First published July 27, 2022 | Last Update November 10, 2025
You heard right, fellow blazer. Chemicals in your rolling paper can be harmful to you, so check out the updated info below before you settle down with Mary Jane.
I see you over there… yeah YOU. The smoker who has a story to tell. The one who has gotten creative on a rough day and smoked the ganja out of an apple or used some magazine paper to smoke a fatty.
That is what some residents of Vanuatu do pretty often. They roll their tobacco in banana leaves, newspaper, and copybook paper. Gold stars for creativity for you both, but 0 for being the sharpest tools in the shed 😉.
Because according to a study in 2017, these Vanuatuan individuals had a significant reduction in lung functioning compared to professionally manufactured papers. They even compared the damage to their lungs to inhaling biomass pollutants like coal…COAL (7).
Ehhh, it happens to the best of us sometimes.
But wait, this does not mean that all manufactured papers are created equal.
The Heavy Metal Problem Nobody Talked About
In some cases, the type of rolling paper and not the smokables determine your exposure to toxic elements. Really! A study looked at 52 different brands of smokes and found that the type of rolling paper increased the smoker's exposure to pollutants more than the actual tobacco product itself. The papers with worse health concerns were the fast-burning, bleached, and flavored papers that contribute to higher levels of these pollutants (8).
But here's where things get REALLY concerning.
New research from 2024-2025 reveals that this problem is way worse than we thought. A peer-reviewed study analyzing 53 rolling paper products found that roughly one-quarter of samples contained heavy metals (especially copper, chromium, and vanadium) at potentially unsafe levels.
And it gets worse: Papers with dyes, colored prints, or shiny "metallic" tips had the highest metal content. Those trendy blue, green, and rainbow-striped cones? They were found to use copper-based pigments that could release copper far above safe inhalation limits. Heavy users (smoking around 5 grams a day) might inhale 4.5 times or more the recommended exposure limit for copper from these papers alone.
California's Shocking Discovery
An extensive 2025 California lab investigation found heavy metals in 90% of cannabis rolling paper products tested.
Let me repeat that: 90%.
Here's what they found:
- All tested transparent cellulose-based papers (those clear papers that look so cool) exceeded state heavy metal limits due to high lead levels
- 58% of rolling papers and wraps had pesticide residues, with 21% exceeding legal limits
- 91 out of 101 rolling paper, cone, and wrap products failed heavy metal screening, containing lead, arsenic, cadmium, and other carcinogenic metals
- Some products marketed as "organic" still failed – misleading consumers about their safety.
The cannabis flower itself had passed testing – the pollution was traced back to the paper.
Why Are There Heavy Metals in Your Papers?
You might be wondering: how did this happen? Experts point to several culprits:
Manufacturing processes can introduce residues and additives like:
- Chlorine bleach (for white papers)
- Chalk or calcium carbonate (to control burn rate and ash color)
- Inks and dyes for branding or aesthetics
Source materials matter: Rolling papers are made from plant fibers like wood pulp, hemp, flax, rice straw, or cellulose. Plants grown in contaminated soil can uptake heavy metals, which end up in the paper. Hemp is known as a bioaccumulator that can draw metals from soil.
Recycled pulp carries even higher risk – recycling requires additional additives (dyes and fillers that may contain lead, arsenic, chromium, etc.) to improve paper quality.
Printed designs and colored pigments (especially blue, green, purple inks) were directly linked to spikes in copper and other metal levels.
Papers with polyester (PET) plastic tips also leached antimony, a toxic metalloid, into the smoke.
What These Toxins Do to Your Body
When you smoke a joint or hand-rolled cigarette, these paper-borne toxins are combusted and inhaled along with the smoke. Over time, they pose serious health risks:
- Lead exposure can raise blood pressure and damage the brain and kidneys – and no level of lead in the bloodstream is considered truly safe
- Antimony (from some paper tips) can irritate the eyes and lungs, and long-term exposure is associated with chronic bronchitis and emphysema
- Copper dust or fumes can cause respiratory irritation (a condition nicknamed "metal fume fever" in acute cases), and chronic copper exposure might contribute to lung and neurodegenerative diseases
- Chlorine compounds from bleached papers could produce carcinogenic byproducts when burned
- Inhaled pesticides can cause respiratory irritation or other systemic effects
There have also been some claims that different types of material used in rolling paper can make a difference, like hemp versus wood pulp versus rice paper. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of genuine research to argue the difference between these materials in terms of your health, but wood pulp is by far worse for the environment when compared to hemp (2).( Check out Raw’s Hemp Cones here.)
So you are saying that I should stop using rolling papers?
No, but you should look for unbleached, slow-burn papers that are minimally processed.
This is why the Green Blazer's RAW cones are an excellent choice for cannabis smokers. They are unbleached rolling papers with no chalk or dyes and don't contain any additional burn additives. They also use a patented criss-cross design that ensures a slow burn.
To minimize toxin exposure, choose:
- Unbleached papers
- Unflavored papers
- No color dyes
- No printed designs or metallic tips
- Slow-burning options
- Products made of natural hemp or rice paper
Many conscientious brands now advertise the absence of bleach, dyes, or chemical additives in their rolling papers. These tend to produce less extra pollution when burned.
Unsure how to use pre-rolled cones? Check out our blog post HERE and learn how.
The Green Blazer's recommendation: The Ferrari of RAW cones
RAW's black cones are the thinnest rolling papers sold by The Green Blazer. They are made in Spain, where humidity is optimally low. In addition to the patented criss-cross design for a slow burn and no added chalk, dyes, bleaches, or chlorines, the RAW black is extremely thin, allowing you to have an extra slow burn and all that hit of flavor. Talk about a top-shelf kind of night!
If you are interested in purchasing, click here to be directed to our website or just head to our Amazon store instead.
Okay, but what about all of us cool kids who like to vape? That has to be healthier than smoking burning paper….
Not so fast you "cool kid".
The Shocking Truth About Disposable Vapes
A groundbreaking 2025 study from UC Davis found that newer disposable e-cigarettes (those popular "pod" vapes) can release alarmingly high metal levels. In tests of several disposable brands, one device's daily lead emissions were equivalent to smoking nearly 20 packs of cigarettes in a day!
Let that sink in for a moment.
The researchers detected lead, nickel, chromium, and antimony at very high concentrations in the vapor from these products. For daily vape users, the nickel levels in vapor from several disposables, and antimony in a couple, exceeded cancer-risk limits, while lead and nickel in others exceeded safe thresholds for non-cancer health effects (like nerve damage).
Some popular disposable vapes may be exposing users to more heavy metals than a cigarette would, which challenges the notion that all vaping is automatically safer.
But Wait, There's More Bad News About Vaping
Some vapes use chemical flavorings such as Diacetyl to give the vape pen flavors, and this can lead to a painful condition where tiny air sacs in your lungs become scarred and narrowed (6, 4). A 2019 analysis found that 74% of tested sweet vape liquids contained diacetyl or a similar chemical (even if not listed on the label).
In addition, those vapes you smoke may also contain benzene, a chemical that can damage the cells in our lungs (6).
When vape liquids heat up, they can produce toxic byproducts like formaldehyde (a known carcinogen) and acrolein (a lung irritant that's actually used as a weed-killer!).
There are even studies that have found bacteria and fungus in e-cigarettes that can cause a variety of health issues (4). A Harvard study in 2019 revealed that 23% of tested e-cig products had bacterial endotoxin and 81% had fungal contamination. Inhaling these microbial toxins can cause inflammation and has been linked to asthma and reduced lung function.
Not only do you have to worry about manufactured vapes, but you also have to be careful about receiving counterfeit vapes called "Dank" vapes that contain chemicals as a filler product (Such as Vitamin E Acetate) (4) These have contributed to the CDC's 2,807 cases of lung damage (called EVALI), of which 68 died.
The Long-Term Health Impact
A 2025 analysis of over 249,000 adults (as part of the NIH "All of Us" study) found that exclusive e-cigarette users had more than double the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared to people who never smoked or vaped. Exclusive vapers also showed a 39% higher risk of hypertension (high blood pressure) compared to non-users.
Am I saying that vaping is worse than smoking?
Based on the current research, vaping is a less harmful alternative to smoking cigarettes when it comes to cancer risk – it cuts out tar and many combustion byproducts. But the jury is still out on marijuana smokables (1, 5).
What is clear is that "less harmful" does not equal "harmless." Vaping has its own set of health impacts (lung irritation, potential long-term lung disease, cardiovascular stress, and addiction potential), and some newer vape products may be as problematic as smoking in certain ways (especially those high metal exposures in cheap disposables).
Because cigarettes contain various toxic chemicals and addictive nicotine, it makes sense why vaping is a "less" harmful alternative. But! There is limited research on cannabis smoking versus cannabis vaping, so…
If you do vape, stick to reputable brands and consider using refillable devices with quality coils (and replace coils as recommended) to minimize metal leaching. Avoid cheap disposables – they often use lower-grade components that leach more toxins
The Bottom Line
We here at The Green Blazer always want you to smoke safely, so if you vape or smoke, make sure you get authenticated product and smoking devices every time you decide to put your feet up and smoke your reefer.
For rolling papers: Choose unbleached, additive-free papers and avoid those novelty flavored, colored, or dyed papers that could be "loaded" with metals.
For vapes: Be aware of the content of your e-liquids (avoid unknown additives, look for lab-tested products) and the type of device you use.
For either method: Moderation matters. Many of the toxin exposure studies indicate that "heavy users" are at much higher risk. Cutting back frequency can reduce cumulative exposure.
And here's a pro tip: Don't hold the smoke in your lungs for long trying to absorb more – holding it in mainly gives toxins more contact with your lung tissue, for little added benefit.
Thanks to recent research, we now know that rolling a joint with a rainbow-colored paper or puffing a cheap disposable vape pen could be delivering more than a buzz – they could be sending heavy metals or chemical irritants deep into your lungs. Staying informed on the latest safety findings can help you make safer choices in your smoking or vaping habits.
Your lungs will thank you for it.
Interested in learning more about pre-rolled cones? Contact us at 702-819-9866 - or visit our online catalog.
References:
- Cahn, Z., & Siegel, M. (2010, December 9). Electronic cigarettes as a harm reduction strategy for tobacco control: A step forward or a repeat of past mistakes? - journal of public health policy. SpringerLink. Retrieved July 13, 2022, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/jphp.2010.41
- Gibson. (2006). Hemp: A Substance of Hope. Journal of Industrial Hemp, 10(2), 75–83. https://doi.org/10.1300/J237v10n02_07
- Jonas, & Raj, R. (2020). Vaping-Related Acute Parenchymal Lung Injury: A Systematic Review. Chest, 158(4), 1555–1565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2020.03.085
- Microbial contaminants found in popular e-cigarettes. (2019, April 24). ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190424083419.htm
- Nutt, David J, Prof, King, Leslie A, PhD, & Phillips, Lawrence D, PhD. (2010). Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis. The Lancet (British Edition), 376(9752), 1558–1565. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61462-6
- Vaping: What the Hell is Going On?! | Science Vs. (n.d.). Gimlet. Retrieved July 13, 2022, from https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/n8hw5a
- Weitz, Olszowy, K. M., Dancause, K. N., Sun, C., Pomer, A., Silverman, H., Lee, G., Tarivonda, L., Chan, C. W., Kaneko, A., Lum, J. K., & Garruto, R. M. (2017). Rolling Tobacco in Banana Leaves, Newspaper, or Copybook Paper Associated With Significant Reduction in Lung Function in Vanuatu. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 29(3), 180–188. https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539517696552
- Zumbado, Luzardo, O. P., Rodríguez-Hernández, Ángel, Boada, L. D., & Henríquez-Hernández, L. A. (2019). Differential exposure to 33 toxic elements through cigarette smoking, based on the type of tobacco and rolling paper used. Environmental Research, 169, 368–376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2018.11.021
