Even if you’re a regular cannabis consumer, it can be easy to go your whole cannabis consuming career without learning how to roll a joint. After all, with bongs, bowls, pre-rolls, rolling a joint is not as vital a skill as it once was. That said, it’s a good skill to know, especially if joints are you preferred method of consumption. Instead of relying on everyone else to roll your joints (or share their joints with you), follow this guide, so you, too, can be a self-sufficient joint roller.
Grind up your bud
You’ll likely want to use a grinder, unless you don’t mind your fingers getting stick from picking apart your bud. Do not over or under grind, as this will affect the way your cannabis burns. Also make sure the bud is ground up into bits of consistent size so it will burn evenly.
Make a filter
A filter, also called a crutch or a tip, can be made from a thin piece of cardboard, or you can buy one. Roll the filter so that its thickness is about the same thickness you’ll want your joint to be. While the filter isn’t vital, it will help keep your ground up bud — a.k.a. the shake — from falling out of the joint. It will also up your efficiency, so you can burn the entire joint without burning your fingertips.
Place the shake on the rolling paper
Fold the rolling paper in half so that there is a crease down the middle. Place the filter at one end of the joint, and lay the shake upon the paper. Some people prefer cone-shaped joints, in which case you’ll want to roll less cannabis close to the filter and more cannabis outward away from it. About half a gram of bud should be enough to fill your joint.
Roll it up
This is the trickiest part, as you’ll want to keep the shake from falling out. Hold the side of the rolling paper without the filter between your thumb and middle finger, and use your index finger to press down on the cannabis. Now use both hands to roll the shake within the paper up and down so it’s smooth and even. You can also stick a pencil into the non-filtered end of the joint to ensure the cannabis is packed in there tightly.
Lick the paper and seal
Whether you use an adhesive rolling paper, or you lick the side of it to keep it tacked down to itself, this is the point where you pack your joint and seal it.
Enjoy
The first couple joints you roll on your own may look a little unwieldy. Don’t worry about that, the point is to practice practice practice until you get it down. Though of course, you’ll want to enjoy the joints in between those practice sessions. You may also want to practice your joint rolling technique on separate days, so that once you’re high you don’t have to clumsily try to roll your next joint.
