Will My Weed Go Bad?

It happens to the best of us. You take some of your stash and tuck it away for another day, and then forget about it. You come across it later on, and wonder if it’s still good. Good news: Weed doesn’t “go bad” in the sense that it will be harmful or create adverse effects. When food goes bad, people tend to get sick. When weed isn’t properly stored, and then just sits there, it loses potency, flavor, and aroma. But, it won’t make you sick.

Depending on the age and storage of the weed, the cannabinoid profile may have changed a bit. Each strain is different, but you could potentially end up with a stash full of highly sedative weed.

Store Weed Properly

When marijuana is growing, it produces cannabigerol acid (CBGA), which then gets synthesized into one of the three main classifications of cannabinoids: CBDA, CBCA, or THCA. Through decarboxylation (the process of heating the cannabis product), those cannabinoids become CBD, CBC, and the ever-popular THC. The potency of these cannabinoids depends largely on what type of strain they’re from and the method by which the weed was harvested and cured.

Exposure to heat, air, and light can affect these cannabinoid profiles and change their effects. For example, TCHA becomes CBNA when exposed to a lot of UV light or heat. The CBN production in the cannabis can also be encouraged through exposure to UV light or by getting too dry. This is why it’s important to know how to properly store weed.

Preparing Weed for Storage

When you buy weed from a dispensary, most of the curing has already been done by the manufacturer. All you have to worry about is proper storage.

To avoid finding yourself in a situation where you have to a Google search of, “Does weed go bad?” make sure you’re keeping your weed in an airtight glass jar that is kept in a cool (but not cold), dark space.

However, if you are storing weed you harvested on your own, you’re going to want to put it in air-tight jars. These need to be somewhere dry, cool, and dark, with a temperature of around 68â??.

Curing Your Weed

The buds may still contain some moisture inside the stems, even after a week of drying. To avoid this, “burp” the container to allow any excess moisture to be released. This will keep your weed from growing mold, which will completely ruin your weed and be unhealthy to smoke.

Burping is opening up the lid of the jar and letting them breathe for about thirty minutes per day for a few days. Then switch to once every day for the following week or two. Once that’s done cut down to once per week until the weed is done curing. When this isn’t done or isn’t done enough, the weed tends to become too damp and gets moldy and ruined. If your weed starts to smell like freshly cut grass or damp earth, it’s too damp and is starting to degrade.

Whether you purchase your weed or buy it from a dispensary, if you are storing it for than six months, you need to vacuum seal it. This will keep the cannabinoid profile from changing.

Does Weed Go Bad? Nope!

While your weed won’t go bad if you leave it somewhere and forget about it, it could potentially lose its potency or change its cannabinoid profile entirely.

Rather than waste your weed (and possibly disappoint some of your friends), it’s best to just store your weed properly right from the start. Your local dispensary should have glass jars available, or other storage options.

Article By: Alexia P. Bullard