How to Store Weed and Keep it Fresh

The Cannabis Act has made the cultivation and purchase of cannabis products legal in Canada. Depending on the territory or province in Canada, legislations vary for the growing and consumption of cannabis for recreational and medical use. Check out all Canadian recreational cannabis laws by province and territory.

Cannabis stores sell various strains of cannabis flowers, ranging from strains that are Sativa, Indica or a hybrid of the two. Cannabis smokers are legally entitled to purchase up to 30g of dried cannabis flowers and possess that on them at any given time.

After purchasing your cannabis flower at a store or when you did buy weed online, it’s essential that you store it correctly to avoid it from spoiling; rendering it ineffective or completely unsmokeable. We work ceaselessly to bring you the freshest cannabis flower, preserving its special aroma, colour, and its potency, so that’s why we’ve put together this guide for you to properly store your cannabis flower after purchasing.

How to Store Weed the Right Way

When you’re parting with your hard-earned cash, you want to make sure that your cannabis flower is as fresh as possible, keeping all of the valuable potency within the flower. There are several factors to consider when correctly storing cannabis flower.

Humidity

Dried cannabis flowers should be stored in a cool, dry location, ideally with a relative humidity of between 59% – 63%. If there is way too much moisture in the air then your cannabis flower will fester with mould and bacteria, resulting in damaged buds that smell and taste unpleasant. Furthermore, if you store your cannabis flower in a location with too little humidity, the trichomes containing terpenes and cannabinoids will start to deteriorate, which will result in the essential oils drying out.

Temperature

How fresh your cannabis flower stays can depend a lot on the temperature of where it’s stored. The warmer the air, the more moisture it will retain, so it’s important that you keep your cannabis stored in a place that’s below 25°C to keep mould away from it.

Light Exposure

To preserve your cannabis flower, make sure it’s kept out of direct sunlight. By limiting the light exposure to the dried cannabis, you’re ensuring that it won’t break down too quickly.

Airflow

Controlling the airflow in the storage container for your cannabis flower can be a tricky balancing act. Too much oxygen will accelerate the degradation of cannabis, and too little oxygen impacts the humidity.

How Do I Keep My Cannabis Fresh?

To maintain the longevity of your cannabis flower, you’ll have to regulate based on the points made above. Cannabis should be kept in a cool, dry area that’s out of the direct sunlight, such as a basement or low shelf. At Canna Cabana, we recommend using a lockage container to keep it away from children and pets.

It’s essential that you do not store your cannabis flower in the fridge, as this will have a detrimental effect on the flower. The changing temperatures and moisture inside the fridge will promote the growth of mould. Keep your cannabis flower outside of the freezer too, as the extreme cold will most likely make the trichomes brittle and the flower will break easily.

It’s best to avoid humidors designed for tobacco, as they’re often made of Cedarwood, which will add additional oils to your cannabis flower, causing a detrimental effect to its taste, aroma and potency.

Tools to Keep Your Cannabis Flower Fresh

Due to the innovation of technology, there are a lot of tools you can use to monitor the freshness of your cannabis flowers such as moisture, oxygen and humidity.

The Bottom Line

Key Points to Storing Cannabis

Although the cannabis flower doesn’t actually have an expiry date, there are still methods to keep it fresh, allowing the aroma and taste to last longer. Each strain has a unique scent, flavour and colour, so it’s important to ensure the longevity of each strain.

Here are some key points to note:

• Light, temperature, humidity and oxygen levels all have an effect on the smell, taste and potency of cannabis
• Cannabis should be stored in cool, dry places that are away from direct sunlight
• You can maintain the freshness of your cannabis flowers by using humidity packs, hygrometers, and humidors.

Rely on your own research and senses when determining whether your cannabis flower has spoiled or not. Using the information above, you’ll be able to know how to correctly store cannabis and what to avoid when storing it.