There are few things as frustrating as grabbing a bud and having it crumble into dust between your fingers. Much like any other consumable, not storing weed properly will have a negative effect on its quality. While it’s not unsafe to consume weed that isn’t in tip-top shape, believe it or not, there are wrong ways to store your weed. Without using proper storage methods, some things we love the most about marijuana flower will be lost—aroma, potency, and flavour.

Today we’ll share some simple and inexpensive ways to store your weed properly so that all of its great qualities can be preserved. 

Best Conditions for Storing Cannabis

Temp

Heat can damage your weed in many ways. Mostly, it’ll dry your bud out and destroy the incredible terpenes that help make cannabis such a treat. This is why you never want to store your weed above an appliance that gives off heat, like stovetops, microwaves, or toasters. 

Temps that are too cold are also not recommended. Much like heat, freezing temperatures can also destroy cannabis’ delicate trichomes.

Honestly, you don’t really need to get fancy with it—as long as it’s cool and dry, a closet, drawer, or any dark corner will do just fine. 

Light

UV rays can degrade the condition of your marijuana flower quite quickly, actually. This is part of why you will hear the words “keep it in a cool, dark, dry place” from experienced weed connoisseurs. During the growing process, light is a key to a plant’s success. Once the weed has been harvested and is in your possession, light will significantly lessen marijuana’s optimal shelf life. In fact, this 1976 study found that light was the single largest contributor to loss and deterioration of cannabinoids.

Air

Another of the elements that can lead to the rapid degradation of your weed is air. A study conducted by researchers at the Swedish National Forensic Centre (NFC) concluded that exposure to air was one of the most significant variables to significant negative changes in relation to its THC content, in particular. Therefore, airtight containers are always preferable. 

Humidity

Avoiding exposing your cannabis to humidity is key! Humidity creates the perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew, which will ruin bud real quick. Some people even like to use humidity packs in their storage containers to keep their marijuana flower in great condition. 

What Containers to Use

Glass Jars

Glass and more specifically, glass mason jars, are a very popular storage choice amongst avid users and growers alike. This is because they are solid air-tight containers with sealable tops. To keep light and UV rays from damaging the product, many opt for brown or even green tinted glass. Fun fact, coloured glass’ ability to protect a product from UV rays is also why many beers and other alcoholic beverages can be found in brown or green glass. 

Plastic Baggies

We get it. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. It isn’t recommended that you store your weed in plastic baggies, but if you have to, just make sure that you get as much air out of the bag as possible. This will help minimize the amount of air getting to your buds, but plastic also builds up static charges that can pull trichomes off your buds, which is why you’ll often see stuff stuck to the walls of plastic baggies once your buds are gone. 

Silicone 

While silicone is a great storage choice for many types of cannabis concentrates, silicone isn’t recommended for dried marijuana flower. This is because, much like plastic baggies, the static that can exist inside silicone containers may pull trichomes off of your buds. No, thank you.

Mylar Bags 

While, much like we noted for silicone and plastic baggies, there’s a risk that there’s a static charge in mylar bags that will lead to degradation or loss of the trichomes on your cannabis, mylar bags are a decent choice. I mean, there’s a reason that weed is often sold in mylar bags. Mylar is a heat resistant polyester that keeps out UV rays, airtight, smell proof, and some even come with child proof locking features. 

Bottom Line

To keep your weed in its best condition and to prolong its shelf life, it’s important that you keep your cannabis in a cool, dark, dry place, ideally in an airtight container. The next time you make a purchase at your favourite dispensary, be sure to remember some of the tips and tricks we’ve shared with you here.

Reach out to Acreage Pharms today to discover our top quality cannabis products.