The Art and Science of Pre-Rolled Cones | Not All Cones Are Made Equal

Upon first glance, the pre-roll cone is a simple product — a rolling paper, a filter, and a little glue. But a closer look reveals that there's a lot more than meets the eye with these products. 

Cones aren’t just designed to be consumed; they’re designed to be savored. This means that every ingredient and step of their production must be scrutinized to ensure they meet the highest safety and quality standards. Opting for a bargain cone might seem like a savvy move, but remember: not all cones are created equal. Cheaper alternatives may cut corners, failing to meet the stringent qualifications and regulations to deliver a top-notch, safe experience.

The best way to know whether the custom pre-rolled cones you're using don't contain heavy metals and other dangerous contaminants is to know where your products come from, how they're made, and the regulations and policies your state has regarding their production. 

You can find all that information and more in this comprehensive guide.

Tracing the Journey from Raw Material to Finished Product

The journey of a pre-roll cone from a simple component to a finished product is more intricate than you might think. If the company you’re sourcing from isn’t upholding safety standards or adhering to regulations, you could end up with a product that’s not just subpar but downright dangerous.

In an industry with soaring demand for pre-roll cones, many manufacturers prioritize speed and cost over safety. But if you’re looking for a product you can trust, you need to trace the entire production process right down to the very fiber of the paper.

The Paper Trail: Sourcing with Care

What are the raw materials in the paper your cones are created with? The most common are flax, wood pulp, hemp, and occasionally bamboo. Those sound safe enough, but how those materials are sourced and handled could be unsafe and detrimental to the environment. 

What may begin as a clean, pure raw material can be moved to an unregulated and dangerous facility. 

From there, you cannot tell what winds up in the cone you're smoking. That's why it's critical to vet the companies you give your money to ensure you know where the product was made, what was used in their raw materials, and how trustworthy their ingredients are. 

Hara Supply gets its cone paper through Republic Technologies, an international industry leader in rolling paper products that has operated for over 100 years. The company’s Perpignan, France, facility is the world’s largest factory of its kind, with a capacity of over 1 billion booklets per year. It sources its organic ingredients ethically and through environmentally friendly processes, and it meets International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001, 14001, and 45001 and good manufacturing practices (GMP) standards.

What Are ISO and GMP Standards?

Because consumers cannot follow the entire manufacturing process of any product, let alone all of the products they consume, the only real way to ensure their safety is through things like ISO and GMP certification. But what are these certifications?

ISO

The International Organization for Standardization approves a company's practices through a third-party body of experts. It has several standards that confirm different things to the consumer. 

ISO 9001 certifies that the processes and staff produce high-quality, safe products; ISO 14001 ensures environmentally friendly practices; and ISO 45001 confirms the safety of a company's workers.

GMP

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) created good manufacturing practices regulations to help ensure that a company's manufacturing processes meet high-quality standards and are consistent.      

Hara Supply's Pre-Rolled Cones & Dedication to Excellence

You know now that Hara pre-rolled cones are created from paper sourced from Republic Technologies, but it's also important to know that once that paper is received, it remains in good hands. All Hara Supply cones are made in medical clean rooms, which is not true for many other companies that use sweatshops or other unregulated places. 

In addition to being ISO and GMP certified, Hara Supply also holds hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) certification, which ensures a company has met a long list of requirements regarding the safety of its ingestible products. 

Testing Limits by State

Every state regulates the amount of certain contaminants allowed in a pre-rolled cone or pre-rolled cone testing limits. While many states have very similar or identical regulations, some do not. It's important to know your state's testing limits.

What Do Testing Limits Entail?

The three main contaminants pre-rolled cones are tested for include: 

• Heavy metals
• Pesticides
• Microbial contamination

While the hope would be that none of these things are present in any ingestible product, that's not always the case. Minimal amounts of any of them are not necessarily a health concern. However, if you go by state-by-state regulation, there is no consensus on what constitutes a "minimal" amount.

States With Varying Testing Limits

The following states have pre-rolled cone testing limits that vary notably from others:

• Alaska
• California
• Massachusetts
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Washington 

It's critical to look into the language of your state's testing regulations to understand what you may be ingesting when you smoke a pre-rolled cone. 

Testing limits are also subject to change. For example, Oklahoma recently altered its testing limits for chromium. If you want to know what may be in the products you're ingesting, you should carefully follow new legislation and make sure you understand the implications of any new regulation.  

Other Considerations

Tracing your sources and knowing your state's testing limits are the two most significant elements in determining the safety of your pre-rolled cone products. Other considerations should also be considered.

Supply Chain Constraints

Testing restrictions can make it difficult for many suppliers to find a quality source that allows them to produce a final product that meets the necessary high standards for a safe, high-quality pre-rolled cone. That's why you need to be wary of any company that is unclear about where it sources its raw materials.

Source Location and Timelines

The current world political climate has significantly impacted sourcing and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. To ensure your products come from a safe, environmentally friendly, ethical source, you should plan carefully and buy ahead.

Ensuring the Safety of Your Pre-Rolled Cones Is Crucial

When it comes to anything you ingest, there should be no limit to how far you go to ensure it's safe to put in your body. That includes your pre-rolled cones. 

Countless companies manufacture these products with far more emphasis on profit margins than consumer health. That's why you need to take matters into your own hands when it comes to what you're smoking. 

Using this guide, you should better discern which companies are meeting the necessary safety standards and engaging in ethical, environmentally friendly practices. With that knowledge, you'll undoubtedly find that every puff feels more satisfying.