Written by Joshua Sosin

If you’ve ever rolled a joint, lit it up, and taken a nice hit before, you’ve probably experienced the “roach weed” phenomenon firsthand. We’re talking about that little leftover piece of a spliff that lingers once you’ve taken the maximum amount of hits.

Some folks simply toss their roaches out, but it’s worthwhile to know that that’s not your only option. Below, we’ll take a look into what roach weed is, along with how to smoke it — and whether you should in the first place.

Table of Contents

• What Is Roach Weed?

  • Why Save Roach Weed?

  • What To Do With Roach Weed

  • Why Do People Smoke Roach Weed?

• Should You Use Roach Weed?

  • Smoke Quality

  • Flavor and Scent

  • Health Concerns

• What Is a Roach Clip?

• FAQs About Roach Weed

• Premium Cannabis Flower From the Mood Shop

  • Pluto: An Indica Hybrid For Creativity

  • Oreoz — Ultra-Chill

  • Dante’s Inferno — For Focus

  • Trap Cherries — Super Sensual

What Is Roach Weed?

Roach weed — sometimes called affectionate nicknames like cockroach or cucaracha — is a small amount of cannabis flower left over at the end of a joint or blunt after a smoking session. This portion of the joint is too short to smoke effectively, but it’s not useless.

That’s because the roach contains a little bit of unburnt or partially smoked weed and a buildup of a highly concentrated byproduct called cannabis resin.

When someone saves a roach, they’re setting aside this small amount of cannabis, which can be removed from the old joint and used to re-roll a new one. The Mexican Revolution in 1910 led to a wave of Mexican immigration into the United States, bringing cannabis culture with them and influencing social perceptions surrounding its use.

Read about our picks for the best rolling papers on the Mood Blog.

Why Save Roach Weed?

Cannabis byproduct, roach weed, is unusually potent because of its resin content, which gives it a much higher concentration of cannabinoids like THC, CBD, and more.

For this reason, many stoners love to save their roaches and add them to new joints for an extra boost of potency. The result is an intense high that’s best suited to experienced cannabis users.

Benefits of Roach Weed

Smoking roach weed offers several benefits for cannabis enthusiasts. One of the primary advantages is cost efficiency. By repurposing the remnants of joints or blunts, users can extend the life of their cannabis and reduce waste. This approach aligns with the principles of sustainability and environmental responsibility, values that are increasingly important in the cannabis community.

Another benefit of smoking roach weed is the potential for enhanced potency. As smoke passes through the cannabis, it deposits resin that contains concentrated amounts of cannabinoids. This resin accumulation can make the final hits from a roach more powerful than the initial ones from a fresh joint. Additionally, roach weed can be used to create homemade edibles or infused into cannabutter, offering a versatile and creative way to experience the full potential of cannabis.

What To Do With Roach Weed

While the most common means of reusing roach weed is to put it in another joint, this cannabis residue is more versatile than you might think.

In addition to serving as the basis for another spliff, roach weed can also be packed into the bowl of a bong or smoked in a pipe. Its multiple uses make roach weed even more worth saving after a smoking session.

Why Do People Smoke Roach Weed?

In addition to the intensity factor, many stoners save their cannabis remnants to cut costs. Instead of throwing away perfectly good (and very powerful weed), some smokers prefer to use as much of their flower as possible by utilizing roaches and their high cannabinoid content.

Smoking roach weed can be especially helpful for a stoner who’s running out of fresh flower. While you can easily refill your stash box with an order from the Mood Shop, roach weed can come in handy if you’re in a pinch.

Finally, some smokers keep their roach weed and reuse it as a matter of tradition. These stoners preserve their roaches as a way to honor the longstanding tradition of smoking and avoid wasting any part of the joint out of respect for good weed.

Learn more about how it feels to be high from the Mood Blog.

Should You Smoke Roach Weed?

As you’ve already learned, many weed fans save their roaches and smoke the flower inside later — but is that a good idea?

Cannabis tar can build up in roach weed, which may affect its quality. Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of smoking roach weed below:

Smoke Quality

If you roll a joint with leftovers from a roach, you’ll quickly notice that roach weed produces thicker, harsher smoke due to the presence of cannabis ash. This difference in consistency comes from the buildup of tar, ash, and resin that collects in the roach throughout a smoking session.

The acrid smell of this smoke can put some folks off of using roaches altogether. In addition, the extra harshness can be an irritant for people with sensitive lungs and can make you cough more than regular cannabis flower might.

On the other hand, many longtime smokers don’t mind the harshness of the smoke. However, it’s a far cry from the smooth, flavorful hits that you’d expect from a filtered pipe like a bong.

Flavor and Scent

As you can imagine, roach weed also tastes very different from regular flower. Burnt plant material and resin tend to overpower the aromas of terpenes, which are what normally give weed its complex — and appealing — scent.

Without that abundance of terpenes, you’re left with a smell that is pungent and a bit burnt. While the strain you picked out to smoke may have had a complex flavor and scent profile, you probably won’t be able to make out more than a trace of its original glory.

Of course, some stoners love the strong taste produced by resin and a bit of burn. It’s ultimately a matter of your personal palate, so you might have to try smoking a roach joint and see how the scent and aroma sit with you.

Learn more about terpenes from the Mood Blog.

Health Concerns

It’s worth noting that roaches aren’t necessarily good for you to smoke regularly. We’re not here to offer you medical advice, but we can confidently say that inhaling lots of tar and cannabis toxins — which are present in the burnt-down end of a joint — isn’t healthy.

Occasional joints rolled with roach weed aren’t likely to cause problems for you, but if you have sensitive lungs or respiratory issues, you might want to steer clear.

Fresh Weed vs. Roach Weed

When it comes to cannabis consumption, many enthusiasts are curious about the differences between fresh weed and roach weed. New weed refers to newly purchased or harvested cannabis, bursting with vibrant flavors and aromas. Its high THC content ensures a potent and enjoyable smoking experience, highlighting the cannabis potency.

On the other hand, roach weed is the leftover material from a joint or blunt. While it may not boast the same fresh flavor profile, roach weed is far from useless. The exposure to heat and smoke can alter its potency and flavor, but it remains a cost-effective and resourceful way to utilize cannabis. For those looking to stretch their stash, roach weed can be a valuable addition to a new joint or even a bowl.

What Is a Roach Clip?

A roach clip, sometimes simply called a joint holder, is a small piece of metal that props up a joint to stop it from burning your fingers.

These “alligator clips,” as they’re often referred to, are popular with smokers for purely practical reasons. There’s nothing sexy about these little weed accessories, but it might be smart to keep one in your stash box alongside some fresh cannabis.

Premium Cannabis Flower From the Mood Shop

If you want to roll up a joint with incredible flavor, aroma, and potency, the Mood Shop is the place to go.

With a wide variety of Farm Bill-compliant Indica, Sativa, and hybrid strains, Mood is the go-to online dispensary for cannabis fans around the US.

Here are a few of the highlights of our collection:

Pluto: An Indica Hybrid For Creativity

If you’re looking for a new joint that provides cerebral stimulation, Pluto is the strain for you. It’s a high-potency Indica hybrid with a scent of sour lemon, fresh pine, and spicy diesel.

With invigorating yet soothing effects, Pluto is ideal for inspiring newfound creativity. It’s 70% Indica, 30% Sativa, and 100% primo.

Pluto is grown in California as a crossbreed of Gelato #33 and 1991 Triangle Kush strains.

Save $25 or more when you pick up 7g of Pluto for just $93. Subscribe to save an additional 15% on your order.

Oreoz — Ultra-Chill

This strain produces a potent, long-lasting high that will help you melt those cares away. An Indica hybrid grown in Oregon, Oreoz is a crossbreed of Cookies and Cream and Secret Weapon strains with a scent like s’mores, grapes, and spicy herbs.

Within just ten minutes of your first puffs, you’ll experience heightened sensory awareness and the onset of intense relaxation. After as little as 30 minutes, you can expect the relaxation to amp up even more.

This strain is rich in the terpenes bisabolol, caryophyllene, fenchyl alcohol, limonene, and humelene, giving it calming, soothing, and mood-elevating effects.

Get 1g of Oreoz — the perfect amount for a sizeable joint — for only $17. Subscribe to save 15% on your order.