tobacco without a filter.
There are many types of filter. They can be bought or homemade using own available resources. The comic strips in the magazine Cáñamo (Hemp) on “1001 ways to make a bong” are memorable. The filter’s main job is to prevent harmful substances in the joint smoke from being inhaled, and to cool the smoke’s temperature. There are also people willing to get the most out of cannabis in every joint without burning their fingers or lips. What’s more, inserting a filter may help give consistency, flavour and form to the joint, and also improve air circulation inside the paper cylinder and increase the drag’s efficiency.
In recent years, different filter models have become popular that offer a range of possibilities never imagined before. Let’s look at five of them:
- Single-use paperboard filters. Made from recycled paperboard cards or bought at a tobacconist’s. Some brands offer filters made of unbleached, unrefined paperboard. Others make filters that have no colouring or additives. Many say that the cellulose is obtained naturally from plants. We could say that all these refinements have more marketing purposes than risk-reduction aims per se. As explained here, it is less harmful to use a paperboard filter than inhaling the smoke without any filter at all, but it is still a very weak barrier as it allows the denser, more toxin-laden smoke to pass through more easily than other types. In fact, the paperboard does not prevent cannabis particles from entering the mouth when inhaling, which is unpleasant. To avoid this, there are some beginners’ origami tricks that can be used, for example, folding the filter in a star shape, in a coil, or even in the shape of a marijuana leaf.
- Cellulose acetate filters, in other words, plastic. This is the filter in industrially-made cigarettes. When rolling tobacco became popular, filters started to be sold separately. They hold back part of the tar and smoke before they reach the lungs. You should know, though, that they are a widespread source of toxic, non-biodegradable environmental waste. On top of that, they may be toxic for marine organisms, for the aquatic environment and, possibly, for human and animal health. As is known, they are waste products found in considerable quantities every year in domestic refuse, during beach cleaning campaigns, and in urban environments, and which have adverse effects on rainwater drainage, the beaches, city neighbourhoods and other natural environments.
- Foam filters made with natural cellulose. These are organic, biodegradable filters, so they offer the same features as the previous options but do not contribute to littering the planet.
- Jilter filters. These are filters made of cellulose and paper fibre which, like the previous ones, diminish the effect of nicotine, tar and smoke. They also prevent pieces of tobacco or cannabis from being inhaled. Inserting a paperboard filter in the cigarette reduces the smoke’s temperature and, furthermore, a number of undesired waste products are captured by the paperboard.
- Fusilli pasta spiral filters. Although it is not the most sophisticated method, these spirals were provided to members in some cannabis social clubs. It is a cheap alternative as its spiral shape retains cannabis particles and contributes to reducing the temperature of the inhaled smoke.
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