How to Put Out a Joint & Save It For Later

When it comes to smoking weed, the joint is the classic method of consumption. But, It’s just not the most conservative option for those who want their stash to last. 

If you want your weed to last, it’s vital to learn how to put out a joint properly so you can save it for a future smoke sesh. Half-smoked joints get you just as high, and there are lots of ways you can save that joint for later.

Good weed should never go to waste, so if you always have a bunch of partially smoked joints this article is for you!

Can You Save A Joint For Later?

Yes, you most definitely can save a joint for later. In fact, knowing how to put out a joint is an essential skill that you should master if you plan to smoke joints. Once you master this quintessential stoner skill, you’ll never have to waste your weed again.

Sure, the flavor won’t be quite the same. When you light a joint, it causes the flower to combust. This causes byproducts produced by the heat that ultimately change the flavor when you relight it later.But nothing is ever as good as when it is fresh. 

That said, saving your joint for later means it won’t be as fresh. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put out a joint to smoke later. Half-smoked joints will get you just as high as whole joints. They just won’t be as tasty. 

This is because when you smoke half a joint you start the burning process that creates carcinogenic compounds, which have a much different aroma than the fresh smell of a new skunk stick.

If you open a glass canning jar that has housed half-smoked joints or blunts, the aroma may smell more like car tires than fresh weed.

When incomplete combustion of organic materials occurs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAs) are formed. When it comes to smoking joints, these compounds occur when the joint is lit and as the plant material burns down. PHAs are known to be weak carcinogens that can become more potent under the right circumstances. 

Research also indicates that chemicals like nitrogen oxide and aromatic amines are found in marijuana smoke at concentrations five times higher than in tobacco smoke. Tar is also found in similar concentrations in a rolled cannabis cigarette and a tobacco cigarette. 

These chemical compounds are what’s responsible for the flavor and aroma that a half-smoked joint takes on. It doesn’t matter if it is the first time the joint is lit or not. And it’s those PHAs that create the aroma of car tires or asphalt in half-smoked joints.

What Happens to the Weed In the Smoked Joint?

When you light a joint and smoke it, the weed inside goes through a process known as decarboxylation. Basically, this process turns cannabinoid acids into active cannabinoids in your burning joint. 

The terpenes in the bud inside your joint (responsible for the bud’s taste and aroma) are either vaporized or destroyed depending on how high the heat level is. This terpene loss is what makes a strain lose its flavor and aroma.

This is why if you put out a joint, there may be noticeable changes in what’s left.. Remember, the formation of PHAs and other compounds will totally alter the taste and aroma of a half-smoked doobie. 

The effects could change a little as well. The cannabinoids in the joint will change as the heat alters them. For example, THC converts to CBN at certain temperatures or over time. This means there may be more CBN in the second half of a joint compared to the first half.

How to Put Out a Joint Without Destroying It

The last thing you want when you put out a joint is to destroy it. The whole point is to waste as little weed as possible, right? The trick to putting out an unfinished joint correctly is to gently put out the tip without impacting the structure of the remaining joint or blunt. 

If you don’t put the joint out all the way then the plant matter inside can keep burning. This is obviously a bad thing as your rolled-up weed will smolder away. 

But if you shove the joint down onto a flat and hard surface with too much force you risk crunching it up and blocking the airflow. You could also rip the rolling paper and destroy the joint altogether. 

To put out a joint without destroying it, you just need to stop the cherry from burning. One of the best ways to do this is by sealing up burning joints in closed Mason jars. 

Oxygen can’t get into the jars so joints will go out after a few seconds without oxygen to keep them lit.  Almost any glass jar will do, you can use dark glass jars or clear Mason jars. 

This method works well, but it will cause your joints to smell more like PHAs. Make sure to use safety precautions so you don’t contaminate your joint with improper storage. Clean jars only when it comes to half-smoked joint storage! 

 Avoid plastic bags or metal cans as storage options. Instead, use glass jars or glass joint tubes. For one, they’re not airtights and won’t keep your cannabis fresh. 

Plastic baggies may also contain toxic chemicals that can leach into whatever is stored inside. Most metal cans contain BPA, a chemical associated with some serious adverse health effects. 

Keep your pre-rolls in a glass Mason jar in a cool, dark place for the most effective storage methods. Mason jars are airtight, which can help keep your joint fresh when you want to save it for later. 

Your joint should go out quickly in a Mason jar, but iIf you don’t want to hotbox your joints in the jar you can lightly tap the burning end of your joint gently on a flat surface. 

Just be sure to rotate the joint in a circle as you tap it out so that you don’t flatten one side more than the other. As you tap it you can also try to give it a shake or two to knock any burning ends off. You can also try gently scraping it along the side or bottom of the ashtray.

Lighting Up Later

After you learn how to put out a joint comes the best part. Lighting it up later. As long as you protect the integrity of the structure of your joint it will light up and get you high as a kite when you are ready to take it for round two. 

Here are a couple of other methods you can use to save your joints for later:

• Stub It Out and Seal it in a Joint Tube: Joint tubes come in super handy for saving joints to smoke later. After you carefully stub out the burning cherry, simply seal it up in your doob tube and save it for later.
• Knock the Cherry Off Using the Side of an Ashtray: The side of an ashtray works perfectly to knock off the lit cherry and stop it from burning. 
• Flick Off the Cherry: No ashtray? No problem. You can easily flick the cherry off a burning joint with your finger, a pen, or another similar tool
• Chop Off The Cherry With Scissors or a Cigar Cutter: Use sharp scissors or a cigar cutter, you can easily cut the burning cherry off the joint.

Frequently Asked Questions: How To Put Out A Joint

Can you relight a joint?

Yes!  It’s easy to relight a joint that has been put out correctly. You just need to ignite the already burnt end with a flame. Just make sure you don’t smash it or rip the paper when you put it out and it should easily relight. 

To relight a joint, simply follow the same process as lighting a fresh joint. 

You can use a lighter, hemp wick or matches, evenly igniting the tip of the joint so you don’t end up burning just one side. To avoid this, rotate the joint in your mouth while you light it. 

Once you think you have the full tip of the joint lit carefully take a couple of small puffs to help the cherry fully form. Patience is a virtue here. If the cherry isn’t burning evenly, keep rotating it to help the cherry balance out. 

Although relighting a joint is a simple process, it’s not always easy. Practice makes perfect, though.  If you don’t light your joints perfectly yet, you soon will with enough practice.

How to put a blunt out? 

To put a blunt out you can follow the same process as how to put out a joint. . The goal is to put out the burning cherry without damaging the structure of the blunt so you can save it for later.. 

Just like when you put out a joint, putting out a blunt will affect its flavor and aroma. Rest assured, it will still burn and get you high again later. 

To put out a blunt, gently rub the tip of the half-smoked blunt on a hard surface (such as inside of an ashtray) until the cherry dies out. You can put your blunt in a glass container with an airtight seal. 

Just like when you put out a joint, storing your blunt in an airtight container will keep it as fresh as possible until it’s time to smoke it again.