Also known as blanks, joint paper, or cigarette papers, rolling papers are sheets of very thin paper used to encase cannabis when rolling a joint. The sheets may be made of hemp, rice straw, wood pulp, or flax, and can be used to either hand-roll or machine-roll cannabis.
Rolling papers are typically sold in small, cardboard packs. They come in different dimensions, generally between 70 to 110 millimeters long, and may be flavored to enhance the taste experience of the terpenes found in cannabis. Some flavored rolling paper varieties include blueberry, double chocolate, grape, and pineapple.
Photo by: Gina Coleman/WeedmapsImage lightbox
How are rolling papers made?
Writing paper is commonly made from wood but most rolling papers are not made from wood. Most rolling papers are made from non-wood fibers, often from plants like hemp, flax, rice straw, and others. These types of fibers tend to burn slower than wood fibers, making them more suitable for smoking.
Rolling papers are made by extracting fibers from hemp, flax, and other plants that burn slower than the wood fiber most other paper is made from. The fibers are pressed and processed into very thin paper. Along the way, most rolling papers are combined with chemicals — calcium carbonate, titanium oxide, chlorine bleach, dyes, and potassium nitrate — to influence factors like paper color, burn rate, and flavor. All-natural papers are becoming more popular.
Are rolling papers illegal?
No, rolling papers are not illegal, although depending on where you live, what you roll up inside your rolling papers might be illegal.
Are hemp rolling papers better?
Any question regarding which types of rolling papers are better is a matter of personal preference. Cannabis smokers who regularly smoke joints and spliffs tend to have their own preferred rolling paper. Preferences might be influenced by how easy a smoker feels it is to work with a certain type of paper when rolling, the flavor of the smoke, how well a smoker feels a certain type of paper burns, or other subjective variables.
Many cannabis consumers enjoy using hemp rolling papers, as this makes the entire joint a cannabis-derived product. Moving beyond rolling papers altogether, many cannabis smokers like using wraps made out of tobacco leaves to roll and smoke blunts.