Learning how to smoke a joint may seem a bit intuitive — until the pre-roll starts canoeing. Then, you’re left with an uneven joint and a whole lot of wasted flower.
So, how do you smoke a joint without it canoeing? Is it possible?
Don’t worry: in just five steps, you can prevent your pre-roll from canoeing, allowing you to enjoy every puff of your joint as much as the next. Let’s get started.
A Quick Overview of Joints
Before we walk you through the steps of how to smoke a joint, let’s first have a quick overview of what joints are.
Also known as pre-rolls, joints are already-rolled products that contain marijuana flower within smokable rolling paper. They can hold various amounts of flower, but you’ll commonly find 0.5-gram, 1-gram, and even 2-gram joints on the market.
Professionals craft rolling papers out of various materials. However, it’s most common to find hemp and rice paper wraps. Blunt wraps, on the other hand, are typically made with tobacco leaves, not rolling paper, but these are a different way to smoke marijuana than pre-rolls.
One of the biggest characteristics of these cannabis products is their smell. These babies are oh-so-potent, but they’re also incredibly smelly and smokey, making them only really doable in outdoor spaces.
Most people find that just a few hits from a joint is enough to get them feeling like they want. So, beginners beware: pre-rolls can be pretty strong. But, this makes them great for experienced consumers looking to feel good.
How to Smoke a Joint in 5 Steps
Now that you’re re-familiarized with pre-rolls, let’s get to the important stuff. Below, we’ve curated a guide to help you learn how to smoke a joint in just five simple steps.
Let’s get started.
Step 1: Gather Materials
First things first, start by gathering your materials. This includes your joint, a lighter, and typically an ash tray.
If you’re planning on rolling your own joint, you’ll need your ground cannabis, rolling paper, herb grinder, and our step-by-step guide on how to roll a joint.
Step 2: Make Sure Your Joint is Evenly Packed
Next, you’re going to want to make sure your joint has been as evenly packed as possible.
If you didn’t roll the joint, this is a bit more difficult to control; however, you can take the pre-roll and roll it between your fingers, ensuring that the ground cannabis feels evenly distributed.
This also helps to break up any clods of cannabis flower that may disrupt your smooth smoking.
Step 3: Light Evenly
Now, it’s time to light.
Take your lighter (or hemp wick, if you’d prefer) and hold the joint in front of the flame, slowly rotating it to ensure an even light. Avoid directly touching the flame to the paper, as this can cause your pre-roll to burn unevenly.
The rotation is key to guaranteeing that your pre-roll burns evenly — and doesn’t canoe.
Step 4: Inhale Slowly and Steadily
After you’ve lit your joint, you’ll need to begin inhaling.
Make sure you inhale gently and consistently to prevent one side from burning faster than the other, as we mentioned above.
Regular puffs help maintain an even burn. If you take too long between puffs, one side might burn faster and cause annoying canoeing that can affect your smoking experience.
Step 5: Ash Frequently
It’s worth noting that allowing the ash to accumulate can cause uneven burning. So, gently tap off the ash frequently while you’re smoking to keep the burn smooth.
If one side starts burning too quickly, lightly wet the canoeing edge with your finger or tongue to slow the burn.
Then, rotate the joint between puffs to ensure the heat is distributed evenly. This can help prevent the uneven burn from getting any worse.
How Long Does it Take to Smoke a Joint?
How long it takes to smoke cannabis joints is going to depend heavily on the person — and how much you want to smoke.
If you’re trying to sit down and smoke an entire gram joint to yourself, you could do this within about 10-20 minutes, likely. But, if you’re smoking weed with a big group of people, this may be even quicker.
However, in some cases, smoking cannabis with others can prolong the smoke session! You may get chatty, take breaks, and find yourself holding onto the pre-roll for longer than you realize.
Truly, it really depends.
How to Put Out a Joint Mid-Smoke
Just because you have a full pre-roll in front of you doesn’t mean you have to smoke it all at once. In fact, it may be more enjoyable for you to cherish the bud and only sip on the joint occasionally.
That being said, you’ll need to know how to put out a joint mid-smoke. Here are some steps — and tips — to make the process smooth and straightforward:
Gently Tap Off the Ash: Before putting it out, tap off any excess ash at the tip to prevent uneven burning when you relight it later.
Press the Tip Against a Flat Surface: Use a flat, non-flammable surface, like an ashtray, to gently press and twist the burning end. This will extinguish the cherry without crushing or damaging the joint.
Avoid Using Water: Never dip the joint in water or spit on it to put it out. This will ruin the paper and make it hard to relight. Instead, let it cool down naturally.
Pinch the Cherry: If you’re outdoors without a surface to press the joint against, you can carefully pinch the burning end between your fingers. Make sure to do this lightly, just enough to smother the ember without flattening the joint.
Store it Properly: After it’s out, store the joint in an airtight container or a joint tube to keep it fresh for later. This helps preserve the flavor and prevent it from drying out.
How to Smoke Weed Without it Smelling
Smoking weed without it smelling is a bit of a tough task. This is because products like a pre-rolled joint are inherently incredibly smokey, and the smoke is what really brings out that weed smell.
If you really don’t want to smoke weed without it smelling, we’d suggest looking into products like a Smoke Buddy. These are essentially charcoal filters that you blow into.
They trap the cannabis smoke — and the smell — preventing it from going out into the air around you.
While you’ll likely still smell the cannabis flower a bit, products like these are going to be ideal for curbing that overall pungency. This going to be best for those who want to smoke cannabis indoors or just be more discreet about the process overall.
However, if you’re truly concerned about the smell of marijuana smoke, we’d suggest avoiding smoking weed and trying other products like edibles. Even vapes are going to be less pungent than when you smoke weed, allowing you to enjoy them in public — or right at home — a little bit easier.
But, if you’re dead set on smoking marijuana, filters will be your best bet. If you don’t want to spend money on a Smoke Buddy, you can learn how to make your own filter with a tube shape product.
Get the Best Joints With Your Medical Marijuana Card
If you’re interested in enjoying the best, most potent, and most evenly rolled joints on the market, getting your medical marijuana card is the way to go.
Medical marijuana patients gain access to top-shelf weed at lower prices than recreational consumers because they don’t have to pay as much in taxes. Cardholders will also likely get medical-only discounts at fully legal dispensaries.
When it’s time to stock up on your favorite joints, start by getting your medical marijuana card instead. With Elevate Holistics, the process only takes a few minutes — and it’s entirely online.
Click the button below to get started and see if you qualify for medical marijuana — and top-shelf, affordable joints.
