For many of us living in the UK, Europe, or even Australia, mixing cannabis with tobacco is a normal, uninteresting occurrence. Polls have indicated that a vast majority of cannabis users in European countries opt to combine these two drugs, apparently completely unaware that stoners in North America find the habit strange and even outright stupid.
Take, for example, the now infamous interview with globally recognised cannabis connoisseurs Snoop Dogg and Seth Rogen on the Howard Stern show, circa 2019. In it, Rogen asks Snoop Dogg, “Do you find yourself getting in arguments with a lot of Europeans about putting tobacco in their joints?”. To which he quickly replies, “I hate that shit.” And thus begins a debate-slash-roast over why anyone would do such a thing.
So, why do Europeans taint (as Seth and Snoop would put it) their cannabis with tobacco? Where did it come from? Is it really just down to making our stash last longer or is there another reason?
Who mixes cannabis with tobacco?
Whether you consider combining weed with tobacco to be normal practice or an abomination depends largely on where you live or were brought up. In much of Europe, including the UK, as well as Australia and a number of other countries, it is extremely common. For example, a 2015 study of cannabis users in the Netherlands found that 95% of current cannabis smokers and 67% of ex-smokers reported that “they ‘always’ roll cannabis with tobacco.
Similarly, in the UK, the prevalence of mixing the two substances has been reported at 77.2% while prevalence in Europe as a whole clocks in somewhere between 81.4% and 90.9%. In contrast, the same study found that rates of “tobacco-based routes of administration” were around 4.4-16.0% in the Americas.
So, now we know the who, let’s get into the why.
To stretch your stash?
If you’re on a budget, tips to make your weed go further can be invaluable. And this might well be one of the most common reasons for mixing cannabis with tobacco. After all, it can take a fair bit of weed to make up an ample joint. Adding in a little tobacco (to make what many of us will know as a “spliff”) is a simple way to make your stash go further. But what about if you prefer to use a bong or pipe? Surely then tobacco serves no purpose?
For a more even burn?
Well, another argument that could be made for combining tobacco and cannabis is to achieve a more rounded and consistent burn. Tobacco tends to be drier than cannabis buds, which may be sticky or even moist. Therefore, mixing the two might help ensure a more even burn, both when smoking a joint or taking a hit from a bowl.
For a different kind of high?
But it’s not all about practicalities. In fact, many people may simply opt to mix a little tobacco in with their weed to achieve a different kind of high. The exact experience can vary from person to person, but many report that the combination of these two commonly used drugs inflicts more of a “head rush” or “buzz” than cannabis alone – a common side effect of nicotine. Others suggest that the addition of tobacco provides a more controllable high by reducing the sedating effects of cannabis.
Either way, it seems Europeans are much more partial to this type of intoxication than North Americans!
Because old habits die hard?
Whether you like to add a pinch of tobacco to improve the burn on your joint, increase the buzziness of your high, or simply bulk out your bud, this habit must have come from somewhere – or some time. Some suggest that it dates back to a time when hash made up the bulk of the market in Europe – particularly in the UK.
Hash, a cannabis product made from the resin of the plant, used to be much more common in this part of the world. It can be consumed via pipes, bongs, and even vaporisers, but smoking in a joint remains the most common administration method. However, pure hashish burns poorly on its own. Enter tobacco. While cannabis flower may not require as much help to burn without the help of tobacco, the habit may simply have stuck.
What are the health implications of mixing cannabis and tobacco?
As you might expect, combining cannabis with tobacco does have its downsides. After all, this addictive substance has been linked to a wide range of illnesses from cancer to heart disease. Smoking (tobacco) is the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide – more than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.
Some evidence suggests that using tobacco in combination with cannabis can also worsen the negative effects of both drugs. One study, published in 2023, indicates that consumers who combine the two substances were at an increased risk of developing anxiety and depression, compared with those who don’t.
Another study found that smoking tobacco with cannabis can also increase the likelihood of developing cannabis dependency. The 2008 study found that using blunts (defined as cannabis-packed tobacco cigar shells) and ‘chasing’ cannabis with tobacco contributes to cannabis dependence symptoms.
So, with all this in mind – and considering there are much safer alternatives available (including switching to a dry herb vaporiser) – maybe it’s about time we Europeans took Snoop and Seth’s advice and ditched the tobacco for good.
