Pre-rolls, aka joints, have remained popular throughout the years. With their ease of use, they’re perfect to share with friends or bring on your next camping trip. Now, with legal dispensaries, you don’t even have to worry about rolling your own joint! Pre-rolls are often perched next to the cash register, so when you’re done shopping for flower, you can grab one as you check out. The quality of pre-rolls varies from “I can smoke this whole thing in one sitting and not feel a thing” to “I took one hit and I’m stoned.” So, how do you know which ones are worth it?  

The first step is to know what your pre-roll contains.

What’s in My Pre-Roll?

A lot of people stay away from pre-rolls in dispensaries and just roll their own joints because pre-rolls have a reputation for being unsmokably bad. But this isn’t always true! While many pre-rolls are made of shake, often from multiple strains, others are made from quality nugs.

Shake

Shake is the bits of cannabis that falls off the nug when you handle it. Shake can also contain stems and the trim off the bud. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s low quality, but it can be. If the nugs off the plant are low quality, then the shake will be too. Or, if it sits in a jar for too long, it’ll become dry and lose its potency. So, since you can’t see what’s in your pre-roll when you buy it, it’s easy to hide shake. Using shake is a cost effective way to ensure that no product is wasted. 

Picking the Right One

One hint at quality is the price. The saying “you get what you pay for” rings true for joints. If you want quality, be prepared to pay around $12-20 for a single pre-roll. So, if you see a “buy one get one for $1” deal, be prepared for a lower quality joint. This doesn’t necessarily mean a high priced pre-roll will be better than a reasonably expensive pre-roll. If the pre-roll comes in clear packaging, you can get an idea of how it’s going to smoke. If it doesn’t look evenly packed, it won’t burn evenly. 

The best advice we can give is to ask the budtender. They’re knowledgeable about the product in the dispensary, so they’ll be able to make a recommendation based on what you’re looking for. 

Now that you know our tips, you’re ready to buy a pre-roll!