How to Put Out a Joint or Blunt for Later

We’ve all been there: halfway through a pre-roll when suddenly, the realization that you’ve gotten to where you want to be creeps around the corner and the rest of that little beauty in your hand starts to seem daunting, or at least overkill.

Maybe break time was shorter than you expected. Maybe the King Size was too ambitious. Maybe the baby woke up early and needs to be changed. Maybe your ride actually showed up on time for a change and it’s time to put out the pre-funk and get going. Or maybe you’re just high enough and want to sit back and listen to some Radiohead or “Dark Side of the Moon.”

Hey, we’re not judging. Sometimes a pre-roll can be too big. Especially an infused pre-roll or a blunt. It happens.

But why waste half a good pre-roll just because you already lit it.

So how do you put out a pre-roll? And what’s the best way to save your joint or blunt for later?

Fear not! The DaySavers are here!

How to Properly Put Out a Pre-Rolled Joint or Blunt

First of all, don’t just crush that bad boy into an ash tray like some old cigarette. That’s a pre-roll. Treat it with respect. Simply crushing it against something can destroy your pre-roll, making it impossible to re-light.

Try one of these more gentle options instead:

Stub it out gradually on a fireproof surface, like an ashtray or rock. Hold the pre-roll or blunt vertically with the cherry end down and give it a few gentle pats on the flat surface. Then, hold your pre-roll at a 45-degree angle and softly roll the lit edges on your surface, stubbing them out too. Continue this process back and forth until the cherry is extinguished. But again, this is not a cigarette so go lightly to preserve your pre-roll's integrity.

Known to some as the “grazing technique,” gently scraping the lit end of your pre-roll or blunt across a flat surface will also slowly put out the lit parts or at least pull them off your pre-roll so they will go out on their own without taking out any of your precious flower. Again, do this slowly and gently to avoid bending or deforming your pre-roll.

Similarly, you can tap the end against the side of your ash tray or give it good flick to knock the cherry completely off your pre-roll. We all have a buddy who does this accidentally all the time when they’re trying to flick the ash off the end and the joint has to constantly be re-lit. You can also just try to use your fingernail to get under the cherry and essentially pull it off, but again, please BE CAREFUL. That shit is hot.

You can also just set it down and let it burn out naturally and roach itself. If you’ve ever gotten distracted or lost in your thoughts during a session, you’ve probably had this happen anyway. This method is particularly effective for blunts, infused pre-rolls or pre-rolls packed with sticky, high-end flower, though it is not necessarily recommended for cheaper pre-rolls made with fast-burning shake as drier weed which may continue to burn even when left alone. If that’s the case, try one of the methods above to preserve as much of your weed for next time as possible.

NOTE: NEVER leave a burning pre-roll unattended.

Or just cut the lit end off. It’s not elegant, but it works. Again, be careful not to burn yourself, cut yourself or waste weed by cutting too aggressively.

Can You Re-Light a Pre-Roll?

Yes, absolutely. Otherwise what would be the point of all this?

Re-light your stubbed pre-roll the same way you would light a fresh pre-roll, but remember, the tip of your nose is a lot closer to the flame this time than it was when you first lit it, so be careful. We always recommend you toast the end of your pre-roll with the flame before you get down to actually lighting it anyway, but this time it is even more important, as a half joint is by nature shorter than a full one.

Also, once lit, a joint or blunt tends to re-light easier and burn more evenly the second time. Simply kissing the once-burning end with a flame often heats it enough that you can puff your way into a second cherry without having to hit it again with a lighter once you raise it to your lips.

But if you’re not going to relight it right away, how can you save a preroll for later?

How to Store a Stubbed-Out Pre-Roll

So the whole point of this was to save the rest of that pre-roll for later, right? That makes this next step almost more important.

Once your pre-roll, blunt or joint is out, get rid of any excess burnt paper or blunt wrap by trimming around the burnt parts with a pair of scissors or simply breaking it off with your fingers.

After you’ve trimmed the paper, it’s time to talk storage containers. And for this, you definitely want something smell proof, as burnt cannabis and paper have a very distinct and strong odor. Simply stuffing a half-smoked blunt into the watch pocket of your jeans or into the zipper pocket of your purse may keep it safe, but not only will you be able to smell that bad boy for as long as it is in there, you’re going to smell it in there for months after as well.

If this is a store-bought pre-roll, you can probably just put it back in its originally packaging – provided, of course, that there is not another fresh pre-roll in said packaging that could absorb the burnt smell. Since most pre-roll packaging, such as plastic doob tubes, glass tubes or even re-sealable mylar bags is designed to be airtight, they will keep the stink contained.

In fact, storing half-smoked pre-rolls is a perfect re-use of a plastic doob tube or a zip top mylar bag. They are discreet, easy and, let’s be honest, we all have a couple around somewhere.

Glass jars can also be used, but again, remember: this will stink up the inside of that jar, so don’t use your best weed jar to hold a half-smoked pre-roll.

In a pinch, you can use a zipper storage bag from the kitchen, but this is not an ideal choice for long term storage. But let's be honest, half a pre-roll is not a collector's item, so you’re probably ok in the short-term..

What to Avoid When Putting Out a Pre-Roll

As noted, the main thing to watch out for when stubbing out a pre-roll for later is crushing it so it can’t be relit and smoked, but that is not the only potential speed bump.

For example, there may be an urge to use a little water or something else to douse that cherry. But while that will definitely put out your pre-roll, it will also most likely ruin it.

No matter how careful you think you are being or how lightly you touch your lit pre-roll to a water source, the moisture will seep up the paper through the powers of osmosis and diffusion.

Osmosis is the spontaneous passage of water or another liquid through a semi-permeable membrane while diffusion is the process by which the liquid moves through a medium from a high concentration to a lower one.

If you’ve ever gotten the end of your cuffs wet only to find the moisture crawling up your sleeve toward your elbow, you know what we’re talking about. Paper works the same way. Try it sometime: take a rolling paper and dip just the end in water. See how that wet spot starts to crawl UP the paper? Not only will that ruin your pre-roll, it can degrade your cannabis as well.

Besides, no one likes a soggy joint.

Additionally, avoid flimsy storage options or tubes that don’t seal well since, again, this is going to smell like burnt weed for a while.

Final Thoughts on How to Put Out a Pre-Roll

Whatever your reason for putting out your pre-roll or blunt before you finish, take the steps necessary to preserve and protect your half-smoked pre-roll and you can finish it when you’re ready.

Enjoy your day! Twice, even!