Proper Cannabis Storage
Storing medicinal quality marijuana correctly keeps it fresher longer. It’s up to you to protect your precious pot from natural enemies, such as mold, humidity and exposure to light. By Danny Danko
Nothing beats a freshly cured batch of sticky buds, perfectly ripe and ready to smoke or vaporize. The problem is that, over time, that same stash can go bad in a number of different ways. How you approach this process and choose to stash your stash will be the difference in whether you’re still enjoying those same nugs months down the road.
Cheap plastic sandwich bags are no place to keep your medicine. First of all, the buds will get crushed with any movement of the bag in your pocket, bookbag or purse. This creates a powdery mess of shake at the bottom of the bag and breaks apart the flowers you’re hoping to keep intact.
Also, odors permeate easily out of plastic baggies, even sealable ones. Aside from the issue of security and stealth, this permeation is also indicative of your buds losing scents and flavors, both obvious and subtle, to the air.
If odors are getting out, that means moisture is released as well, resulting in dried out buds that lack flavor and burn harsh and unevenly. A small amount of moisture is essential to long term cannabis storage and buds that dry out completely taste unpleasant as well as being less potent.
Envelopes and tin foil have no place in cannabis storage. Never.
Jar It Up
The best storage solution is to use airtight glass jars. These are available in almost any hardware or container store and are typically used by homesteaders for canning fruits and pickling vegetables among other things. The sealable kind are always better than ones that don’t close securely.
Be sure to select an appropriate size for the amounts of cannabis you plan to store. You don’t want too much extra space in your jar because extra space means extra air, which will end up drying out your buds faster.
Always store your jars in a cool dark place such as a cabinet, closet or drawer. Light degrades TH (the main active ingredient in your medicine) reducing the potency of your pot drastically, so don’t leave jars meant for long term storage out on countertops or coffeetables. Small opaque or dark colored jars will protect your buds from light, which makes them ideal for your smaller amounts of table weed.
Fridge/Freezer?
Never store your cannabis in a refrigerator as temperatures and humidity levels fluctuate too much and aren’t set at ideal levels to begin with. The freezer’s even worse, as temperatures below freezing can separate trichomes from you pot – and trust me, you want to hold onto those. A cool dark place is always better for long term storage than these household appliances.
Also remember, heat rises and heat will quickly dry out your cannabis. So don’t store your jars in cabinets that are above appliances that produce heat like an oven, microwave or refrigerator.
Now that you know how to properly store your cannabis, get growing so you can have something of your own to put away sometime soon!
Looks like Hightimes finally has a new comment system. I really hope this helps against the bullshit spam that plagued the comment section for what seemed like a eternity. I used to love Hightimes to be able to have a conversation with like minded individuals to share tech and other creative ideas pertaining to the art of cannabis. I really hope it will go back to that.
I have been using BudVac jars for few years, pretty much the same kind of jar mentioned but these have a special lid and they come with a vacuum pump to pull the air out.
I have placed my DRIED Buds in GLASS Jars! Now where should I put the jars? HELP!
I keep mine in the original containers (plastic jars mostly) per the law here in Florida. Beyond that I keep my stuff in the fridge. The lower temp is a plus and because the containers are sealed the humidity isn’t an issue.