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How to Smoke a Pre-Roll?

Smilez Management

by Smilez Management | June 23, 2025

How to Smoke a Pre-Roll?

If you’re new to cannabis, and looking for a quick, and convenient experience to jump straight to the smoking session, then pre-rolls are what you need! However, if you haven’t experienced smoking cannabis joint before, it’s important to know how to smoke a pre-roll, at least the right way for the best recreational experience, especially as a beginner.

This guide begins with the essentials you need to have before lighting up, proceeds to the step-by-step guide on how to smoke a pre-roll, draws out common mistakes to avoid, tips to enhance your pre-roll sessions, and recommendations to find the best pre-rolls in Michigan.


What Do You Need Before Smoking a Pre-Roll?


Apart from having a pre-roll, there are some essentials before lighting it up. So, these include:

   • A lighter or a matchbox
   • An ashtray
   • Mouthpiece/crutch filter (if your pre-roll doesn’t have one)

Additionally, if you’re not confident enough to hold the pre-roll, you can use a roach clip to safely position the pre-roll and keep your grip steady, especially to avoid accidental burns for starters. It’s not necessary, but it can make the experience a little more comfortable.


To make the experience more relaxing, you can play your preferred music to set the vibe, whether you’re smoking solo or with friends.


Step-by-Step Guide on How to Smoke a Pre-Roll  


Pre-rolls are ready-made joints wrapped up in rolling papers containing cannabis flowers. For a more intense experience, you can even try infused pre-rolls which typically contain cannabis concentrates combined with grounded flowers.


You might also hear about blunts, which are similar in shape but use tobacco leaf wraps instead of paper. Blunts often contain a mix of ground cannabis and tobacco, offering a different flavor and a more intense buzz, especially due to the presence of nicotine.


Whether you choose to smoke a standard pre-roll, infused pre-roll, or a blunt, the basic smoking method is the same. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to smoke a pre-roll properly.


Carefully Remove the Pre-Roll from the Packaging


Pre-rolls are quite delicate, so you need to handle them properly with care. After opening the packaging whether it’s a tube, glass jar, or plastic container. Gently remove the pre-roll by gripping it near the filter or crutch. Hold it firmly, but not too tightly, as the rolling paper can tear, or the joint can bend if handled roughly.


Make sure your hands are clean and completely dry. Even a small amount of moisture can dampen the paper or flower, which may affect the burn quality, flavor, and potency of the pre-roll.


Light the Pre-Roll Evenly


Now, it’s time to light up your pre-roll. Hold the pre-roll filter with one hand and place the tip gently between your lips. While holding the pre-roll with one hand, light up the pre-roll by applying the lighter’s flame on its front end.


Rotate the joint slowly while bringing the flame close to the tip, but don’t let it touch directly. Gently puff as you light it to help the cherry (burning end) catch evenly. Take a few slow, consistent puffs to keep the pre-roll burning smoothly and ensure that it doesn’t go out too soon.


Inhale with Small, Controlled Puffs


After successfully lighting up your pre-roll, you can now smoke it to enjoy your desired recreational experience. For starters, take slow and small puffs to understand the rhythm. Avoid deep inhaling right away, as it can lead to coughing or discomfort.


Take your time and pace yourself. As you gain more experience, you’ll naturally find the puffing style and pace that works best for you.


Safely Extinguish the Pre-Roll


Once you're done smoking, gently press the lit end of the pre-roll against an ashtray or another dry, non-flammable surface to extinguish the flame. Rotate it slightly as you press to ensure the cherry (burning tip) goes out completely.


Make sure there’s no lingering smoke or heat before disposing of or storing the pre-roll. A still-burning tip can pose a fire risk or damage storage containers. If the pre-roll has been partially used, you can save it for the next session, and if it has been used entirely, then toss it after the flame completely goes out.


Store the Leftovers in an Airtight Container


If you’ve only smoked part of your pre-roll, you can easily save the rest for later. Once the flame is fully out, let the pre-roll cool for a minute or two to avoid trapping heat or moisture.


When it’s cool, place it in an airtight container and store it in a cool, dark place. This helps preserve the flavor, aroma, and potency for your next session.


Common Mistakes to Avoid While Smoking a Pre-Roll (especially for beginners)


If it’s your first time smoking a pre-roll or even if you’re still getting the hang of it, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement leading to some common mistakes. These common mistakes can lead to unwanted effects like coughing, wheezing, dizziness, nausea, anxiety, and even paranoia.


So, if you want to have a relaxing recreational experience, and enjoy a smooth high, then it is essential to avoid these beginner mistakes for a desired experience as follows.


Inhaling Too Hard


You might think that you will get high faster by taking longer puffs and inhaling too hard. But it doesn’t work that way. Instead, it can make the experience worse. When you inhale too hard, the flower will burn hotter and faster. This can degrade the flower’s cannabinoids, and terpenes responsible for flavor, aroma, and effect. It can ruin your pre-roll smoking experience and lead to unwanted effects such as coughing or throat irritation.


Wet Lipping the Pre-Roll


Wet lipping the joint is a common mistake that a lot of beginners do unknowingly out of pure instinct. The problem is that it wets the filter, rolling paper, and makes the flower soggy. The moisture can dampen and cause the paper to break, and it can also degrade the flower’s potency which can practically make your smoking experience quite unpleasant. So, be a bit more careful by remaining cautious to avoid wet-lipping your pre-roll.


Holding the Smoke for Too Long


You might feel like holding the smoke for too long can kick in a more intense high. But that’s not true. In fact, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the main psychoactive compound in the cannabinoid that makes you high is absorbed within 1 to 3 seconds.


So, by holding the smoke longer, you’re unnecessarily pressuring yourself. This can even lead to unwanted effects of smoking a pre-roll such as coughing and even dizziness if it’s prolonged for too long.


Over Lighting


Another common mistake is overlighting the pre-roll. Remember, the pre-roll's outer coating is a rolling paper with the cannabis flower wrapped inside. Out of excitement, if you over-light the pre-roll by exposing it to excessive flame, it can quickly burn out the paper and the flower. Unfortunately, it can waste a significant portion of your pre-roll as it can get burned faster, plus it can degrade the potency of the pre-roll for burning it faster at a higher temperature.


Not Ashing the Pre-Roll Properly


Sometimes, you may not notice and get carried away forgetting to ash your pre-roll while smoking it. If you don’t ash it properly, it can either dim out the fire, or it can even cause it to burn unevenly. This will make it harder for you to take puffs, and wastes flower due to inconsistent burning. So, to have a smooth pre-roll smoking experience, make sure to gently tap off the ash after every few puffs to keep the burn even and steady.


Tips to Enhance Your Pre-Roll Session


Ultimately, your pre-roll smoking experience depends on the quality of your pre-rolls, how it’s stored, the way it’s handled, and of course how you smoke it. Here are a few simple tips to elevate your session and avoid any unwanted effects.


    Get high-quality pre-rolls from a reputable dispensary that uses premium flowers and proper rolling techniques to ensure a smooth and enjoyable smoke.

    Make sure to store the pre-rolls properly in an airtight container, away from light, heat, and moisture to preserve their flavor, potency, and burn quality.

   • While lighting the pre-roll, rotate it gently for an even burn. This prevents uneven burning, also known as canoeing.

   •  When you start smoking, inhale the smoke slowly with small, controlled puffs.

   • Ash your pre-roll after every few puffs to keep the burn even and steady.

   • Handle the pre-roll gently to avoid breaking it, or damaging the grounded flower.


Where to Buy High-Quality Pre-Rolls in Michigan?


It is essential to buy high-quality pre-rolls for a trusted, and reputable dispensary. Smilez is a premier Michigan dispensary offering pre-rolls, infused pre-rolls, and blunts from top-tier brands.


Apart from that, we also have a wide selection of premium cannabis products including flowers, edibles, concentrates, tinctures, weed topicals, weed vape pens, accessories, and even cannabis apparel.


To make your shopping experience more worthwhile, explore our website, or visit our dispensary in Allegan, Burton, Quincy, Reading, Three Rivers, and Wayne to get exclusive daily deals that come with epic discounts.


If you need to know the price of pre-rolls in Michigan, you should check out this detailed guide on How Much Are Pre-Rolls.


FAQ 


Are pre-rolls ready to smoke?


Yes, pre-rolls are joints containing grounded cannabis flowers wrapped up in rolling papers, so they’re ready to smoke right after purchasing and opening the package.


Are pre-rolls good for beginners?


Making a joint can be complicated and messy. For starters, it can be very difficult and time-consuming to properly roll up a joint. As pre-rolls are readymade joints, it’s a very convenient option especially for beginners to enjoy the experience without bearing the hassle.


How to use pre-rolled joints?


Simply take out the pre-roll from the container, gently light it up evenly, and inhale slowly while taking the first few puffs. Inhale gently and take your time to find a comfortable rhythm that works for you.


Can you put out a pre-roll and smoke it later?


Yes, of course. Just put out the fire and wait a minute or two for the pre-roll to cool down to normal temperature. After that, put it in an airtight container and keep it away from light, heat, and moisture in a cool dark environment to preserve its potency, effect, and aroma.