The Hype for Weed Pre-Rolls Continues

Last year, over 315 million pre-rolled joints were sold and smoked, grossing $3.1 billion for nearly 3,000 American brands that fight to dominate an increasingly competitive niche market, claims a special industry report from Custom Cones USA, Headset and Lake Superior State University. 

“This isn’t just big business; it’s a revolution led by brands that cracked the code on what consumers actually want, with 94% preferring joints as their consumption method of choice,” wrote the report authors. 

Potency, price and brand are the top three factors when purchasing pre-rolls, according to the same report. Pre-rolls now include some fancy appealing choices as well as the mini joint. The number one brand in the pre-roll category, Jeeter, has built a $245 million business around kief-and-diamond dusted rolls. Another successful brand, Dragonfly Cannabis, is offering one gram pre-rolls at less than $3, hitting soft spots on both size and budget. The brand has sold over 12 million units in 2024, Forbes reported. 

Mini Joints Are the New Craze in the Pre-Rolls World 

A significant part of the pre-rolls offer currently seems to be focused on smaller versions of normal, conventional joints. Smaller means less consumption, moderate enjoyment, and above all, less waste. Compared to conventional joints or even a blunt, the small joints are also much less conspicuous. This is certainly an argument for many consumers, especially in the USA. The fact that you could always have made joints of this size yourself is another matter. Just use normal papers instead of king-size papers, and you’ve got a mini joint. Most people have probably done this before. But here we are with a new fast-spreading fad. 

One of the most successful brands in the mini-joint category is Dogwalkers, whose cones are “intentionally sized” to be smaller, and are being marketed for occasions such as “a walk around the block with a four-legged friend.” Whereas most producers bring out 109 full-gram pre-rolls and 84mm half-gram pre-rolls, Dogwalkers has churn out in-between sizes: the 0.35 gram Mini Dogs Pre-Rolls that brought fame to the brand and the 0.75-gram Big Dog Pre-Roll for “longer walks.” In 2024, Dogwalkers profited $77 million from their pre-rolled options, selling 3.4 million units in nine states, according to the report. 

Obviously, the whole catch with mini joints is the personalized experience they offer. It’s more than just a way to consume cannabis - they’re becoming a statement about one’s preferences and tastes, similar to a fashion accessory. Some of the mini-joint offers are exclusive collaborations with artists. Partnerships that are further elevating the mini-joint market as a lifestyle product. And some brands are focusing on exclusive strains that are only available in mini-joint format to appeal to collectors and connoisseurs who are always on the lookout for more unique smoke experiences. 

For now, mini joints and pre-rolls in general are working out pretty well in the U.S., but it is doubtful if these products will become widely available in other places, such as Europe, anytime soon. Save for rare outlets like Dutch coffeeshops, the current situation regarding the legal purchase of cannabis is limited at best. It’s a closed access system, through initiatives such as social clubs or homegrowing. If you are lucky, you might randomly stumble on legal hemp cigarettes, even on a remote beach town somewhere on the Greek islands. Despite it saying on the label you are buying a fully legal THC product and expecting a real hit, sadly it’s probably going to be a smoke with less than 0.3% THC in it, abiding to regulation. And that’s about it. 

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