Cannabis pre-rolls have become a popular and convenient way to smoke over the last decade or so, but the invention of the pre-roll felt like it was just yesterday. But it turns out the history of pre-rolls can be traced back much farther than that.
Pre-rolling marijuana became popular in California in the early 2000s, when medical marijuana dispensaries started selling pre-rolled joints and cones. The shake-filled pre-rolled joints were made to order, with the customer's choice of strain before being packaged, Sealed and sold.
This was a great way for dispensary customers to enjoy cannabis conveniently, without the hassle of buying rolling papers, grinding the weed, and rolling it themselves at home. But this is not the original inventor of the pre-roll – that title goes to the early 20th century.
At the turn of the century, a man from Canada, Yvon Richard, is credited with inventing the pre-roll. Richard was a tobacconist who was tired of seeing busy patrons not being able to smoke their cigars due to a lack of time. So he went to work inventing a skillful way to dry and shape cigars so that they could be smoked more quickly and conveniently.
Thus, the pre-roll was born. Richard called it the “quick-burn” cigar and it quickly became popular in the Canadian market. It was so popular, in fact, that eventually, U.S. cigar companies started producing pre-rolls as well.
Fast forward to the present day and pre-rolls are now a popular form of cannabis consumption. Dispensaries continue to package pre-rolls with the customers' choice of cannabis strain, either in a joint or a cone form. Pre-rolls are convenient, easy to find, and great for when you need to smoke quickly and efficiently. And it all started with one man's innovation back in the early 20th century.