Since its inception in Guadalajara, Mexico, in the 1850s, the marijuana joint has endured in its appeal for its quick and easy consumption, its ability to facilitate social interactions, and perhaps above all, its predictability—tokers know that they’ll achieve a full and quality high with every hit they take.
This is where the subject of the pre-rolled marijuana joint comes in. In truth, the pre-roll has its share of both fans and detractors. On the one hand, it’s incredibly convenient and a breeze to purchase; that’s what makes it popular to beginners and casual weed smokers alike. On the other hand, the pre-roll conjures suspicion among the most experienced of tokers—many of whom have been disappointed upon discovering dry, flaky, second-rate weed in their pre-rolls.
Since they’re a hot issue, it’s worth examining pre-rolled joints more closely—all the better to help you decide whether to try them or not!
The principle behind pre-rolls is simple: a consistent, convenient, and uniform smoke.
Not everyone who smokes weed is very good at either grinding or rolling it. Just like how it is with any other hobby, assembling a marijuana joint takes practice—and it’s a skill that not everyone has the time or energy to master. Pre-rolled joints exist to fill this gap and guarantee that any toker, of any level of familiarity, has access to the perfectly rolled joint.
There’s a lot of variety to the pre-rolls currently out there in the market.
Some pre-rolls are formulated with more of Cannabis indica, the strain associated with deep relaxation. Others have Cannabis sativa as the dominant ingredient, which ensures a more invigorating hit. Still others may be formulated based on a hybrid of the two. These joints may also come in either traditional or hemp rolling paper, and may boast myriad flavor profiles like pineapple, blackberry, or even cotton candy. No two sets of pre-rolls may be entirely alike, and part of the fun is in choosing based on the kind of experience you want.
Nug, shake, and trim—what’s the difference between all three?
The ingredients that you can expect in a pre-roll joint are the “nug” (the manicured bud, which is the smokable part of the cannabis plant), the “shake” (smaller, broken-off parts of bud), and the contentious “trim” (leftover leaves and stems). Spliffers typically consider the nug to be the main feature of a joint, but the shake serves a practical function, too. Suppliers commonly include a fair amount of shake in their pre-roll so that no weed goes to waste—and as long as the plant itself is of high quality and ground in the proper way, having shake in the joint won’t interfere with the smoking experience.
Pre-rolls get a bad rap for the perceived low quality of the broken-up buds.
Among the three ingredients listed above, it’s trim that arouses the most suspicion. Experienced tokers do have reason to worry—the most unscrupulous suppliers hide nothing but trim under the rolling paper in their pre-rolls, resulting in sub-par hits. For that reason, if you order several pre-rolls at a time from one supplier, you can perhaps slit one sample open and check the nug-to-shake ratio for yourself.
Order from a trustworthy supplier to guarantee the best experience out of your pre-roll.
Better yet, if you want good smokes guaranteed from the beginning, source your pre-rolled joints from a respectable supplier. Ask your friends whose pre-roll joints they enjoyed, or look up dispensaries with favorable customer reviews. The supplier deserves bonus points from you if they’ve undergone any third-party certifications for their flowers, or if their pre-rolls have been laboratory-tested for safety.
From bud to blunt, and from reefer to roll, marijuana joints have undergone quite the journey. Those who want to save time and effort hand-rolling their weed can now opt for innovative and convenient pre-rolls. If you’re one such resourceful toker, may you blaze new trails with the best that a pre-roll has to offer!