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Cannabis Beginners: Your Guide to Rolling a Joint

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One of the most beautiful parts of diving into the world of cannabis is that there are several ways to enjoy the plant in its various forms. Consuming cannabis in the form of a joint can be a refreshing way to share quality flower your local dispensary near the Strip with friends and bring people together. Most people in the cannabis community agree that everyone who uses cannabis should know how to roll a great joint, much like every cook should know how to make an excellent omelet. 

Learn more about the properties of quality joints, how to roll your own, and more below!

 

Joints Versus Blunts Versus Spliffs

Before we get into rolling your own joints, it’s important to understand what exactly a joint is and how it compares to other cannabis ingestion methods. 

People often use the terms “joint” and “blunt” interchangeably when referring to smokable cannabis ingestion methods, but the two are actually quite different. Joints are made of thin rolling paper, a filter, and cannabis flower, while blunts are made with a cigar or blunt wrap. Spliffs look more like joints, and are often made with rolling paper, but they also contain dried tobacco. 

Both blunts and spliffs can give users a buzzy feeling along with the cannabis high, but most people save them for special occasions instead of smoking them regularly like they might with joints.  

Overall, joints are more popular than blunts, and most Vegas dispensary near strip won’t sell blunt materials, blunt pre-rolls, or tobacco like they do for joints and cannabis flower. 

 

Properties of an Excellent Joint

Although you don’t need to roll a perfect joint every time you decide to indulge in an afternoon or night of cannabis exploration, you do at least want your joints to have a few basic qualities. For starters, your joint should have some kind of a filter to prevent you from inhaling cannabis flower chunks when you breath in the smoke. This also helps to protect your lungs from some of the compounds that lit cannabis flower can produce, and it can help prevent coughing fits after hits. 

A great joint is also rolled and sealed tightly to ensure that your joint doesn’t break open and spill your cannabis everywhere. This is not only potentially wasteful, it can also be a fire hazard if the contents are expelled while they are lit. Finally, the best joints are packed densely and evenly to provide a consistent burn and flower concentration for each inhalation.

Now that we’ve covered what makes a joint excellent, let’s get into rolling your own great joints. 

 

What You’ll Need:

Joints are only as good as the material they are made from, so be sure to pick up the best rolling papers, cannabis flower, and joint tips you can get your hands on. 

 

Step 1: Grind your flower

Some may be tempted to skip the very first step of grinding the flower, especially if they don’t own a cannabis grinder. This step is crucial for a great joint, however, as it makes filling the joint far easier, and it allows the joint to be packed more evenly. This keeps hits consistent by providing an even burn throughout the whole joint. 

Quality cannabis flower that has been dried properly should crumble and break down without a hitch in a grinder, though you can also use your hands or scissors to break it down into smaller chunks. Ideally, your flower should be broken down into about the size of grains of rice, but some people prefer larger or smaller bits of flower in their joints. One of the best parts about rolling your own joints is that you can completely customize your cannabis experience. 

 

Step 2: Place your filter on one end of your rolling paper

Whether you decide to purchase filters or make them at home on your own, your next step is to place one on one end of the rolling paper. Since the joint is rolled the long way, place the filter in the middle of one of the shorter ends. You can moisten the filter or the paper a bit if you want to help it stick. 

 

Step 3: Sprinkle your ground flower in the rolling paper

While one hand holds the rolling paper with the filter, the other hand should carefully place your grounded cannabis flower into the center of the rolling paper. You can measure out the amount of flower ahead of time with a scale if desired, but just be sure not to overfill the rolling paper. Have you ever had a burrito so overfilled with goodies that it all falls right out on the ground? That’s exactly what we want to avoid here. 

Over time, you’ll have a better idea of how much flower can fit into your rolling paper.

 

Step 4: Shape the rolling paper into a joint and seal it

Now things can get a little tricky. Take the end of the rolling paper that does not have a strip of glue on it and tuck it inward toward the cannabis you just placed on the paper. Now, take the other end of the rolling paper, and roll it as tightly as possible to form a nice, even tube. Moisten the glue with your tongue, and seal it by folding the sticky end tightly around the remainder of the joint. 

If you can’t get a uniform roll across the entire joint at once, you can also start by moistening the glue on the side that contains the filter. Roll the paper tightly around that end, and then continue at short intervals down the rest of the joint. This takes a bit longer, but it can be an easy method for beginners to get a tight and uniform joint shape. 

 

Step 5: Pack it in and seal it up

Using a long, thin object like a pen or pencil, push the cannabis flower into the joint from the open end. This helps the joint burn evenly and will keep the flower consistent throughout the whole joint. Once your flower is packed into the joint as desired, you can seal the open end by twisting the paper with your fingers. It sometimes helps to moisten the open end a bit before twisting to help it maintain its shape after you seal it. 

 

Step 6: Enjoy the ride

If you roll your joints to consume right away, simply hold the filtered end in your mouth and light the twisted end with a lighter. We recommend taking small hits of the joint at a time, as this can help prevent you from having a coughing fit or getting a sore throat. Many cannabis users believe they must hold smoke in their lungs for a long time to better absorb the THC they seek, but holding it in longer doesn’t actually help with getting high. 

The THC in flower or vapor gets absorbed within the first few seconds of inhalation, and holding it in provides more drawbacks than benefits. 

 

Additional joint-rolling tips

It takes some practice to master the art of rolling a fine joint, but here are a few extra tips that can lessen the learning curve:

 

Start small

One of the most difficult parts of rolling a joint is packing all of the flower in the paper and keeping the roll tight. Whether you’re still new to joint rolling, or cannabis as a whole, we recommend starting with a small amount of flower. This not only makes the rolling process easier, but it also helps you enjoy a more even buzz. 

A 1/2 gram of cannabis flower is a great place to start, which fits well in standard-sized (1 1/4) rolling paper. 

 

Ensure your flower is fresh

Nothing can ruin a joint-smoking session quite like old, stale cannabis flower can. If you’re thinking about using flower you found in the back of your cupboard, give it a quick look, feel, and smell. Cannabis flower that is still fresh won’t contain any fuzzy mold, smell musty or funky, or feel too dry and crumbly. The average shelf life of cannabis flower sits between six months to a year, so purchase some new flower if your old stash has gone bad. 

 

Have fun with it

Although it can be frustrating at first, many people that have mastered the art of joint rolling have made it into an artform. Many cannabis enthusiasts have created joints that combine their favorite plant with origami-like skills to form unique blunt shapes. You can watch online tutorials about different joint shapes and sizes, or you can get creative and make your own! 

 

Storing your joints 

If you roll several joints ahead of time, and you want to keep them fresh, or you’re only halfway done with one of your joints, there are a few important things to keep in mind when storing them. Joint quality can be compromised quickly if it’s stored in hot, humid conditions, and if too much moisture gets introduced. Our favorite way to store joints is in a plastic canister, which you can get when you purchase pre-rolls. 

Plastic canisters allow joints to maintain their shape if they are placed in a purse or pocket, and they keep moisture out. Ziploc plastic bags can also keep your joints fresh, but it’s important to push all of the air out before you seal the bag. Finally, used pill bottles can also be a great way to store half-smoked joints. When storing a used joint, just be sure it is fully extinguished and cooled before you pack it away.  

Man rolling a joint of cannabis Want an expert-rolled joint while you practice your own technique? Try pre-rolls! 

Pre-rolls are a convenient way to enjoy cannabis flower without having to roll the joint yourself. Most pre-rolls come with a full gram of cannabis flower already packed in, and you can even buy packs of several pre-rolls all at once. We still think learning how to roll a joint is a great way to feel more connected to the cannabis you consume, but you can always lean on pre-rolls if you don’t have the time or desire to learn for yourself. 

If you’re still struggling to roll your own joints  but you don’t want to purchase pre-rolls, there are several tools on the market that can make the process easier. Talk to your local budtender, or do some research online, to see if you can find the right tool(s) to help you roll better joints. 

 

For the best cannabis in Las Vegas and beyond, visit Thrive Marketplace today! 

Whether you want to buy the freshest flower and quality joint-rolling supplies, or you want to opt for edibles, vapes, and pre-rolls, Thrive Cannabis Marketplace has just what you need! We have five convenient locations near Las Vegas, including one dispensary near The Strip. Our knowledgeable budtenders can help you find exactly what you’re looking for, whether you want flower with a high CBN concentration, or low-concentration edibles, and anything in between. Our Las Vegas dispensary is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We also offer online ordering and pick-up.  

If you’re ready to dive into the world of cannabis for the first time, or to stock up when your stash gets low, visit Thrive today!