Pot-smokers are creative people. Sure, we could all just be average and take our weed (0.32 grams to be precise [1]), roll it up like a cigarette, and call it day. But where’s the fun in that?
Pot-smokers are also curious. Sure, some of that is the high – the effects of the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) itself on our brains. But some of the curiosity is just in our nature. In psychological terms, we are a people that are “open to experience”.
Because of this, we like to try new things. One of those new things may be in how you roll your joint. So, as Tom Petty says (in his song, “You Don’t Know How it Feels”),
“Let’s get to the point. Let’s roll another joint.”
Joints, blunts, and spiffs
First, some terminology. A joint is only marijuana/cannabis, usually rolled using thin, slow-burning paper. A blunt is cannabis rolled with a cigar wrap or hollowed out cigarillo. Thus, it is cannabis wrapped in tobacco. A spiff is cannabis and tobacco leaves rolled together.
If you’re buying (smokeable) cannabis from a licensed dealer in a state where distribution is legal, you will in most cases be buying a joint. This is because licensed cannabis retailers in many states can only sell two products: cannabis and accessories.
By law, then, they couldn’t also sell a third product, in this case, tobacco. Oregon law goes even further and specifically states that licensed cannabis dealers can’t alter the cannabis, including with nicotine or caffeine.
So, if you purchase via legal routes in the U.S., you’ll be getting a joint, and usually it will be shaped like a standard, straight, cigarette-like joint.
Rolling this way also helps with mass-production. A standard, straight joint is simple and so can be mass-produced. It also packages well in boxes.
Of course, this doesn’t stop you from purchasing the weed legally and then rolling it yourself in interesting ways.
Next, we’ll cover some unique methods. We’ll skip the instructions for how to make them and instead focus on the types.
Dutch Tulip
It resembles the flower famously found in beautiful rows in the Netherlands. The Dutch tulip offers both an aesthetic benefit as well as a means to stuff a lot more weed into your joint than is usually feasible with a standard joint.
It’s not the simplest roll, but the end result is pretty eye-catching, and the weed dosing pretty heavy.
The Cross Joint
Making prominence in certain Hollywood films, the cross joint is exactly what it sounds like. It basically fuses three joints, one large and two small into one super-joint, shaped like a cross.
Light all three and enjoy.
The Sai Joint
A similar take on the cross joint, but in this case, the two smaller joints are joined closer to the base of the larger joint, and angled upward, such that the end result resembles the weapon made most famous by Raphael the Ninja Turtle.
Wearing a red head band is absolutely required when smoking this joint. Cowabunga dude!
The Windmill
Following in the tradition of the Cross and Sai joints, now we take a thicker base joint and we join four smaller joints toward the end. Spin it while you smoke – just because you can!
The Uprooted Tree
Why limit yourself in the amount of joints to stick to the end of your base joint? In this example, you create a “trunk” with a standard joint. Fatten it up at the end to hold more “roots.” Next, create a bunch of roots from smaller joints, and attach them to the “trunk.” Shape the roots according to taste.
The Scorpion Joint
One more take on the whole “join multiple joints in the middle of a larger joint” idea, the Scorpion joint has to be seen to believed. It’s basically 9 joints (of different sizes) in one. With some creativity, you can even curve the filter a bit to make it look like a stinger.
The Shotgun
Place two joints next to each other and roll them together with another rolling paper and you get this concoction resembling the double barrel of a standard shotgun. Two full-sized joints in one. Not recommended for beginners.
Fusilli
Don’t knock it ‘til you try it! This method involves taking fusilli pasta – corkscrew pasta – and loading it with your product for smoking. Just light up the pasta and smoke. Supposedly, the smoke travels in a corkscrew fashion that cools it a bit and minimizes the chances of breathing in hot ash.
Twizzler
Resembling a Twizzler, you can create several thin joints and thin twist or braid them together like a Twizzler. Try coating your filter or paper with some sugar to add a candy-like flavor.
Conclusion
Next time you roll your joint, see what ideas you come up with. With some imagination and creativity, the possibilities are endless.
“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!” – Dr. Seuss
[2] Luke D. Smillie (2017). Openness to Experience: The Gates of the Mind.
