The ad appeared in risque lads mag Front. The caption on the print ad read: "Twist and". The phrase was completed on the Rizla packet, which carried the label "Burn".
The tagline read: "Rizla+. It's what you make of it."
The ad was referred to the Advertising Standards Authority by rival rolling papers firm Zig Zag and is the latest swipe in a long-running tit-for-tat battle between the two brands.
In March, Rizla successfully objected to the watchdog about a Zig Zag ad for featuring drug references and glamorous women.
Zig Zag retaliated by lodging a complaint about three ads for Imperial Tobacco's Rizla brand, which were not upheld.
This time the use of the phrase "twist and burn" was the focus of the complaint because joints are often twisted at the end to stop tobacco falling out, while burn could refer to joints being lit and smoked, according to the regulator.
Rizla said the "Twist and Burn" execution had been seen by the Code of Advertising Practice copy advice team and explained that the "It's what you make of it" line has been its slogan for years.
The cigarette paper maker distanced itself from drug use, saying that only a minority of Rizla customer used them for that purpose.
Rizla explained the ad formed part of the word-and-visual game in its ads, because the caption stimulated the reader to work out the ad's meaning and referred to the roll-your-own craft.
The advertiser said the phrase "Twist and Burn" was most commonly used in connection with riding a motorcycle, as the rider twists the throttle to make it go faster, or burn rubber, and said that the phrase did not carry any other meanings in vernacular English.
Front magazine said at first appearance the ads seemed suitable for its audience, but admitted the ad could be seen to contain a drug reference.
However, the ASA also said that in some dictionaries "twist" was a slang term for a cannabis cigarette and "burn" was a slang term for smoking one.
The watchdog told the advertiser not to run the ads again because they could be seen to be condone illegal drugs and told Rizla not to run the ads again.
Last month, new rules were introduced by the Committee of Advertising Practice, which state that ads should not encourage or condone the use of illegal drugs, and bans ads in titles that have 25% or more of its audience aged under 18.
Meanwhile, a poster ad for a range of smoothie drinks have been condemned for being homophobic. The ad, for Thejuicecompany Europe, showed a man in drag wearing black lingerie, a necklace and a blonde wig. The text read: "New fruit on the block... call me on 0870 242 1102."
The ad was banned for using the word "fruit" and "smoothie" alongside a picture of a cross-dresser, which could cause offense and be regarded as homophobic.
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