In regards to pre-rolls, I keep hearing the question “When will Ohio be like Michigan?” The amount of pre-rolls available in any Michigan dispensary is seemingly infinite. There are so many options it can be overwhelming.

If I had to guess, I would say it will be a while before Ohio gets a pre-roll selection similar to Michigan’s. We have a long way to go. By design, there aren’t nearly as many growers, processors, or dispensaries in Ohio. It is much easier and less expensive in Michigan to grow and sell marijuana legally than it is here.

In 2008, medical marijuana became legal in Michigan. Dispensaries were not allowed. Home cultivation was the only legal option. Despite this, by 2013, around 100 dispensaries had opened in the state, operating in a grey area. It wasn’t until 2016 that Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill allowing the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries. In 2018 the state legalized recreational marijuana, and December 2019 saw the first legal dispensaries open in Michigan.

By comparison, Ohio medical dispensaries opened in January 2019 and we’ve had recreational sales since August/September 2024. We have also dealt with stricter regulations and greater limitations. So it’s safe to say Michigan had a good head start on Ohio’s legal cannabis market. I am confident we will catch up in a few years.

With that in mind, we are making great progress in this state with pre-rolls. It’s been a long time coming but they are finally hitting dispensary shelves. Right now a 5-pack of infused pre-rolls in Ohio costs around $50 before tax. In Michigan you can find something like that for as low as $20, maybe less if you find a good sale.

Our selection of pre-rolls isn’t anywhere like Michigan yet, but I am going to try as many Ohio pre-rolls as I can and compare them to the ones I’ve smoked from Michigan. Slowly but surely we will get a larger variety of pre-rolls to choose from.

The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control calls joints “Raw Single Serve Units” or “Raw Single Serving Units”.

Not called a joint, so don’t ever confuse it.
This product’s called a Raw Single Serve Unit.
Yes, it’s convenient, just don’t abuse it.
…Smoke a single serve unit.

The other day I bought a 1-gram Aura Lemon Royal hybrid raw (non-infused) pre-roll from Bloom in Akron. The recreational price was $15 before tax. The joint came packaged in a clear glass tube with a white plastic screw-on lid.

As soon as I sparked it up I realized I didn’t weight it, but it seemed like a full gram. It wasn’t rolled loose or anything like that. The hemp paper was white in color, so I wonder if it had been bleached. There was no logo on the crutch.

When I opened the tube, the bud had a light, lemony scent. It wasn’t very skunky or strong-smelling, but as I looked through the paper I didn’t see any stems or sticks. Some of those free and low-priced pre-rolls from Michigan can contain some real harsh bud, but that wasn’t the case here.

I had actually never tried any Aura flower before this session. I’ve loved their mind-enhancing vape carts fortified with the nootropics CBC and THCV.

I traveled to my local cornfield to make for a serene environment to burn the joint. The only things surrounding me were corn, grass, birds and a light breeze.

I used a portable torch lighter to engulf the joint with dragon’s breath. The first few puffs were pleasant. The taste wasn’t strong or skunky or anything too distinct but I enjoyed it. Along with the lemony flavor I picked up on some peppery notes and a little floral earthiness.

Despite the slight outdoor breeze, the joint burned wonderfully. I didn’t have to relight at all, not even once. As you can see from the pictures below, the ash color was light, indicating clean bud with a proper flush.

The Aura Lemon Royal pre-roll had excellent airflow. Only towards the end was there an issue with clogging. The bud became so resinous that I had to give the joint a squeeze/roll to loosen up the plant material. This gave me the ability to burn the unit down to the crutch.

Upon completing the joint, as I stood amongst the corn, I felt different than I did before smoking. I felt a little fuzzier and friendlier with the nature surrounding me. I started to better absorb and perceive the life teeming everywhere, like the bugs that would fly and the birds in the sky.

I cackled with the corn as I realized the things that caused me stress were not as important as I made them out to be. The true measure of a person is how they react to a situation, and I realized my reactions hadn’t been what they needed to be. It was time for a change in thought, behavior, attitude and intention.

While it did get me medicated, the Aura Lemon Royal joint was not as strong as the Buckeye Sour Larry Cross pre-roll I smoked the other day. I enjoyed the taste and effects but I can’t see myself paying $15 plus tax for another one of these. At that price I’ll just go the traditional route and roll my own.

I gave the Aura Lemon Royal Hybrid 15.1% THC One Gram Pre-Roll a 6/10 for taste, 6/10 for strength, 3/10 for harshness, 6/10 for taste, 5/10 for smell strength and 30 minutes for length of medical effects.

Ingredients: Raw cannabis flower (Lemon Royal), 100% hemp paper and crutch.

Total THC 15.1%, Delta-9 THC 2.57%, THCA 14.3%, Total CBD .0404%, CBDA .0461%, CBG .0390%, CBGA .291%.

Terpenes b-Caryophyllene .591%, Linalool .245%, a-Bisabolol .192%, a-Humulene .177%, d-Limonene .0963%, a-Terpineol .0377%.

Manufactured by Hundred Percent Labs on 08/20/2025, tested 08/25/2025 by North Coast Testing Labs, packaged 08/25/2025, consumed 08/27/2025, expires 08/20/2026.