How to Store Cannabis to Increase Its Shelf-Life

How to Store Cannabis to Increase Its Shelf-Life

Perhaps you’ve reached in to an old coat pocket and discovered some forgotten bud, or maybe you simply don’t smoke that often. Either way, you may be wondering, “How long does weed last?” and, “What is the best way of storing cannabis?”

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and that includes the shelf-life of marijuana. As with all organic matters, cannabis is bound to expire eventually. Luckily, with these helpful hints for storing cannabis, your weed will retain its quality and potency over a longer period of time.

How Long Does Weed Last?

While there is no official expiry date, under perfect conditions, cannabis products should last for a good stretch of time. If properly cured, dried and stored, expect your greens to stay green for six months to a year. In absolutely ideal conditions, your bud can have a shelf life of over two years. Over time, however, THC levels will begin to drop off and convert to CBN, slowly deteriorating the marijuana’s potency.

5 Important Elements to Consider When Storing Marijuana

Temperature

Like Goldilocks’ porridge, the ideal temperature for weed storage should be not too hot, not too cold. The best way to store weed is to make sure that it is always being kept anywhere between 0°C and 20°C. Anything above becomes susceptible to mold and mildew, while anything below will eventually turn THC to CBN through a process called decarboxylation.

While multiple blogs recommend storing weed in the freezer, Fusion would advise against it, as these conditions could end up damaging the delicate plant.

Light

Light may be the single greatest enemy of marijuana. Exposing cannabis to UV rays is seriously hurtful to the integrity of the product. Even indirect exposure to light can lead to loss of potency and overall degradation.

Similar to beer, opaque or dark coloured glass or ceramic containers that don’t allow UV rays to pass through are ideal for weed storage.

Humidity

Subjecting cannabis to a humid environment is a sure-fire way of decreasing its shelf-life. High humidity is not only likely to introduce mold or mildew to the marijuana, but it will also affect the flavour and aroma over time.

On the contrary, humidity levels that are too low end up drying the leaves out, causing them to break and disintegrate, also leading to loss of THC potency.

Scientifically speaking, cannabis should be stored at humidity levels of 55-62%. In other words, keep marijuana away from any conditions that would cause it to sweat and disintegrate. Remember that even sealed containers are not immune to humidity if stored incorrectly.

Air

Once again, prolonged exposure to oxygen can be seriously damaging to the shelf-life of cannabis. The best way to store weed is in an air-tight container, in order to prevent oxidization and allow it to last longer.

Just remember that as long as cannabis is out of the light, away from high or low humidity, extreme heat, or excessive oxygen, its shelf-life will increase, and little potency or quality will be lost along the way.

With this information in hand, it will be a long time before your cannabis expires. For products we’ve already packaged to last longer, take a look at our range of cannabis-infused coffees and CBD oils.