Cannabis Filter Tips: What They Do, Materials, and Sizes

Cannabis filter tips: the short answer

A cannabis filter tip is a short tube at the mouth end of a joint or blunt. It does not filter THC. Smoke pulls through an open channel. The tip holds the paper open, blocks loose flower and resin, and cools the smoke before it reaches your lips. Paper tips run 5 mm to 15 mm long and fit 8 mm cones. Glass tips run 6 mm to 12 mm wide and last for years.

What a tip does

• Holds the mouth end open so the joint does not collapse.
• Traps flower crumbs and resin, which keeps material out of your mouth.
• Adds a handle. You can smoke down to the last 5 mm.
• Cools smoke. The smoke travels a longer path before it hits the mouth.

A tip does not cut tar the way a cigarette filter does. The channel is wide open. Tars and irritants pass through.

Filter tip vs cigarette filter

Cigarette filters use cellulose acetate, a plastic fiber bed that catches particles. Cannabis tips are paper, cardboard, glass, wood, ceramic, or silicone. There is no fiber bed. Some brands sell a carbon tip with a granular charcoal core. Those adsorb some vapor-phase compounds and also bind cannabinoids.

Materials

• Unbleached paper and hemp paper: low cost, single use, compostable.
• Cardboard: stiffer, common in pre-rolled cones.
• Glass: reusable, neutral taste, breaks on impact.
• Ceramic, quartz, titanium: reusable, heavier, higher price.
• Silicone: flexible, reusable, low heat transfer.
• Activated charcoal: single use, adsorbs some compounds, cuts potency.

Sizes and fit

• 6 mm to 8 mm: 1¼ and king size papers, most cones, single-serve joints.
• 10 mm to 12 mm: large cones, blunts, group joints.
• 15 mm and wider: party joints and large glass mouthpieces.

A narrow tip restricts the draw. A wide tip lets flower pull through. Roll the tip into a cylinder and test the fit before you fill the paper.

Activated charcoal tips

Activated charcoal has a large pore surface. The pores adsorb gases and tar. Studies on charcoal filters show a drop in tar and in some vapor-phase compounds. The same pores adsorb cannabinoids. Users report a weaker effect and a different taste. Charcoal tips need a tight seal. Air that leaks around the charcoal bypasses filtration.

Reusable glass and silicone tips

Glass and silicone tips filter nothing. They work as a mouthpiece and a handle. Clean glass tips in 91% isopropyl alcohol for 20 to 30 minutes, then rinse with warm water. Silicone tips handle dish soap and hot water. Paper tips go in the trash or the compost.

How to roll with a tip

1. Pick a tip that matches the paper width.
2. Roll the flat tip into a cylinder. Follow the paper grain if you see one.
3. Place the tip at one end of the paper and pinch the paper around it.
4. Fill with ground flower. Leave 2 mm to 3 mm of space between the flower and the tip.
5. Roll the paper around the flower and the tip. Tuck and seal. Tap the tip on a hard surface to pack the joint.

Health notes

Filter tips do not make smoke safe. Cannabis smoke carries tar, carbon monoxide, and irritants. Charcoal tips lower some of those numbers, not all. No study shows that a tip removes the lung risks of smoking. Vaporizing flower at 355°F to 410°F (180°C to 210°C) avoids combustion and produces fewer combustion byproducts. Check your state rules and buy lab-tested flower so you know the THC percentage and the contaminant results.