How to Roll a Cross Joint

Ever wondered how to roll cross joint? Perhaps you watched Pineapple Express and want to relive that experience. Although the cross joint looks wicked cool and complex, it’s easier than you might have imagined. All you need is 3 rolling papers, a paper clip, scissors (optional), and your favorite smoking blend.

Want to be a true stoner? Roll a cross joint. Not sure how to do it? We’ve got you covered. We’ll show you how to roll a cross joint in seven easy steps. We know how bad you’re jonesing to get baked so we won’t make you wait any longer. Here’s what you’ll need for your date with Mary Jane.

Supplies You’ll Need To Roll A Cross Joint

The supplies you’ll need for a cross joint are pretty much the same as the supplies you’ll need for a regular joint. You’ll need more of them, obviously, plus a couple of items that aren’t in your normal kit.

• Your favorite strain of weed
• Grinder
• Large rolling papers
• Small rolling papers
• Needle, pin, or wire
• Scissors
• Small piece of cardboard or cardstock (optional)

1. Roll A Fat Joint

This first step requires that you take the large rolling paper and roll a joint that is quite a bit bigger than one you would roll for a regular smoke session. And we’re not talking about length here, we’re talking about thickness. That said, if you’re trying this for the first time, it will be easier to build if you have more to work with. So feel free to roll this first fat joint so that it looks more like a blunt than your typical cannabis joint. Once you’ve gotten the hang of putting together a cross joint, you can make them smaller if you like. When you roll this fat joint, leave a bit of empty twist at the tip end of your joint. The empty twist makes your joint easier to light when it’s time to smoke.

2. Insert A Small Piece Of Cardboard In Butt The End (Optional)

The man most famous for rolling cross joints, Seth Rogan, includes a piece of cardboard at the butt end of his cross joints. He never really explains why but, he’s had enough experience at this that we’ll defer to his judgement. Most likely, the cardboard is there to act as a mouthpiece of sorts so that you can burn the joint all the way down to end and use up every last piece of ganja. If that’s the case, we like the way he thinks.

To make this work, cut a small strip of thin cardboard or cardstock paper. The strip doesn’t have to be very long—maybe two or three inches, nor very wide—maybe half an inch. You can tailor this piece of the build to your needs, so feel free to make it wider if you like. When you’re finished cutting, roll the strip of cardboard into a cylinder about the size of your fat doobie

Mr. Rogan likes to save this step for the very end when he just shoves the cardboard into the butt end of the cross joint. You can certainly emulate the master in this regard, or you can incorporate the cardboard piece into the first step. Many marijuana enthusiasts choose to get rid of this step entirely and just roll a joint without the cardboard. That’s fine too. Ultimately, it’s up to you and why we included the word “optional” in the subheading. Try building your cross joint with or without the cardboard, and try inserting the cardboard at the beginning and the end of the process. It’s a great excuse to put together three cross joints.

3. Roll A Thin Joint

Next, using the small rolling paper, roll a thin joint to use as the cross portion of your cross joint. The thinner you can make the thin joint, the easier the cross joint will be to put together. Once you get the hang of it, you can start to make the thin joint whatever size you like. But, again, if this is your first time, we suggest that you make the thin joint as thin as possible to make it easier on yourself in the next steps. As you did with the fat joint, leave an empty twist at both ends of your thin joint to make smoking easier later on.

4. Poke A Hole In The Fat Joint

Once you’ve finished construction of both your fat joint and your thin joint, take a needle and poke a hole three-quarters of the way from the bottom of your fat doobie. Be gentle and don’t try to rush it. If you don’t have a needle, you can use a pin, a sharpened pencil, a piece of wire, or anything that is relatively sharp.

Once the needle is all the way through the fat joint, start to, as Mr. Rogan says, “work the hole” wider. Again, be gentle and don’t go too fast. The hole in your fat joint doesn’t have to be huge. In fact, the smaller the better so that it forms a better seal when you insert the thin joint. Eyeball the size of your thin joint and make the hole in your fat joint just a little bit smaller.

5. Poke A Hole Through The Middle Of The Thin Joint

This next step is very important, so make sure you don’t forget it. You’re done with your fat joint for the time being, so set it aside. Pick up your thin joint and poke a hole through the middle. Again, work the hole to make it slightly bigger. It doesn’t have to be very large, and certainly not as large as the hole you put in the fat joint. We suggest double the size of the needle you used to poke the hole. This small hole through the thin joint is to allow air to flow from the tip of the fat joint to the butt end. If you forget to poke this hole in the thin joint, the finished cross joint won’t be smokable. When you light it, the ends will just burn and you won’t be able to pull any smoke into your lungs. That would be a shame. We can’t stress enough how important this small hole is to the success or failure of your cross-joint-building endeavor. Don’t forget it.

If you’re worried about your marijuana falling out of your thin joint as you work it through the fat joint (which is a legitimate concern), wait to poke the hole in the thin joint until the middle is just about ready to enter the fat joint. That way, you won’t have very far to go and you won’t have to worry about your chronic escaping and running away. Experiment to find the right series of steps for you.

6. Insert The Thin Joint Through The Fat Joint

With the prep out of the way, you’re ready to assemble your cross joint. Insert one end of the thin joint through the hole in the fat joint. Slowly work the thin joint through the fat joint using both pulling, pushing, and even rotating movements. Be gentle and don’t go too fast or you may rip either the thin joint or the fat joint. You know you’ve inserted the thin joint far enough into the fat joint when the small hole you poked in the thin joint is inside the fat joint. Remember, that hole is there for airflow. The closest you can get that hole to the center of the fat joint, the better your finished cross joint will burn.

7. Reinforce And Seal Up Your Cross Joint

You’re almost finished and ready to light up, but there’s one more important step to ensure that your cross joint is smokable. Set the cross joint aside, and retrieve your scissors and two more rolling papers. It doesn’t matter if they’re small or large at this point.

Cut just the glues off the rolling papers. Once that’s done, wrap the glues around the area where your thin joint passes through your fat joint. This give your cross joint a bit more structure but is primarily used to make your joint airtight. If you don’t seal this area, when you go to puff on your piece, the air and smoke will leak out the sides rather than traveling from the burning ends to your mouth. Obviously, this make it extremely difficult to get a good toke. Be sure not to skip this step.

You’re Ready To Go Flying

Once you’ve sealed your cross joint with rolling paper glues, you’re ready to light up and fly away. Many people will claim that you need two people and at least two lighters—some would say three—to get a cross joint rolling. That’s not true. Light the empty twist on the fat joint, gently puff on the butt end, and then light the twist ends of the thin joint. Continue to take small pulls as you do this. The empty twists at the ends of the joint burn easier than the weed itself so they’ll stay lit while you light the remaining ends.

There’s really no benefit to the cross joint even though James Franco’s character in the movie Pineapple Express claims it to be “the apex of the vortex of joint engineering.” A regular joint or bong will work just fine. The cross joint makes for an interesting game and is just a fun way to smoke a little weed. And really, that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Give this cross joint build a try and see if you like it. If you don’t, you can always go back to more traditional means of getting your groove on.