How To Store Your Cannabis Effectively

📷 Big Buds Magazine

Get the most out of your cannabis budget by storing your cannabis to preserve its potency, flavour, and more. Here we look at cannabis storage to help you keep your stash fresh.

Are you still storing your cannabis in sandwich baggies? Does your dispensary use plastic pop-top bottles when selling you your legal cannabis?

Correct herb storage can help protect your stash. Improperly stored cannabis can quickly dry out, losing potency and flavour – or worse, mould can grow on your cannabis, rendering it dangerous to consume.

If you follow some simple tips for storing your cannabis, it can remain fresh, fragrant, and pleasant to consume for years without losing its potency. Here are some tips for the best way to store marijuana.

How to store cannabis

Whether you grow your own marijuana and need to store large amounts for a year or more or are just looking to keep the buds you pick up from your local dispensary fresh and flavorful between visits, proper cannabis storage can keep your buds at their best.

To store your cannabis, you need to control several factors:

• light
• heat
• humidity
• airflow

Of these, one foundational study discovered it was light that was most responsible for the degradation of cannabis. While direct sunlight is the most degrading to marijuana flower, even indirect light can cause a loss of potency. For that reason, light-proof cannabis storage is critical to preserving your cannabis.

When storing your cannabis, you are ideally looking for a cool, dark, and dry place. The back of a cabinet or closet can work well as a place to keep your jars of cannabis. Heat, light, and even exposure to oxygen in the air can cause marijuana to lose potency through the degradation of THC to CBN, as well as a loss of flavour from degraded terpenes.

Your choice in cannabis storage will also determine how long your flower stays fresh. To control these critical factors when storing your cannabis, you are aiming for a temperature range of about 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit. You will want to keep your marijuana in an airtight jar to minimize air exchange and changes in relative humidity, which should be kept near 62 percent. Many cannabis consumers and growers prefer opaque or dark-coloured glass containers to reduce exposure to light.

What to avoid when storing cannabis

There are a couple of common mistakes you will want to avoid when storing your marijuana, especially if it will be stored for a significant length of time.

Keep your cannabis storage container air-tight. When cannabis flower is exposed to outside air, it can lead to faster degradation of potency, excessive drying of the organic material, and a decrease in the quality of the cannabis.

Similarly, if cannabis is stored exposed in a damp environment, you run the risk of mould growth. Mouldy marijuana can lead to users getting sick from smoking it. Don’t store your cannabis in the refrigerator. Buds stored in the fridge tend to mould, even when stored in airtight containers, due to the fluctuations of humidity and temperature in the refrigerator.

Just as the cold, damp atmosphere of the fridge can cause mould growth. Temperatures higher than 70 degrees can create an environment conducive mould and bacteria growth within your flowers. Try not to let the temperature vary too much to restrict the growth of these contaminants on your marijuana buds.

Some people swear by keeping their cannabis in the freezer – a suggestion that is controversial. The extreme temperatures in the freezer can cause trichomes to become brittle and snap off, taking away from its potency.

By limiting your cannabis' exposure to the processes that influence degradation and cause the growth of harmful contaminants, you can guarantee your cannabis stays fresh and potent until you are ready to use it.

Airtight Mason glass jars

Although a standard across much of the retail cannabis market, plastic pop-top bottles are not recommended for storing your buds, especially for extended periods of time. Plastic can leach BPA and may affect the flavour of cannabis. Plastic containers are also less effective at preventing air exchange. Finally, plastic tends to build up static, which can cause valuable trichomes to cling to the side.

Instead, you’ll want to use a material with a neutral charge, like glass. Glass screw top or hinge top jars are ideal for cannabis storage as long as they are kept in a dark, cool place.

When they are airtight, glass jars help maintain potency by protecting buds from moisture and outside air. They will also completely contain smells while preventing buds from getting crushed during handling. Make sure jars are at least 3/4 full to prevent excess air from being stored with your cannabis. If you have don’t have enough cannabis flower to mostly fill your container, use smaller glass jars.

Humidifier packs can help you achieve and maintain an appropriate relative humidity level in each jar during cannabis storage. For even more control over the air in your jar, consider getting yourself a vacuum sealer designed to be used with wide-mouth mason jars.

Looking to store a small amount of cannabis for immediate personal use? Small, hinge-top or screw-top glass jars are effective for the short-term storage of your flower without losing strength and freshness.

If you have more than one strain to store, separate your strains into separate glass jars to maintain their individual flavour profiles.

Specially-made cannabis storage containers

Some companies make specially-designed cannabis storage containers with long- and short-term storing of cannabis in mind.

Besides being developed to protect your marijuana’s freshness and quality, these commercially available cannabis storage solutions are also incredibly stylish. Glass, stainless steel, and certain woods have become the materials of choice for higher-end cannabis storage containers, which often have some form of built-in humidor function to keep cannabis fresh.

It is recommended that you avoid using a tobacco humidor. Most tobacco humidors use cedarwood, which has oils that transfer and can influence the flavours of your cannabis. They also tend to use propylene glycol to regulate humidity, which can oversaturate your cannabis. Instead, opt for a humidor that was designed specifically for use with cannabis to protect your valuable cannabis buds.

Odour-blocking cannabis storage bags

When you are on the go, it is helpful to use a backpack or duffle bag that can control the smell of your fresh flower.

Summary

Keep these important tips in mind when storing your cannabis flower.

• Store out of direct sunlight.
• Store in a cool, dry place.
• Store in an airtight glass container.
• Use humidifier packs with approximately 62 percent humidity.
• Keep away from heat sources, including some electronics and appliances.
• Don’t store in the refrigerator.
• Don’t store in plastic containers or baggies.

Source: Medical Marijuana, Inc.