Whether you’re new to the world of cannabis consumption or a seasoned weed smoker with years of experience, you may, at some point, ponder key questions like “How long does weed last?” and “What’s the best way to store weed?”
These questions come up a lot, especially at a time when people are more focused than ever before on minimizing waste. Nobody wants to throw away cannabis that could still be perfectly safe to use, but at the same time, users don’t want to run the risk of being disappointed or even having their health affected by using bad, expired weed.
This guide will cover all you need to know about weed storage, explaining why it matters and how you can go about it in the best possible way to extend the lifespan of all the cannabis you buy in the future.
Table of Contents
The Importance of Proper Weed Storage
Let’s begin by looking at why it’s important to think about weed storage, regardless of what quantities, types, or hybrid strains you happen to be working with at the time. By understanding the importance of adequate weed storage, you’ll be more motivated to make it a part of your own cannabis habits.
To understand the importance of weed storage, all you have to do is think about food. We store food correctly in order to prevent it from going bad through exposure to air, moisture, and micro-organisms, and the same logic basically applies to weed too.
If you leave weed out in the open, exposed to moisture, it can become a breeding ground for the likes of mold and mildew. This can lead to some serious health concerns for anyone who tries to smoke or consume that weed in the future, essentially making it dangerous and unfit for any form of consumption.
But even if we overlook the health risks of mold and mildew, storing medical marijuana correctly is also very important as weed that is left out in the open in moist, warm, well-lit areas can lose a lot of its flavor, cannabinoids, terpenes, and qualities too. Essentially, weed gets a lot worse if you don’t store it correctly.
Best Light for Weed Storage
Now that we know the importance of adequate weed storage, it’s time to focus on some of the key factors you can control to put your weed in the best position to stay fresh, healthy, and packed full of benefits for the longest possible time.
Light is one of the many environmental factors that can degrade the quality of your weed over time, so it’s one of the first things you need to think about, and this is why you often hear people say to keep weed in a ‘dark place’.
It’s not just for discretion. Darkness also helps to preserve the weed’s flavors, aromas, qualities, and structure, with some studies showing that cannabinoids break down much more quickly when exposed to UV rays.
Best Air Control for Weed Storage
Air control is also a key factor to think about when it comes to storing cannabis, and it’s important to strike the right balance here. Too little air can actually lead to excess moisture in buds that aren’t quite dry, but too much air can result in faster degradation.
In general, connoisseurs of cannabis tend to agree that mason jars are ideal for this purpose, trapping enough air inside to keep the weed fresh without overdoing it in terms of moisture. You can even find vacuum pumps that can be used to seal your jars more efficiently and control the air levels more accurately.
Best Moisture Levels for Weed Storage
We’ve already spoken about the risks associated with moisture when it comes to marijuana, and it’s clear that you definitely don’t want to leave your buds anywhere wet or humid in any way.
Humidity control is absolutely key for preserving cannabis as long as possible, and it’s important to be aware of RH (relative humidity) levels, trying to keep them around the 60% mark for best results. This will help to preserve the structure, color, taste, and smell of your weed, as well as reducing the risks of mold and mildew.
Best Temperatures for Weed Storage
We also need to think about the ideal temperatures for weed storage, as the temperature can play a big part in affecting the quality and safety of any strain. In general, you’ll want to store your weed at low temperatures under 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once again, you can think about food as an ideal comparison here. If you leave most food out in a warm place, it’ll go bad quite quickly. This is why humans invented refrigeration and freezing methods, slowing down the growth and movement of microorganisms to prevent any build-up of germs or mold.
Similar logic applies with cannabis. Too much heat can make mold and mildew grow a lot faster. What’s more, excessive temperatures can dry out your weed too, harming the flavor and essentially destroying the cannabinoids, completely changing the user’s experience, so keeping your cannabis somewhere cool is just as important as keeping it someplace dry.
Other Factors to Think About for Weed Storage
We’ve seen the importance of controlling air, moisture, light, and temperature in order to store weed in the best possible way, but that’s not all you need to think about.
If you happen to be working with edibles, for example, or other perishable products that have been infused with cannabis, the storage instructions can be very different, as many of these products will have their own expiration dates associated with the other ingredients and may be better off stored in refrigerators.
Be sure to read the dates on any products you purchase and try to finish your own homemade edibles quite quickly, as they don’t tend to last long and will lose flavor and potency over time.
If you’re making use of other products like tinctures and concentrates, these products need to be kept in tightly sealed containers in very dark, dry, cool places, so always be ready to adjust your storage plan to suit the needs of whatever weed-based product you’re using at the time. We love this Yoda weed stash box.
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