How to Roll a Marijuana Joint

Co-authored by Michael Lewis, MD, MPH, MBA, FACPM, FACN

Last Updated: October 9, 2022 References Approved

Smoking a joint is an easy, convenient way to smoke cannabis. It may seem tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, rolling a joint will be a breeze.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Rolling a Basic Joint

1
Choose your rolling paper. Choose thin rice or wheat straw paper in standard or king size. Plan to tear your paper down to size--wide and square is a good starting shape that offers versatility. You can get papers online, in convenience stores, at your dispensary, or at tobacco shops.^{[1]
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- Look for papers that burn slowly, evenly, and won’t give a bad flavor. Some good papers to use include RAW natural hemp rolling papers, Smoking brand papers and orange Zig-Zags (if you’re feeling old-school).^{[2]
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- If you plan to carry your papers around with you, get a rolling paper protector. Put your rolling papers in this metal case to prevent them from bending and tearing.
- Carry salespeople add tobacco, leaf or another herbal smoking mixture to the bud so it can "breathe" in tflowering-tops, and the worst is full of chemicals. Hash is normally heated with a flame, crumbled into a powder and then mixed with tobacco or herbal smoking mixtures.
  - Use hashish with care. Some users experience adverse reactions that range from mild anxiety to severe panic. Paranoia is possible and, although rare, acute psychotic reactions can occur^{[3]
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- Resin oil. Genuine resin oil is very hard to come by and is incredibly potent. It comes in the form of a black, brown or transparent oily fluid that gets smeared across the rolling papers or blended into the mix. If you have a membership with a dispensary, you can probably purchase oil contained in syringes.
- Kief. As mentioned earlier in the article, kief is a term for the resin glands of the cannabis plant that are rich in THC. Sprinkle some kief, either over the marijuana before rolling, or on the joint after rolling, to give it an extra boost of psychoactive THC.^{[4]
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2
Make the filter tip. This is a piece of index card that's inserted into the end of a marijuana cigarette. It prevents a marijuana cigarette from clogging up, keeps pieces of marijuana from falling out, allows the smoke to flow through, filters out a little tar and stops a marijuana cigarette from dissolving in your mouth when it burns down to the end.^{[5]
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- Tear a thin strip from an index card or business card. Fold it three times to make a pleat and roll the rest of the unfolded filter around the folded. It should look like a "W" in a circle.
- The width of the roach is a matter of personal preference. Wider ones let more smoke through, which produces a rougher smoke, while thinner ones cool the smoke but run a greater risk of clogging. Shoot for somewhere in the middle.
- Some smoking shops sell little booklets of ready to use filter tips, which generally consist of little strips of hardened paper neatly cut to size. Alternately, you can buy cellulose filter tips like those used in tobacco cigarettes. These can be found at smoking shops and probably your dispensary.
- Although some people refer to the filter tip as a "roach", this is incorrect. A roach is the tip of the joint that is left over after smoking. They’re related, but not always the same thing.
3
Roll the joint. There are several ways to roll a basic joint; the method depicted below is a freestyle roll.^{[6]
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- Tear out one of the papers from the booklet and fold it in half lengthwise being sure the side with the glue is up.
- Twist one of the bottom corners of the paper. This will be the front.
- Place the marijuana inside. Distribute it evenly along the length of the paper to ensure an even burn.
- Don't overload it or the joint won't close properly. On the other hand, don't be stingy with the mix or you'll end up with a "pinner."
- Pick everything up and roll it back and forth until the mix in the rolling paper is evenly dispersed and cylindrical in shape.
- Lay the filter down in the center at one end of the joint. Putting the filter in before rolling saves hassle and makes it more likely that you'll get a perfect fit.
- Proceed to tuck and roll up the back half of the joint.
- Lick the sticky strip of the paper and seal the joint. Lightly twist the end of the joint to keep the contents from falling out.
4
Rolling inside out. Some people prefer to roll the joint 'inside out', where the paper is held upside down with the glued edge held towards you, sticky side down. This technique is generally harder to perform, but will get rid of most of the stingy smoke caused by the burning of excess paper. To roll a joint inside out, simply follow the steps as you would with a normal joint, but when all rolled up, lick the non-gummed rim of paper where you can see the glued edge slightly shine through. Carefully put some pressure on the area where you can see the gummed edge to make the two layers stick. Finally, tear off the excess paper when the paper has dried and twist the end to prevent your contents from falling out.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Rolling a Joint With a Dollar Bill

This is a simple technique used by beginners. If you're a novice or have trouble with freestyle rolling, using a dollar bill is a good way to start.

1
Load a dollar bill with your mix and shape it by gently rolling back and forth.
2
Put a rolling paper sticky side up between your mix and the dollar bill.
3
Fold the bill in half and roll it upward with your thumbs. Make sure that the rolling paper is wrapping around itself to form a cylinder.
4
Remove the joint from the dollar bill. Keep firm pressure on the paper so that it doesn't unravel.
5
Lick the sticky strip of the paper and seal the marijuana cigarette. Lightly twist both ends to keep your mix from falling out.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Rolling a Blunt

A blunt is essentially a joint rolled using cigar paper rather than regular rolling paper.

1
Get your materials. You'll need a cigar, marijuana mix, a knife or scissors, grinder and lighter.^{[7]
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Cut it. Lick your cigar to make it moist. Take a blade or scissors and cut it lengthwise from butt to tip. With your thumb, slide the insides out. Do it slowly and gently so you don't tear the cigar wrapper.^{[8]
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Tear or cut off the rounded end of the cigar. Creating this rectangular shape helps to decrease the chances of the wrapper rolling shut prematurely. Separate and use only the innermost layer of the cigar wrap so you'll get less nicotine
4
Lick the edges to seal up any small tears. Then fold the wrapper down the center like you would when rolling a regular joint.
5
Sprinkle a line of mix evenly down the length of the marijuana cigar. Be generous. You have to use enough mix to support the size of the wrap; otherwise, it'll collapse in on itself while you’re trying to smoke.
6
Roll it. Carefully fold and roll the blunt upward, shaping it as you go. Tuck the shorter side of the wrap around the mix and continue rolling. Be careful not to pinch the ends shut. Lick the remaining paper lengthwise and press down carefully.
7
Bake the blunt. Run the flame of your lighter up and down the length of your blunt in order to “bake” it. Spin the marijuana cigar as you work. Your goal is to darken the color slightly and dry the wrap without setting the blunt on fire.^{[9]
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8
Light it up. Hold the flame to the tip of the blunt. Spin it around to evenly distribute the heat and minimize the chance for developing a run.

Expert Q&A

Question

How do you smoke CBD?

Michael Lewis, MD, MPH, MBA, FACPM, FACN
Board Certified Brain Health Physician
Michael D. Lewis, MD, MPH, MBA, FACPM, FACN, is an expert on nutritional interventions for brain health, particularly the prevention and rehabilitation of brain injury. In 2012 upon retiring as a Colonel after 31 years in the U.S. Army, he founded the nonprofit Brain Health Education and Research Institute. He is in private practice in Potomac, Maryland, and is the author of "When Brains Collide: What every athlete and parent should know about the prevention and treatment of concussions and head injuries." He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Tulane University School of Medicine. He completed post-graduate training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University, and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Dr. Lewis is board certified and a Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine and American College of Nutrition.

Michael Lewis, MD, MPH, MBA, FACPM, FACN

Board Certified Brain Health Physician

Expert Answer

The most rapid way to get the effects of CBD is by inhaling it, either by smoking a joint that has CBD in it or by vaping a CBD product.

Warnings

Never smoke and drive. Much like alcohol, marijuana can reduce your reaction time. You don’t want any blood on your hands.

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Follow the marijuana laws for your location. Marijuana is more legal in some places than in others, and even in the places where it is legal the laws can be very complex.

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