Growers share the best way to store your stash

How long does weed last, anyway?

Photo by Wesley Gibbs on Unsplash

I’m on a break from weed! Trust me, nobody is more surprised than I am. But it turns out I’m pregnant, and while I know plenty of women use cannabis in various ways while knocked up with no issues at all, I’ve decided not to (no judgment on anyone who chooses differently). FYI, this does not mean I’m going to stop writing about weed – not in the least. But I’d been toying with the idea of a tolerance break for a minute before I knew, to be honest. I’ve been a heavy daily consumer for a long time and it just felt right to give my endocannabinoid system a reset.

Since my break was, truthfully, a bit unexpected, though welcome, I found myself with a problem I hadn’t anticipated: I have a shitload of weed I can’t smoke. Cue the violins.

My partner doesn’t smoke, either, so that solution is out. I’ve already given some away, especially some of the buds that had already been sitting around for a bit. But there’s still a lot of gorgeous stuff sitting in my “weed closet,” which is a closet in my small house — six whole shelves – entirely devoted to storing weed and manufactured products, like edibles and pre-rolls (I keep hash in the fridge and freezer). It’s a cool, dark spot like it’s supposed to be.

I know enough about weed to know that, depending on how it’s grown, fertilized, and stored, it can last for years, though the cannabinoid composition and appearance of it changes. For example, THC eventually converts to CBN given enough time (and/or heat and light). That means smoking it will also have different effects over time — it’s likely to lose many terpenes, especially the more volatile terpenes, which are often the first to go, and it’s likely to be much “stonier,” to use a very scientific term. In general, the rule of thumb seems to be that it’s still “good” for about a year. Personally, I start to wonder about it around the six-month mark.

Still, a lot of this is subjective, especially if you’re just a normal home toker, like most people, and won’t have the ability to test your weed over time. I wondered if I should hang on to any of my stash or if it was in my best interest to just become weed Santa for the time being and get rid of everything. In the end, I decided to hang on to the most prized drops I recently acquired, reasoning that, in about 6-7 months, some of it still should be a-okay, if a little dry and ruddy colored. Ideally, some of it will be stored well enough.

But what do the experts think? I checked in with a number of growers – both indoor and outdoor — to see what they have to say about storing weed long-term. I asked them about buds both fresh off the plant and also after it’s been commercially packaged and delivered to dispensaries, which is how most consumers encounter weed in the wild. Here’s what they told me.

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Joey Gothelf, WildLand Cannabis in Covelo, CA

“After six months, it’s DEFINITELY not a lost cause. In fact, you will likely come back to find your weed has become more flavorful on the tongue and that all of the throat tickle (caused by chlorophyll) has come out of the smoke!

The best way to store it is in a sealed mason jar (or vacuum sealed if that’s available to you) in a cold dark place. If the weed is at a stable moisture level it can remain closed indefinitely, honestly.

The curing process never ends in my opinion. It’s constantly evolving and changing if stored correctly. Curing is largely the process of allowing chlorophyll to off-gas from the buds. This is what causes the throat tickle. It is also why ‘old’ weed can start becoming less and less green. This has become associated with weed ‘going bad,’ but honestly, it’s just a sign that all the chlorophyll has left the plant material. It’s not as favorable to the eye, especially the eye that has been informed by consumerist cannabis culture, but it’s definitely not ‘bad.’”

Danny Staples, Director of Cultivation at THC Design

These tips are specifically for indoor-grown cannabis:

“For long-term storage, vacuum sealing and storing the flower in a light sealed tote with humidity packs (in case of leaching) can preserve cannabis for 6+ months without too much of a noticeable difference. If someone is serious about maintaining quality, nitrogen sealing to remove the oxygen, a degrading element, will keep the flower as fresh as possible. It’s a big investment to nitrogen seal, so it’s serious business.

P.S.: T-breaks are good. In as little as a week, your tolerance will start to decline. I do it one month every year and I get old-school silly when I smoke again. It’s absolutely worth it. It’s also good for reference as well." 

Jeff Nordahl, Jade Nectar in the Santa Cruz Mountains, CA

“If it's just a personal head stash, just put it in a Mason jar, out of light, and where the temperature is fairly stable (not hot).

For example: put a jar in your closet and throw a sweater over it. It will be different, as time changes everything, but it may actually get more stoney. It's sometimes fun to smoke older weed that has been stored this way, kind of like an Añejo tequila. The taste, look, and effects will change, and sometimes they become more interesting. If you want to get fancy and techie, some people vacuum seal, freeze, and buy fancy containers, but it's kind of a futile attempt at stopping time. The reality is weed changes over time (like wine), but as long as it is kept air-tight and cool, and it is dry, it won't go bad, just different.

Definitely make sure it is dry before storing, because cause if it’s moist, mold could be a problem. Some people use a moisture absorber pack to be safe. It’s probably the same concept for store-bought weed. I'm not a great person to ask, cause I have never bought flower from a dispensary. I bought weed twice back in 2011, then decided to grow my own. But if it is already airtight, just put it somewhere that doesn't get hot and out of the light (like a closet).”

Joseph Haggard, Emerald Spirit Botanicals/Farm Cut near Willits, Mendocino County, CA

“Properly stored flower can remain flavorful and enjoyable for well over a year after it’s been harvested. The key is how it’s stored. I find the best way to preserve flower is in an airtight mason jar stored in a cool dry place like a cupboard or in the basement/cellar. The thing you want to avoid is major temperature changes and light.

Down in SoCal, flower can easily dry out so it’s important to use airtight jars.”

FYI, the Farm Cut line is minimally trimmed and is sealed in an airtight reusable canning jar. Lids are made from flax fiber.

Ashhok “Ganjah Guru,” Guru Cannabis Co., Humboldt & Nevada Counties, CA

“I would put it in a Miron or Mason jar, vacuum seal around that, and put it in the fridge or wine cooler.

Honestly, it’s not ideal to store dry cannabis for longer periods of time unless it’s pretty much in a dark, dry, cold place, like a wine cellar, because the active cannabinoids will convert into different ones and have a slightly different effect than fresher cannabis.

Hash and rosin will store for as long as you want if you can keep it sealed, dry, and frozen. I still pull out hash from 3-4 years ago.

With anything that’s been stored, when you eventually pull it out to consume, you want to let it sit out to acclimate to room temperature.”

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Tips for taking a tolerance break

Those of us who heavily use any kind of substance are likely familiar with the concept of a tolerance break, whether we put a name to it or not. As the name states, it’s a formal way of saying one isn’t going to use for a particular length of time. The goal is to lower one’s tolerance to an intoxicating or psychoactive substance (in this case, THC) so that it’s therapeutic or enjoyable again.

Tolerance breaks are particularly buzzy in the cannabis world (where it’s sometimes referred to as a “t-break”). I think it’s because cannabis users are prone to daily use, due to the relative level of functionality retained while high on THC compared with other intoxicating substances. Daily use makes it easy to quickly build up a tolerance so that, in just a matter of weeks of heavy use, a joint to the face is more of a holdover until the next one, rather than a gateway to any kind of serious mind-bending. Edibles that don’t use nanotechnology and require THC to metabolize in the liver build up tolerance even faster (hence why, say, cancer patients require such high doses for palliative care).

If one is using enough, switching methods—like moving from smoking flower to dabbing–provides a temporary fix. Even that dissipates quickly, though, so sometimes the only move is to quit altogether, even if just for a few days.

Scientific evidence supports this. Studies have found that cannabinoid receptors begin to downregulate THC as use becomes more frequent and higher doses are introduced. Basically, the body is saying, “Okay, so this is what is happening now. It’s a lot, but let’s normalize it.” Additional studies have shown that CB1 receptors begin to replenish after just a couple of days, so even a short break may be worth it. The general recommendation is at least two weeks to a month.

As it turns out, the suggestions for taking a break from THC closely resemble steps one must take in a breakup with anything, including people:

First things first: if embarking on a tolerance break, get rid of all the cannabis currently in possession, or at least get it out of sight (closets help). This goes for paraphernalia, too. Nothing kills a good effort quite like temptation. 

Number two: If stopping cold turkey proves to be too difficult, consider reducing intake over the course of a few days. If three bong loads a day is the routine, day one should start with two, and so on. Don’t replace it with other intoxicating substances, like alcohol, but maybe consider adding herbal teas for relaxation, or damiana, into your routine. People have also found kratom helps them, too, though that’s not something I’m into, so I can’t say.

Thirdly: Prepare for physiological changes. Sleep may be interrupted, particularly if one is using cannabis as a sleep aid, so consider replacing it with melatonin, for example. Appetite may go haywire, too–during the first days of my break, I found myself hungry at strange times of the day (to be fair, I am also growing a human inside me, but others have reported this, too), and at others, I found I had lost my appetite altogether when I wasn’t stoned. That snapped back within a few days. Also, be prepared for mood swings. LOL, says the pregnant lady. But again, irritability and crankiness after abruptly stopping cannabis consumption is something widely reported by many who attempt it, and I experienced no different.

And fourth: Find something else to focus on. Maybe work provides an opportunity to take on another project, a friend wants to catch up or the house needs a deep cleaning. For me, adding daily walks with my dog into my routine gave me a physical and mental outlet to focus on something different, and got me out of the physical habit of sitting down, smoking, and then reading or watching a movie. Breaking that up allowed me to forget that something was missing from my routine.

Lastly: Be prepared for it to take some time, particularly if you’re a chronic daily user (multiple times a day). In that case, metabolized THC stays in your system for around 30 or so days, so it’s going to take at least that long for everything to find its new equilibrium. Be patient, stay the course!