A roach is the remains of a joint, blunt or roll up cigarette after most of it has been smoked.[1] Most roaches are disposed of immediately after smoking a joint; however, some users will retain the roach for use at a later date. Some users maintain that smoking the roach again has a more intense high due to a high concentration of resin that gathers at the tip of the filter.[2]
Small metal clips to facilitate the smoking of a "roach" are called roach clips.[3] Roach clips cover a wide variety of paraphernalia including alligator clips, forceps, needle nose pliers, ceramic pieces with holes through them, and tweezers.[4]
In Europe, the United Kingdom and most Commonwealth nations, "roach" can also refer to a bit of rolled thin cardboard in one end to serve as a mouthpiece - called a "Roach Tip", "Smoking Tip", "crutch" or "filter" in North America. When this is employed, a joint can still be held securely after it has burnt down to a short length; thus, the entire length of the joint may be smoked without the aid of a roach clip.[5]
In Spanish, tabaco de cucaracha ("roach tobacco") refers to powdery, low-quality tobacco.[6]
La Cucaracha
A portrait of Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution
According to Callier the term roach was inspired by the Latin American folk song “La Cucaracha".[7] While the exact origins of the song remain unknown the version that is thought to have referenced the roach is the commonly cited version that ridicules Mexican Revolutionary leader Pancho Villa. The revolutionary version was reportedly sung by Villa’s troops during battle. Callier has suggested that in cannabis culture the roach represents the end of a joint and that the song is about "running out of cannabis and not being able to get high, just like the roach is unable to walk because it's missing a leg".[7]
Callier argues that the term 'roach' entered into American Cannabis culture through a wave of Mexican immigration after the Mexican Revolution in 1910.[7] The Mexican Revolution of 1910 led to a wave of Mexican immigration into the United States in particular through the American Southwest bringing with them cannabis. Schlosser suggests that "the prejudices and fears that greeted these peasant immigrants also extended to their traditional means of intoxication; smoking marijuana".[8]
Due to the relatively inexpensive cost of cannabis it became popular with impoverished and marginalised groups throughout North America. However due to perceived social harms it became the subject of an intense campaign by the newly formed Federal Bureau of Investigation. In places such as New Orleans newspapers linked cannabis with marginalised groups such as “African-Americans, jazz musicians, prostitutes, and underworld whites”.[8] Police officers in Texas claimed that marijuana incited violent crimes, aroused a "lust for blood", and gave its users "superhuman strength".[8]
Jazz origins
Louis Armstrong performing at an unknown club in 1932
One of the first documented mainstream appearances of the term “roach” in the Western media is found in a The New Yorker feature article in 1938 writing about marijuana or "viper" culture in Harlem during the 1930s. The article "Tea for a Viper" was written by investigative journalist Meyer Berger as he encounters a series of African American jazz musicians smoking cannabis. In the article Berger describes a roach as "a pinched off smoke, or stub is a roach".
During the Jazz Age marijuana culture flourished in North America and is largely credited with forming the "stoner" culture. Terminology such as munchies, cotton mouth and greening out is referenced in the works of African American Jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Stuff Smith and Lucille Bogan. A "viper" was known as someone who consumes marijuana.[9]
In 1943, Time published its first article on the 'weed'. The article describes the 'roach' as the remains of a smoked down joint, suggesting that it was a desirable meant to be reused.[10] The article recalls that a "the viper [drug user] may then quietly "blast the weed" (smoke). Two or three long puffs usually suffice after a while to produce a light jag. The smoker is then said to be "high" or "floating". When he has smoked a reefer [cannabis] down to a half-inch butt, he carefully conserves it in an empty match box. In this condition it is known, in Mexican, as a chicharra, or in English, as a "roach".[10]
The term roach is mentioned by Armstrong when recounting an arrest for drug possession in a biography by Max Jones and John Chilton, The Louis Armstrong Story: 1900-1971 shortly:
"The trumpeter was playing at the Cotton Club in Culver City, CA, near Hollywood, in a band that featured his favourite drummer, Vic Berton. The two were sharing a joint outside in the parking lot between sets. Unbeknownst to them, a rival club owner had summoned two detectives who saddled up to the pair and said, "We'll take the roach, boys.""[11]
Safety
Users will often smoke the roach due to the high concentration of resin that gathers in the tip while the joint is smoked. Smoking the roach tends to produce a more intense smoke that can cause irritation to the lungs when inhaled.[12]
Tobacco related illnesses
In many European countries it is common to add tobacco into a joint, as a means of preserving cannabis.[13] There are several risks associated with this practice due to the increased exposure to toxic carcinogenic materials versus alternative methods of cannabis consumption such as edibles and vaporizing. It is estimated that a single joint could cause as much damage as 2.5–5 cigarettes.[14] The consumption of combusted properties of a substance will often form toxic and carcinogenic compounds. Researchers have noted that for cannabis “this include brain changes that are thought to impair cognitive functioning, particularly in adolescents”.[13]
Europe
In the most recent Global Drug survey it was found that in Europe that 90% of users smoke cannabis with tobacco. Researchers have suggested that smoking a roach with cannabis and tobacco can lead to a more “than eightfold increase in the odds of later initiation of tobacco use”.[15]
For many Europeans, cannabis is considered a gateway drug to tobacco. For many Europeans the first exposure to tobacco occurs when they smoke their first Joint (cannabis).[15] This occurrence is referred to as the reverse gateway effect. The reverse gateway suggests that a heightened risk of nicotine dependence is the “most important health consequence of early frequent cannabis use” [12]
United States
According to the Global Drug Survey only 8% of Americans use tobacco with cannabis while smoking joints.[16]
In popular culture
Songs
The term roach appears in Buck Washington 1944 song ‘Save the Roach for me’.[17] Washington sings about a man seeking to get high by smoking the 'roach' :
An image of a 'roach'
“Folks say that I’m lonesome/ Say I’m blue as I can be/ But if you’re smoking that jive when I pass by/ Then save the roach for me.”
Common misconceptions
Depending on the nation in which a joint is being consumed, the 'roach' could either refer to a filter or the burnt end of a joint.[18] Traditionally in the United States the roach refers to the burnt or smoked end of a joint. The appearance of the 'roach' is usually characterised by black or golden hues.[18] While in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations such as Australia and New Zealand the roach refers to the thinly rolled piece of cardboard that creates the filter.[18]
References
^"Roach". Thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 9 April 2018 – via The Free Dictionary.
^"The marijuana slang term \"roaches\" explained". Cannabis.wiki. 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
^"The Free Dictionary". Thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
^ abcdCallier, N (2016). "The Version of 'La Cucaracha' Referencing Marijuana". Leafly. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
^ abcSchlosser, E (1994). "Reefer Madness". The Atlantic. The Atlantic. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
^Carney, Courtney (2003-01-01). "Jazz and the cultural transformation of America in the 1920s". LSU Doctoral Dissertations.
^ ab"Here's What People Called Pot in the 1940s". Time. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
^Jones, M (1971). The Louis Armstrong Story. Boston: Little Brown.
^ ab"Cannabis Resin Uses: The Complete Guide". wayofleaf.com. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
^ abWinstock, Adam; Hamilton, Ian. "Cannabis isn't the health problem – the tobacco people mix with it is". The Conversation. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
^Aldington, S.; Williams, M.; Nowitz, M.; Weatherall, M.; Pritchard, A.; McNaughton, A.; Robinson, G.; Beasley, R. (2007-12-01). "Effects of cannabis on pulmonary structure, function and symptoms". Thorax. 62 (12): 1058–1063. doi:10.1136/thx.2006.077081. ISSN 0040-6376. PMC2094297. PMID 17666437.
^ abPatton, George C.; Coffey, Carolyn; Carlin, John B.; Sawyer, Susan M.; Lynskey, Michael (October 2005). "Reverse gateways? Frequent cannabis use as a predictor of tobacco initiation and nicotine dependence". Addiction. 100 (10): 1518–1525. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2005.01220.x. PMID 16185213.
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A roach is the remains of a joint blunt or roll up cigarette after most of it has been smoked 1 Most roaches are disposed of immediately after smoking a joint however some users will retain the roach for use at a later date Some users maintain that smoking the roach again has a more intense high due to a high concentration of resin that gathers at the tip of the filter 2 Small metal clips to facilitate the smoking of a roach are called roach clips 3 Roach clips cover a wide variety of paraphernalia including alligator clips forceps needle nose pliers ceramic pieces with holes through them and tweezers 4 In Europe the United Kingdom and most Commonwealth nations roach can also refer to a bit of rolled thin cardboard in one end to serve as a mouthpiece called a Roach Tip Smoking Tip crutch or filter in North America When this is employed a joint can still be held securely after it has burnt down to a short length thus the entire length of the joint may be smoked without the aid of a roach clip 5 Several burnt roaches and a joint Contents 1 Etymology 1 1 La Cucaracha 1 2 Mexican immigration into the United States 1 3 Jazz origins 2 Safety 2 1 Tobacco related illnesses 2 2 Europe 2 3 United States 3 In popular culture 3 1 Songs 4 Common misconceptions 5 References 6 See alsoEtymology EditIn Spanish tabaco de cucaracha roach tobacco refers to powdery low quality tobacco 6 La Cucaracha Edit A portrait of Pancho Villa during the Mexican RevolutionAccording to Callier the term roach was inspired by the Latin American folk song La Cucaracha 7 While the exact origins of the song remain unknown the version that is thought to have referenced the roach is the commonly cited version that ridicules Mexican Revolutionary leader Pancho Villa The revolutionary version was reportedly sung by Villa s troops during battle Callier has suggested that in cannabis culture the roach represents the end of a joint and that the song is about running out of cannabis and not being able to get high just like the roach is unable to walk because it s missing a leg 7 Excerpt 7 La cucaracha la cucaracha Ya no puede caminarPorque no tieneporque le faltaMarihuana que fumar The cockroach the cockroach Cannot walk anymoreBecause it hasn tbecause it lacksmarijuana to smokeMexican immigration into the United States Edit Callier argues that the term roach entered into American Cannabis culture through a wave of Mexican immigration after the Mexican Revolution in 1910 7 The Mexican Revolution of 1910 led to a wave of Mexican immigration into the United States in particular through the American Southwest bringing with them cannabis Schlosser suggests that the prejudices and fears that greeted these peasant immigrants also extended to their traditional means of intoxication smoking marijuana 8 Due to the relatively inexpensive cost of cannabis it became popular with impoverished and marginalised groups throughout North America However due to perceived social harms it became the subject of an intense campaign by the newly formed Federal Bureau of Investigation In places such as New Orleans newspapers linked cannabis with marginalised groups such as African Americans jazz musicians prostitutes and underworld whites 8 Police officers in Texas claimed that marijuana incited violent crimes aroused a lust for blood and gave its users superhuman strength 8 Jazz origins Edit Louis Armstrong performing at an unknown club in 1932 One of the first documented mainstream appearances of the term roach in the Western media is found in a The New Yorker feature article in 1938 writing about marijuana or viper culture in Harlem during the 1930s The article Tea for a Viper was written by investigative journalist Meyer Berger as he encounters a series of African American jazz musicians smoking cannabis In the article Berger describes a roach as a pinched off smoke or stub is a roach During the Jazz Age marijuana culture flourished in North America and is largely credited with forming the stoner culture Terminology such as munchies cotton mouth and greening out is referenced in the works of African American Jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong Stuff Smith and Lucille Bogan A viper was known as someone who consumes marijuana 9 In 1943 Time published its first article on the weed The article describes the roach as the remains of a smoked down joint suggesting that it was a desirable meant to be reused 10 The article recalls that a the viper drug user may then quietly blast the weed smoke Two or three long puffs usually suffice after a while to produce a light jag The smoker is then said to be high or floating When he has smoked a reefer cannabis down to a half inch butt he carefully conserves it in an empty match box In this condition it is known in Mexican as a chicharra or in English as a roach 10 The term roach is mentioned by Armstrong when recounting an arrest for drug possession in a biography by Max Jones and John Chilton The Louis Armstrong Story 1900 1971 shortly The trumpeter was playing at the Cotton Club in Culver City CA near Hollywood in a band that featured his favourite drummer Vic Berton The two were sharing a joint outside in the parking lot between sets Unbeknownst to them a rival club owner had summoned two detectives who saddled up to the pair and said We ll take the roach boys 11 Safety EditUsers will often smoke the roach due to the high concentration of resin that gathers in the tip while the joint is smoked Smoking the roach tends to produce a more intense smoke that can cause irritation to the lungs when inhaled 12 Tobacco related illnesses Edit In many European countries it is common to add tobacco into a joint as a means of preserving cannabis 13 There are several risks associated with this practice due to the increased exposure to toxic carcinogenic materials versus alternative methods of cannabis consumption such as edibles and vaporizing It is estimated that a single joint could cause as much damage as 2 5 5 cigarettes 14 The consumption of combusted properties of a substance will often form toxic and carcinogenic compounds Researchers have noted that for cannabis this include brain changes that are thought to impair cognitive functioning particularly in adolescents 13 Europe Edit In the most recent Global Drug survey it was found that in Europe that 90 of users smoke cannabis with tobacco Researchers have suggested that smoking a roach with cannabis and tobacco can lead to a more than eightfold increase in the odds of later initiation of tobacco use 15 For many Europeans cannabis is considered a gateway drug to tobacco For many Europeans the first exposure to tobacco occurs when they smoke their first Joint cannabis 15 This occurrence is referred to as the reverse gateway effect The reverse gateway suggests that a heightened risk of nicotine dependence is the most important health consequence of early frequent cannabis use 12 United States Edit According to the Global Drug Survey only 8 of Americans use tobacco with cannabis while smoking joints 16 In popular culture EditSongs Edit The term roach appears in Buck Washington 1944 song Save the Roach for me 17 Washington sings about a man seeking to get high by smoking the roach An image of a roach Folks say that I m lonesome Say I m blue as I can be But if you re smoking that jive when I pass by Then save the roach for me Common misconceptions EditDepending on the nation in which a joint is being consumed the roach could either refer to a filter or the burnt end of a joint 18 Traditionally in the United States the roach refers to the burnt or smoked end of a joint The appearance of the roach is usually characterised by black or golden hues 18 While in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations such as Australia and New Zealand the roach refers to the thinly rolled piece of cardboard that creates the filter 18 References Edit Roach Thefreedictionary com Retrieved 9 April 2018 via The Free Dictionary The marijuana slang term roaches explained Cannabis wiki 2019 12 17 Retrieved 2020 11 22 The Free Dictionary Thefreedictionary com Retrieved 29 March 2016 Roach Clip lookah com Arooka James Bong s Ultimate SpyGuide to Marijuana Free World Press Ltd pp 178 ISBN 978 0 9738928 0 2 Real Academia Espanola Diccionario Usual a b c d Callier N 2016 The Version of La Cucaracha Referencing Marijuana Leafly Retrieved 9 November 2020 a b c Schlosser E 1994 Reefer Madness The Atlantic The Atlantic Retrieved 9 November 2020 Carney Courtney 2003 01 01 Jazz and the cultural transformation of America in the 1920s LSU Doctoral Dissertations a b Here s What People Called Pot in the 1940s Time Retrieved 2020 11 21 Jones M 1971 The Louis Armstrong Story Boston Little Brown a b Cannabis Resin Uses The Complete Guide wayofleaf com Retrieved 2020 11 14 a b Winstock Adam Hamilton Ian Cannabis isn t the health problem the tobacco people mix with it is The Conversation Retrieved 2020 11 14 Aldington S Williams M Nowitz M Weatherall M Pritchard A McNaughton A Robinson G Beasley R 2007 12 01 Effects of cannabis on pulmonary structure function and symptoms Thorax 62 12 1058 1063 doi 10 1136 thx 2006 077081 ISSN 0040 6376 PMC 2094297 PMID 17666437 a b Patton George C Coffey Carolyn Carlin John B Sawyer Susan M Lynskey Michael October 2005 Reverse gateways Frequent cannabis use as a predictor of tobacco initiation and nicotine dependence Addiction 100 10 1518 1525 doi 10 1111 j 1360 0443 2005 01220 x PMID 16185213 GDS Key Finding 2019 Issuu Retrieved 2020 11 14 Buck Washington Save The Roach For Me 1944 YouTube www youtube com Archived from the original on 2021 12 19 Retrieved 2020 11 14 a b c Learn How To Roll A Roach To Maximize Your Joints herb co Retrieved 2020 11 21 See also Edit Look up roach in Wiktionary the free dictionary Recreational drug use Cannabis smoking Tobacco smoking Cardboard Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Roach smoking amp oldid 1140568652, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
