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Ultimate Rolling Paper Guide

Whether you prefer classic double wides or ultra thin hemps, this ultimate rolling paper guide has something for every stoner.

By Emily McCayPublished 8 years ago 9 min read
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There are more people smoking more weed now than ever before. Most of that product is being smoked by all sorts of great new tech like the Pax or the G-Pen. But the classic rolled joint will never go out of style. Conservative estimates are more than eight and a half billion joints are smoked in this country annually. Rolling paper sales exceed the $100 million mark, and legal pot sales are over $5 billion. Corporate America is eyeing, what some say, will soon grow to a $40 to $100 billion overall marijuana industry market from product to paraphernalia. The fashion industry is looking at marijuana induced ideas from colors to stash pockets. The government is eyeing giant tax revenues and Wall Street is looking for the next great thing. All of this attention can often make one lose sight of how it all began. It was simply a little product rolled in fine paper grade, to give you a smooth seal and slow burn. Nothing will ever be as simple or authentic as it was in the golden era of rolling paper.

There are over 100 different brands of papers on the market, and new ones are introduced every day. They come in different lengths, different widths, and all kinds of flavors, including chocolate, licorice, strawberry, lemon and cherry. There are thin papers, thick papers, gummed and un-gummed papers, mentholated papers, rice papers, wheat papers, and papers made from cannabis plants. Something for everyone, no matter what your preference.

Image via In Colors

Good Ol' Faithful

The use of rolling papers dates back to the Aztec Indians, who smoked their tobacco in natural maize wrappers. The first mass-produced rolling papers were made by distinguished European paper companies. Two of the earliest companies were Rizla, founded in 1796, and JOB, founded in 1838. Rizla and JOB are amongst the best-known brands of papers, and more marijuana is rolled by Rizla rolling machines than by anything else except human fingers. Any head shop personnel will tell you that these classics are still in high demand. While on the thicker side, these papers have a nice slow burn and you don't have to worry about tears.

One of the most exciting innovations in the tobacco industry was the development and proliferation of brands geared toward the marijuana-smoking market. It was the first time big business really invested in the industry. Hundreds of paper brands were created throughout the 70s. England came across with the first rolling papers designed specifically for stoners. This early psychedelic import, Stella, came in flavors as well as colors. Distributed by Simon Valenzuela, of Simon Imports in New York, these strawberry, banana, cherry, and licorice novelties appeared in America as early as 1968. Those were magic years—the world had been turned psychedelic. The papers sold like crazy until the 70s when the spell was broken.

Fans of the self proclaimed "World's Finest Cigarette Paper" often prefer their JOBs in the larger size, 1.5. With a thicker style paper, you can roll a joint much fatter without worrying about it being flimsy. The "Ol' Faithful" of rolling papers, JOBs are tried and true for stoner success.

When marijuana use began to increase sharply in the 60s, marijuana smokers used the same rolling papers that tobacco smokers used. After a while, however, one brand seemed to stand out. So many smokers began using Zig Zag papers that the Zig Zag man became a symbol of the marijuana culture. It is ironic that Zig Zag is one of the brands that have refused to run advertising campaigns aimed at marijuana smokers. That classic orange pack got passed around from friend to friend so many times, the quality of the paper spoke for itself.

Want a more traditional paper, but prefer to avoid that sticky gum? Club papers are the go-to for those looking to be a little more hands on when they roll. Without the traditional gum, it allows the smoker to roll to the size they prefer. Careful, these are not for the unskilled roller. Wouldn't want your joint falling apart.

The E-Z Wider Revolution

The 70s ushered in a change from pleasure to practicality. In 1971, Burt Rubin and Bob Stiller had an idea that has had a major impact on the marijuana culture. If pot smokers were sticking two papers together to roll a decent joint, why not market a double-width paper and save smokers a lot of time and trouble? Rubin left a successful career in trading heavy metals, and Stiller left his job as a systems analyst and computer programmer to found Robert Burton Associates, the company that makes and distributes E-Z Wider papers. This was the first home run success on an investment in the industry. One where the government had no issue collecting millions of dollars worth of taxes from what was clearly a product for bud, which was deemed a narcotic.

Another giant in the business was 29-year-old Don Levin. Levin's company, Adam's Apple Distributing Company, not only had the exclusive American rights to the prestigious JOB papers, but also guaranteed superb distribution because it was one of the biggest names in marijuana paraphernalia distribution in the country.

This same rolling paper/paper importer/paraphernalia distributor combination exists between Rizla, one of the late 20th century’s largest manufacturers of cigarette papers in the world, and Berney-Karp, the giant California-based paraphernalia distributor. Late in 1975, Berney-Karp set up the company, Rizla Products U.S., as the sole importer and distributor of Rizla papers for the North American market. In coming months, Rizla products created a massive campaign to increase the sales in this country of Europe's most popular brand of papers. Rizla already produced enough paper annually to make a joint long enough to encircle the earth 25 times. Rizla Products also imported and distributed Rizla rolling machines and Foy, a new paper designed with the lady smoker in mind.

If the invention of double-width papers in 1971 was the first major new development in rolling papers, the second big breakthrough came in 1973 when Don Todrin and Mike Garjian came up with the idea of a mentholated paper that would cool your throat as you smoked. After an exhaustive search for the finest cigarette paper and the right kind of natural menthol extracts, Cooleaf rolling papers came into existence.

Todrin and Garjian were already innovators in the business. In 1970, they started selling ad space on rolling paper packets to help market everything from stereo equipment and rock concerts to political candidates. They formed the American Dream Company which became one the largest manufacturer of custom-made and private label rolling papers. American Dream made papers for such rock musicians as the Allman Brothers Band, John Lennon and The Grateful Dead. They also had a line which includes personality papers like Marilyn (Monroe) and Bogey (Humphrey Bogart), and others designed for paraphernalia distributors such as Wrappers, distributed by the UBC Grain Co-Op in Pennsylvania.

What was the first pack of papers you ever bought? Chances are, it was a pack of $1.00 E-Z Widers from your local gas station. E-Z Widers are like the Marlboro of rolling papers, you probably saw them hidden in your parent's drawer at one point and when it came time for you to buy your own pack, it was the only one you could think of. Easy to spot, easy to roll, easy to smoke. Or should we say, E-Z.

The bigger the better when it comes to Bambu rolling papers. With this paper, it's mostly function over fashion. Let's face it, they're huge! Want a big joint? Buy Big Bambu papers. It's pretty much as as simple as that.

This may seem strange, but in all reality, Randy's is one of the most efficient rolling papers in the game. The built in wire allows for a more structured rolling experience, allowing you to crank out more joints in a shorter amount of time. The wire can also be used as a roach clip. Brilliant.

The New Generation

In the past ten or so years, a new batch of papers have taken over the game. With the growing desire for our culture to become more eco-friendly and health conscious, "clean burn" papers came to formation. Ultra thin, no ash, no harshness, and no taste. What's the most natural thing to smoke marijuana out of? More marijuana of course. Or in this case, hemp. Hemp papers, including brands like Pure Hemp and Raw, are the new favorite amongst young smoking connoisseurs. Raw specifically cornered the market with unbleached, organic rolling papers in all styles and sizes. Yes, you read that right, organic rolling papers. We can buy organic fruit, organic shampoo, organic cotton clothing, why not organic rolling papers? Plus, call something organic, charge twice as much for it, and you've got yourself an empire!

The guys behind Raw and Elements knew what they were doing when they created the top of the line papers for the new generations. Millennials are currently the biggest consumers, so why not market rolling papers specifically to them? You're getting high , your protecting your lungs (ish), and your helping the environment! Seriously millennials love this crap. An honestly, we're pretty impressed by it too. Celebrities even got in on the hemp paper trade. Bob Marley papers, which are made by the same company that makes Pure Hemp, are some of the most popular sellers. Rappers like Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa got in on the game too, creating there own brand of hemp rolling papers. Moving forward at full speed, we don't see the ultra-thin hemp paper train stoping anytime soon.

All hail the king of hemp, Raw. This company has expanded far beyond your regular convenience store $0.99 papers. Along with their Classic and Organic line of papers in all sizes, Raw also makes tips, cones, rollers, rollings trays, even t-shirts! Raw is prepared to fulfill all your smoking needs, naturally, of course.

So thin they are almost translucent, OCB papers are the Zig-Zags for the new generation of weed smokers. Despite being so thin, OCBs are strong enough to resist rips and tears, pretty much the best of both worlds. Clean taste, slow burn, what's not to love? The only thing about super thin papers is that they tend to be a little harder to roll, and a little more expensive, so maybe invest in a roller while you're at it.

"Grown in the Earth, Nourished by the Water, Powered by the Wind, Burned by the Fire." The slogan for Elements perfectly describes the appeal behind them. Made of ultra thin rice paper with a criss cross watermark, you get the slow burn of a thicker paper without the taste. Plus, that magnetic closure will save you dozens of papers from being ruined. I'd buy them just for that.

So, fellow tokers and weekend stoners, remember to enjoy a smorgasbord of the finest rolling papers. Somewhere among them is a paper with the right flavor, length, width and quality to suit nearly everyone. Nothing beats a hand rolled joint for that perfect moment you want to soak up and indelibly stamp in your memory.

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Emily McCay

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