Whether you’ve rolled one too many or you want to make your stash last longer, knowing how to put your joint out for later is an excellent skill for casual cannabis consumers and daily tokers alike.

But there’s more to preserving a joint than stubbing it out and leaving it in the ashtray for later. Here’s how to put out a joint correctly to maintain its quality and potency for your future self. 

How to Put Out a Joint to Save for Later

Step 1: Understanding the Risks of Storing a Joint

If you’ve ever saved a joint incorrectly, you’ve probably also rolled a new one and thrown the old one away because it looks nasty and tastes even worse. Leftover joints can be awesome, but only correct preservation guarantees freshness, potency, and flavor and protects from moisture, air, and heat. 

Buy the Basin storage container from Vessel

Step 2: Choosing the Right Environment

Before you extinguish your joint, it's helpful to decide its temporary resting place before you spark it up again. Smell-proof bags or glass jars are a good option, as the smell of high-grade will be kept to a minimum and will help maintain freshness. The best place to keep your jar or bag is cool, dry, and dark, which will help protect your leftover joint from sun damage that can degrade the cannabinoids and terpenes inside. 

Step 3: How to Properly Extinguish the Joint

Have you ever stubbed a joint out in an ashtray and ended up with a mangled mess? Instead, gently pinch the ember or use a metal lighter to gently push against the burning end without causing damage to the joint. Then, place your leftover joint in an ashtray in case it's still lit. Avoiding crushing the joint will make it easier to relight later. 

Step 4: Storing the Joint

Now that it’s stubbed out and no longer lit (it’s out, right?), you can place it inside your glass jar, smell-proof bag, or pouch. While it’s not essential, especially if you’re not leaving the joint for too long, you may want to add a humidity pack to the back to prevent it from drying out or becoming too moist. Getting high can make you forgetful, so be sure to label the bag with the date so you know which leftover joint to relight first. 

Step 5: Re-lighting and Smoking the Saved Joint

Finally, it’s time for the “here’s one you rolled earlier” moment. Your future self says “thanks” for taking the time to preserve it nicely for them. Take your lighter and lightly burn the end of the joint, but avoid inhaling too much of the burnt material, as it’ll be harsh and won’t have the best flavor.

As the rest of the joint burns nicely, you might still notice a harsher smoke with less flavor and potency than a fresh one. Unfortunately, this is to be expected with an old joint as terpenes break down over time, and the THC in the joint may be less due to heat exposure. 

Tips and Tricks for Saving a Joint for Later

Here are a few final tips for preserving a joint for later: 

• If you usually roll your joints without a tip (crutch, roach, etc.), consider using cardboard to make one. This should help your joint maintain its structure during storage and will make it easier to pull through when it is relit.

• Different strains are best for different situations, and the last thing you want is to hit a heavy Indica joint when you want a lighter Sativa high. Next to the date of your joint, label the strain and effects so you can save them for the right time.

• Roll smaller joints - then, you won’t need to save a partial one!
  
  

Conclusion

If you’re not ready to part ways with your joint after one smoking session, don’t stub it out in the ashtray and leave it for next time. Instead, use care when extinguishing it to keep its structure in place and store it in an airtight container in a cool, dry, and dark location.

When it comes time to relight your fire, it’ll burn brightly and won’t taste as bad as a leftover joint from a party the night before. Saving a joint for later is a great way to preserve your stash; if done correctly, it won’t sacrifice as much quality. 

FAQs

Can you put out and relight a joint?

Yes, you can always put a joint out and relight it later. Just remember to store it correctly and try using a tip to keep its structure in place. 

How long can you save a joint for?

While you could try lighting a joint that has been on the side for a year, it will probably be a grim experience. Even if the joints are stored correctly, they should not be left for longer than a month, as they will lose a lot of potency and flavor. 

How to keep a joint from going stale?

You can use an airtight container and add a humidity pack to your storage container to maintain freshness and avoid the joint getting too wet or drying out.