RAW Cones: Paper Straws, Paper Sticks and Plastic Straws

You'd think figuring out what comes inside a pack of RAW cones would be pretty straightforward. Paper straw? Packing stick? End of story.

Apparently not.

The question has been floating around for years. Do RAW cones come with hollow paper straws, solid paper sticks, or even plastic straws? And if yours came with something different, does that mean they're fake?

The frustrating answer is: it depends.

Rather than keep guessing based on packaging photos and old forum posts, we decided to do something simple. We opened a bunch of RAW cone packs and checked for ourselves.

And here's where things got interesting. We found all three: hollow paper straws, solid paper sticks, and even a plastic straw in a specialty RAW Lyrical Lemonade pack.

So what's actually going on?

What We Found Inside RAW Cone Packs

For the most part, the newer retail packs we opened were pretty consistent.

The 3-packs, 6-packs, and 20-count packs all came with hollow paper straws. These are the lightweight paper tubes included to help pack the cones.

Nothing too surprising there.

But when we started opening the larger bulk boxes, things changed.

The 900-count and 1,400-count bulk cone boxes we checked contained paper packing sticks instead of hollow straws.

And the 500-count boxes? Those couldn't even agree with each other.

Our RAW Ethereal 500-count cones came with hollow paper straws, while the RAW 70/30 500-count cones came with solid paper packing sticks.

Same general product category. Same quantity. Different packing tools.

Here's a quick breakdown of what we personally found:

These are our findings from the packs we opened, not a promise that every box on the market will contain the exact same thing.

Why Do RAW Cones Have Different Packing Straws?

That's the part we'd love to have a definitive answer for.

A hollow paper straw and a solid paper packing stick do essentially the same job. 

But why does one RAW product include a straw while another comes with a stick?

Based on what we opened, package size and cone variety seem to play a role. Smaller retail packs tended to have hollow straws, while some of the larger bulk boxes included paper sticks.

Still, the 500-count boxes make it clear that size alone doesn't explain everything.

It's also possible that production runs or manufacturing locations contribute to the differences, although we haven't confirmed that with RAW.

In other words, there's a pattern, but not one that explains every pack.

Wait, Do RAW Cones Come With Plastic Straws?

This is where things get a little more interesting.

RAW specifically states on its official website that genuine RAW Organic Hemp cones come with natural paper packing straws, not plastic ones.

You can read more on RAW's official Organic Hemp Kingsize Cones page.

But during our inspection, we found a plastic straw in a RAW Lyrical Lemonade specialty pack.

Now, there's an important distinction here.

The RAW x Lyrical Lemonade Bud Wrap is a specialty collaboration, not a standard RAW paper cone. So finding a plastic packing tool in that pack isn't the same as finding one inside an ordinary RAW Classic or Organic Hemp cone package.

For now, we're sticking to what we actually saw: the Lyrical Lemonade pack we opened contained plastic. That doesn't mean all RAW cones do, and we're not suggesting it overrides RAW's guidance about its standard cones.

Does a Different RAW Packing Straw Mean Your Cones Are Fake?

This is probably the biggest reason people care about the straw in the first place.

Someone opens a pack, finds a solid paper stick instead of the hollow paper straw they're used to, and immediately wonders whether they bought counterfeit RAW cones.

It's an understandable concern.

But a different paper packing tool doesn't automatically mean your RAW cones are fake.

We found both hollow paper straws and solid paper sticks in the RAW products we inspected.

That said, counterfeit RAW products are a real issue, and we wouldn't recommend using the straw alone as proof of authenticity either way.

RAW actually has a collection of videos showing customers how to identify counterfeit cones and rolling papers.

Check out RAW 101's official educational and authenticity resources if you're unsure about a product.

If something about your package seems suspicious, that's a much better place to start than making a judgment based on whether the included packing tool is hollow or solid.

And of course, where you purchase your cones matters.

We buy all of our RAW inventory directly from RAW, so our customers don't have to play detective every time they open a box.

So, What's Actually in the Pack?

After opening everything from small retail packs to 1,400-count bulk boxes, one thing became pretty clear: not every RAW product we checked came with the same packing tool.

Most of the smaller packs contained hollow paper straws. Several larger bulk boxes came with solid paper sticks. Even the 500-count products differed depending on the cone variety.

And then there was the Lyrical Lemonade specialty pack with its plastic straw, just to make the whole conversation a little more interesting.

The takeaway?

Finding a paper stick instead of a hollow paper straw isn't, by itself, a reason to assume your RAW cones are fake. Different products can come with different packing tools.

If you're shopping for RAW pre-rolled cones, the better approach is to buy from a retailer you trust, rather than trying to determine authenticity from one small accessory inside the package.

Sometimes a straw is just a straw. And sometimes it's a stick.