How to roll a joint

A well-rolled joint burns evenly, doesn't run, and pulls smoothly. The two things beginners get wrong are uneven grinding and rolling too loose or too tight. Get those right and the rest is practice.

You'll need

• Rolling papers (1¼ size is the easiest to learn on)
• A filter tip / crutch (a strip of thin card)
• A grinder (or see the no-grinder guide)
• About 0.4–0.7g of flower

Steps

1. Make the crutch: fold a few tight accordion pleats at one end of the card strip, then roll the rest around it into a small tube.
2. Grind your flower to an even, fluffy consistency — no big chunks, no powder.
3. Hold the paper with the glue strip up and facing you. Place the crutch at one end.
4. Spread the ground flower along the paper in an even line, slightly less near the crutch.
5. Pinch and roll the paper back and forth between your fingers to shape the cylinder.
6. Tuck the unglued edge down in front of the flower, then roll upward until only the glue strip shows.
7. Lick the glue lightly and seal from the crutch end to the tip.
8. Pack the open tip gently with a pen tip, then twist it closed.

Common fixes

• Burns down one side ("canoeing"): flower was packed unevenly — distribute more evenly next time.
• Too tight, hard to pull: you rolled it too dense; loosen the pack.
• Runs / unravels: not enough glue contact or rolled too loose.