Prerolled vs Hand Rolled Joints: Which is Better?

Key Take­away­s

• Conv­enie­nce: Prer­olls are ready-to-smoke; hand-roll­ed offer cust­omiz­atio­n.
• Cost: Prer­olls are pric­ier; hand-roll­ed are more affo­rdab­le.
• Qual­ity: Prer­olls ensu­re cons­iste­ncy; hand-roll­ed depe­nd on skill.
• Soci­al: Prer­olls are easy in grou­ps; hand-roll­ed add a pers­onal touch.

When it comes to enjo­ying cann­abis, one of the most popu­lar meth­ods is smok­ing a joint. Howe­ver, the deba­te arou­nd prer­olls vs. hand-roll­ed join­ts often leav­es many wond­erin­g which opti­on prov­ides the best expe­rien­ce. Whet­her you’re a long-time cann­abis enth­usia­st or a newc­omer to the scene, the choi­ce betw­een these two types of join­ts can impa­ct ever­ythi­ng from flav­or to conv­enie­nce.

This arti­cle expl­ores the key diff­eren­ces betw­een prer­olls and hand-roll­ed join­ts, delv­ing into the bene­fits, draw­back­s, and what each opti­on offe­rs.

What Are Prer­olls and Hand-Roll­ed Join­ts?

Befo­re divi­ng into the key diff­eren­ces, let’s first defi­ne what we’re talk­ing about.

What Are Prer­olls?

Prer­olls are cann­abis join­ts that are alre­ady roll­ed for the cons­umer by a manu­fact­urer, a disp­ensa­ry, or a cann­abis brand. Infu­sed pre-rolls are a sign­ific­ant vari­atio­n with­in the pre-roll mark­et, feat­urin­g cann­abis conc­entr­ates that enha­nce pote­ncy and flav­or.

They cont­ain only cann­abis flow­er, which is supp­leme­nted at times with a port­ion of conc­entr­ate, and come roll­ed and ready to smoke. The join­ts are then port­ione­d depe­ndin­g on the cons­umer’s requ­est and seal­ed in a mann­er that main­tain­s their qual­ity.

Pre-infu­sed, also known as blun­ts, join­ts, or cone pre-rolls, refer to the proc­ess of encl­osin­g cann­abis conc­entr­ate with grou­nd cann­abis flow­er, a fact­or that makes pre-rolls a luxu­ry prod­uct in the mark­et.

What Are Hand-Roll­ed Join­ts?

A hand roll­ed joint is, as the term sugg­ests, hands roll­ed where an indi­vidu­al gets to roll a joint of cann­abis [1] acco­rdin­g to his spec­ific­atio­ns.

When roll­ing a joint, it is impo­rtan­t to pack the cann­abis tigh­tly and use a tool to push in any loose flow­er to ensu­re a bala­nced and even­ly burn­ing joint.

Most cann­abis users pref­er roll­ing their own join­ts beca­use they have comp­lete free­dom to sele­ct the ingr­edie­nts, size, and tole­ranc­e of the roll. The age-old cust­om of roll­ing cann­abis does not requ­ire any spec­ial item, owing to the fact that a smok­ing paper or wrap­ping can too do the job.

From a hist­oric­al pers­pect­ive, roll­ing your own cann­abis joint prov­ides peop­le with an oppo­rtun­ity to glory in their skil­ls and pref­eren­ces.

The Conv­enie­nce of Prer­olls

Conv­enie­nce is one of the most para­moun­t needs in prer­olls, and prem­ade join­ts give an edge to this aspe­ct. Prer­olls prov­ide a large sele­ctio­n of prem­ium cann­abis and uniq­ue stra­in types. So, for those who are short on time or who just do not have the will to roll their own spli­ff, a prer­oll can do the trick perf­ectl­y.

• Inst­ant Ready-to-Smoke: A pre roll saves you time since it’s alre­ady roll­ed and ready to be lit. No need to meas­ure out your flow­er or worry about gett­ing the right cons­iste­ncy.
• No Roll­ing Skil­ls Requ­ired: Not ever­yone is skil­led at roll­ing join­ts. For begi­nner­s or those with less dext­erit­y, pre-rolls offer a way to enjoy cann­abis with­out the stre­ss of roll­ing a perf­ect joint.

Cust­omiz­atio­n with Hand-Roll­ed Join­ts

While prer­olls are conv­enie­nt, roll­ing your own joint allo­ws for more cust­omiz­atio­n. If you’re a cann­abis conn­oiss­eur, you might want to have full cont­rol over the qual­ity, quan­tity, and type of cann­abis you’re using. Here’s why hand-roll­ed join­ts can be a great opti­on:

• Choo­sing Your Cann­abis: Roll­ing your own joint gives you the opti­on to choo­se the stra­in, comb­ine vari­ous stra­ins, or even kief and conc­entr­ates, which are never offe­red in a pre roll. A nice­ly roll­ed joint with grou­nd flow­er makes it easi­er to light it up.
• Pers­onal­ized Size: Hand roll­ing a joint allo­ws the user to deci­de how thick or how big of a joint he wants. This also dete­rmin­es shar­ing, once the quan­tity is depe­ndin­g on the size of the joint. Slig­htly bigg­er if its for shar­ing, and smal­ler if its pers­onal.
• Tigh­tnes­s and Burn Rate: With hand roll­ing a joint, this ensu­res the use of tight or loose depe­ndin­g on pref­eren­ce, in turn assi­stin­g in the burn rate. It grea­tly helps in a more deli­ghtf­ul expe­rien­ce.

Qual­ity Cont­rol: Prer­olls vs Hand-Roll­ed Join­ts

The qual­ity of the joint is anot­her key cons­ider­atio­n in the prer­oll vs hand-roll­ed join­ts deba­te. Both opti­ons can vary in qual­ity, but the level of cont­rol is diff­eren­t.

Prer­olls: Cons­iste­ncy vs Vari­ety

Pre roll­ed join­ts are made by manu­fact­urer­s or disp­ensa­ries, which means they foll­ow stan­dard proc­esse­s to ensu­re cons­iste­ncy and qual­ity. This resu­lts in unif­ormi­ty in terms of size, pote­ncy, and burn qual­ity. Howe­ver, this cons­iste­ncy can come at the cost of vari­ety.

Some pre rolls may use lower-qual­ity or pre-grou­nd cann­abis, which can affe­ct flav­or and pote­ncy.

On the other hand, if you buy prem­ium pre rolls from a repu­tabl­e sour­ce, they can offer an exce­ptio­nal expe­rien­ce with well-cura­ted flow­er.

Hand-Roll­ed Join­ts: Full Cont­rol

Roll­ing the joint your­self gives you the upper hand as far as the qual­ity of the flow­er is conc­erne­d. You have the opti­on to sele­ct fresh cann­abis buds and make sure the grind is perf­ect. In cont­rast, pre-roll­ed join­ts offer cons­iste­nt qual­ity cont­rol, elim­inat­ing the vari­abil­ity of hand-roll­ed join­ts. The prep­arat­ion of the joint dema­nds that you push the grou­nd cann­abis so that an even burn can be achi­eved.

The roll­ing proc­ess invo­lves using a tool to push any left­over flow­er in the joint maki­ng for a supe­rlat­ive expe­rien­ce if qual­ity cann­abis is your thing.

That said, the qual­ity of a hand-roll­ed joint larg­ely reli­es on the skill of the roll­er and how tigh­tly they pack the joint so that it burns even­ly. Like­wise, it depe­nds on the cann­abis – low-grade weed will not prod­uce a sati­sfac­tory joint.

The Ritu­al of Roll­ing Pape­rs: A Pers­onal Touch

Joint roll­ing is one of the expe­rien­ces many smok­ers appr­ecia­te and often will look forw­ard to. Howe­ver, the most rela­xing part about the whole inte­ract­ion has to be crus­hing the flow­er, care­full­y roll­ing it into a perf­ect joint, and pack­ing it in.

Such elab­orat­e prep­arat­ion, sitt­ing in a flow, has its bene­fits, allo­wing the smok­er to inti­mate­ly bond with the mari­juan­a befo­re it’s cons­umed, allo­wing for an even grea­ter expe­rien­ce ther­eaft­er. This in itse­lf inte­nsif­ies the enti­re cann­abis cons­umpt­ion proc­ess mani­fold.

Cost Comp­aris­on: Prer­olls vs Hand-Roll­ed Join­ts

When cons­ider­ing the cost of prer­olls vs hand-roll­ed join­ts, it’s impo­rtan­t to fact­or in both the price of cann­abis and the time spent.

• Prer­olls: Most of the time, pre-rolls would cost more comp­ared to hand-roll­ed join­ts beca­use these have the expe­nses of conv­enie­nce and pack­agin­g added to them. You are also payi­ng for the labor of some­one else roll­ing the join­ts. Howe­ver, where this is poss­ible, buyi­ng bulk or opti­ng for the chea­per vari­etie­s of prer­olls can be help­ful in cont­roll­ing the costs. Furt­her, desp­ite havi­ng a high init­ial cost, auto­mati­ng the proc­ess of prep­arin­g join­ts using auto­mate­d pre roll mach­ines has cost savi­ng and high retu­rn on inve­stme­nt in terms of savi­ng in the long term. The sign­ific­ant upfr­ont costs asso­ciat­ed with the init­ial inve­stme­nt in auto­mate­d mach­iner­y are ulti­mate­ly outw­eigh­ed by the long-term bene­fits and cost savi­ngs.
• Hand-Roll­ed Join­ts: Roll­ing one’s own join­ts would be more cost-effe­ctiv­e in the long run since you sour­ce cann­abis in bulk rath­er than alre­ady roll­ed join­ts. If you have the time and expe­rtis­e of roll­ing the join­ts then this can beco­me a chea­per alte­rnat­ive.

The Soci­al Elem­ent: Shar­ing Join­ts

When it comes to soci­al smok­ing, the choi­ce betw­een prer­olls and hand-roll­ed join­ts can impa­ct the expe­rien­ce.

• Prer­olls for Conv­enie­nce in Grou­ps

Prer­olls are often the bett­er choi­ce in group sett­ings where conv­enie­nce and speed are a prio­rity. They’re easy to pass arou­nd and don’t requ­ire the prep­arat­ion of roll­ing your own joint.

• Hand-Roll­ed Join­ts: A Pers­onal Touch

On the other hand, roll­ing a joint for a group can add a pers­onal touch to the sess­ion. If you’re shar­ing a cust­om-roll­ed joint with frie­nds, it can be a more comm­unal and enjo­yabl­e expe­rien­ce. Many peop­le also enjoy the act of shar­ing their pers­onal cann­abis crea­tion­s, maki­ng it a part of the soci­al expe­rien­ce.

The Envi­ronm­enta­l Fact­or: Sust­aina­bili­ty Cons­ider­atio­ns

Since more peop­le seem to use cann­abis worl­dwid­e nowa­days, the sust­aina­bili­ty and envi­ronm­enta­l impa­ct of many cann­abis prod­ucts, incl­udin­g prer­olls, is being talk­ed about more and more. The cann­abis indu­stry, part­icul­arly in regi­ons like Mass­achu­sett­s, is grow­ing rapi­dly, rais­ing conc­erns about its envi­ronm­enta­l foot­prin­t.

• Prer­olls: The majo­rity of prer­olls are pack­ed in incr­easi­ngly elab­orat­e pack­ages, such as tubes and slot­ted boxes, which are made of plas­tic, which is a huge cont­ribu­tor to waste. Still, some busi­ness­es tend to alter the amou­nt of sign­age for their brand.
• Hand-Roll­ed Join­ts: On the other hand, if one is roll­ing their own joint, they do tend to leave a small ecol­ogic­al foot­prin­t espe­cial­ly when only using a small amou­nt of wrap­ping or roll­ing devi­ces that can be reus­ed. Howe­ver, more powd­ered cann­abis tend to need more wrap­ping than a whole bud which is the oppo­site.

Pros and Cons Summ­ary: Prer­olls vs Hand-Roll­ed Join­ts

Here are some pros and cons of using pre-rolls or hand-roll­ed join­ts.

Prer­olls Pros:

• Conv­enie­nt and ready to use
• No roll­ing skil­ls requ­ired
• Cons­iste­nt qual­ity (if from a repu­tabl­e sour­ce)
• Ideal for on-the-go smok­ing

Prer­olls Cons:

• More expe­nsiv­e
• Less cust­omiz­atio­n
• Poss­ible lower-qual­ity flow­er or pre-grou­nd cann­abis

Hand-Roll­ed Join­ts Pros:

• Full cont­rol over the qual­ity and type of cann­abis
• Cust­omiz­able size and burn rate
• Chea­per in the long run
• A more pers­onal­ized smok­ing expe­rien­ce

Hand-Roll­ed Join­ts Cons:

• Time-cons­umin­g
• Requ­ires roll­ing skil­ls
• Inco­nsis­tent qual­ity if not roll­ed corr­ectl­y

Conc­lusi­on

The pref­eren­ce for prer­olls or hand-roll­ed join­ts is pers­onal. If you’re alwa­ys on the go or are a novi­ce, prer­oll join­ts are perf­ect as they are fast, easy, and cons­iste­nt. Hand-roll­ed join­ts prov­ide a diff­eren­t expe­rien­ce alto­geth­er, as one has cont­rol over the qual­ity of the mate­rial­s and roll­ing need­les, and they are great for peop­le who have a stro­ng incl­inat­ion for ritu­als. Both are great meth­ods, but the impo­rtan­t thing is to expe­rien­ce cann­abis and enjoy it rega­rdle­ss of the meth­od.

Freq­uent­ly Asked Ques­tion­s (FAQs)

1. Are prer­olls worth the extra cost?

Prer­olls can be more expe­nsiv­e due to the conv­enie­nce and pack­agin­g. Howe­ver, for those who don’t want to spend time roll­ing, they offer a simp­le and cons­iste­nt opti­on. If you’re on a budg­et, roll­ing your own join­ts might be more cost-effe­ctiv­e.

2. Can I cust­omiz­e the cann­abis in a pre roll?

While some high-end prer­olls offer prem­ium flow­er or cust­om blen­ds, most prer­olls are pre-made with a fixed stra­in and blend. Infu­sed pre-rolls, which are blen­ded with cann­abis conc­entr­ates for enha­nced pote­ncy and flav­or, are beco­ming a popu­lar cust­omiz­atio­n opti­on. If cust­omiz­atio­n is impo­rtan­t to you, roll­ing your own joint gives you comp­lete cont­rol over the stra­in, amou­nt, and qual­ity of cann­abis.

3. How can I impr­ove my hand-roll­ing skil­ls?

If you’re new to roll­ing, start by prac­tici­ng with a slow, stea­dy hand. Use a good-qual­ity roll­ing paper and grind your cann­abis even­ly. With enou­gh prac­tice, you’ll impr­ove your tech­niqu­e and be able to roll join­ts quic­kly and effe­ctiv­ely.

4. Do prer­olls have the same qual­ity as hand-roll­ed join­ts?

The qual­ity of both can vary grea­tly depe­ndin­g on the sour­ce. While prer­olls offer cons­iste­ncy, they may not alwa­ys have the same high-qual­ity flow­er that a hand-roll­ed joint can prov­ide, espe­cial­ly if you use prem­ium cann­abis.

Refe­renc­es

1. Nati­onal Acad­emie­s of Scie­nces, Engi­neer­ing, and Medi­cine; Heal­th and Medi­cine Divi­sion; Board on Popu­lati­on Heal­th and Publ­ic Heal­th Prac­tice; Comm­itte­e on the Heal­th Effe­cts of Mari­juan­a: An Evid­ence Revi­ew and Rese­arch Agen­da. (2017, Janu­ary 12). Ther­apeu­tic effe­cts of cann­abis and cann­abin­oids – The heal­th effe­cts of cann­abis and cann­abin­oids – NCBI book­shel­f. Nati­onal Cent­er for Biot­echn­olog­y Info­rmat­ion. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK425767/