What makes marijuana smoke so much “cloudier” than cigarette smoke?

Question

The smoke puffs from a joint have a thicker body and spreads further out than cigarettes. Why is that?

In: 19

Answer 1

There’s a multitude of reasons, the first thing to understand is that smoke is suspended solids and liquids in the air, almost all gases produced are colorless. The largest reason that marijuana has a large amount of cannabinoids (20%-30%) and terpenes (~1%-5%) and these are rather viscous and oily and are vaporized when it’s burned. This is what is primarily in the cloud of smoke.

Tobacco has very small amounts of terpenes and no oily/viscous cannabinoids, (and it has ~1%-3% nicotine), so when it’s burned there are very few vaporized compounds. Instead the cellulose leaf is burned giving (mostly) CO2 and water, both of which are colorless. Additionally tobacco cigarettes are usually filtered, although unfiltered cigars don’t produce much thicker smoke.

So, when marijuana is burned roughly 21%-33% of it is vaporized and is visible, whereas when tobacco is burned the only visible parts are the vaporized nicotine, and any incomplete combustion byproducts (I.e tar) (which is typically filtered.