To smoke a pre-roll, twist or pack the open end, light the tip while rotating it so the whole edge catches, then draw slowly without pulling the flame into the paper. Take the first few draws gently to set an even burn. If one side burns faster, wet your finger and dab the fast side. Put it out by pressing the tip into a hard surface, not by pinching, and store the rest upright in its tube. Here's each step in more detail, plus how to deal with the common problems.
Before you light it
Check the packing. A pre-roll from a dispensary is machine-filled and usually packed right. If it feels loose, tap the filter end on a table a few times so the flower settles down. If it feels rock-hard, roll it gently between your fingers to loosen it. A pre-roll packed too tight won't draw; one packed too loose burns fast and hot.
Twist the tip. Most pre-rolls have a twisted paper tail at the open end. Leave it; it's your kindling. If the end is open, fold the paper over or twist it closed so flower doesn't fall out.
Have a plan for the rest. A 1g pre-roll is more than most people finish alone. Keep the tube it came in.
Lighting it
Hold the pre-roll horizontally or slightly tip-down, filter in your mouth or fingers.
Hold the flame just below the tip, not in it, and rotate the pre-roll so the whole circumference chars evenly. Ten seconds of this before you inhale is the difference between an even burn and a canoe.
Once the edge is glowing all the way round, draw gently. Don't drag hard on the first pull; that pulls the flame into one side.
Take a couple of short draws to establish the cherry, then settle into slow, even draws.
Use a lighter or a hemp wick. A torch lighter is too hot and scorches the paper. Matches work but give the first draw a sulphur taste.
While it burns
Draw, don't suck. A slow three-second draw pulls smoke through the flower and keeps the burn even. A hard pull makes it burn hot and harsh.
Ash it before it falls. A long ash on a pre-roll is fine and actually insulates the cherry, but it drops when you don't expect it.
Don't let it go out. Relighting tastes bad. If you're going to pause for more than a minute, put it out properly instead.
Pass it, don't hold it. If sharing, a pre-roll that sits between draws burns down for nothing.
Fixing a canoe
A canoe is when one side burns faster than the other and the paper burns away in a channel. Causes: uneven lighting, uneven packing, drawing too hard, or wind. Fixes:
Wet a fingertip and touch the fast-burning side. The moisture slows it while the slow side catches up.
Turn the pre-roll so the slow side is down. Heat rises and the slow side will catch up.
Take a couple of gentle draws with the fast side pointed away from the wind.
If it's canoed badly, put it out and re-light it properly rather than fighting it.
Putting it out and saving it
Press the burning tip straight down into an ashtray or a hard, non-flammable surface until it's out. Don't pinch the cherry; you'll get ash on your fingers and crush the flower behind it. Don't stub it sideways or you'll snap it. Once it's out, let it cool for a minute, then put it back in its tube tip-up. It'll taste stale on the relight but it's fine for a day or two. Beyond that it dries out and burns harsh. More in how long do pre-rolls last.
Infused pre-rolls and hash holes
These burn slower and hotter and the extract melts. Light them even more slowly, draw gently, and expect to relight more than once. A hard pull on an infused pre-roll pulls molten extract into the airway and it clogs. If it does, let it cool and relight. What they are and how they compare is in what are infused pre-rolls and what are hash hole pre-rolls.
Dose
A 1g pre-roll at 20 percent THC is roughly 200mg of THC, of which perhaps a quarter to a third reaches you. That's a lot for a new user. Take two or three draws, wait ten minutes, and decide. Mini pre-rolls of 0.35g to 0.5g exist for exactly this reason; see pre-roll packs and mini pre-rolls. Effects from smoking come on in minutes and fade over two to three hours.
Quick answers
How do you light a pre-roll? Hold the flame under the tip, rotate the pre-roll so the whole edge chars, then draw gently. Don't inhale while the flame is on it.
Why does my pre-roll keep going out? It's packed too tight, or you're drawing too gently between long pauses. Loosen it, draw steadily, and don't let it sit.
How do you fix a pre-roll that burns on one side? Wet a finger and touch the fast side, or turn the slow side to face down. Then draw gently.
How do you put out a pre-roll to save it? Press the tip straight into a hard surface until it's out, let it cool, and store it tip-up in its tube.
How much of a pre-roll should a beginner smoke? Two or three draws, then wait ten minutes. A whole 1g pre-roll is far more than a first dose.
