Marijuana remained readily available in the continental United States during 1996. The flowering tops, also known as colas or buds, are prized because of their higher THC content.
Some users hollow out commercial cigars and replace the tobacco with marijuana.
While joints contain an average 500 milligrams of marijuana, blunts may contain as much as six times this amount. The smoking of blunts, once limited to East Coast cities, is now widespread throughout the United States. In 1996, the use of cigars filled with a combination of marijuana and crack cocaine or PCP was reported in several large metropolitan areas. Marijuana often is smoked in combination with methamphetamine on the West Coast. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the THC content of commercial grade marijuana averaged below 2 percent.