What is the Best Way To Store Your Weed? (New Study on THC Storage)

This Is The One Best Way To Preserve Your Cannabis For The Long Term, According To Science

weed in a freezer

What we know about storing cannabis all along might have been wrong. So far, we know that keeping your stash in airtight containers away from direct sunlight is ideal for optimum freshness for a long time, and that placing it in the freezer is wrong.

Although this might work just fine for people who don’t store a large amount of pot, the right way to store your cannabis does matter for those of us who value storing a rare strain or high amounts of top-shelf bud.

A new study out of Italy took a deeper look into the various storage methods used today and how they impact the value of THC over time. For the study, the researchers stored pot using four different methods, then analyzed each stash’s THC levels before and after keeping them for 100 days. They also took into consideration how oxygen, temperature, and light levels affected the main cannabis compounds primarily THC, CBD, and CBN. A total of 24 samples of cannabis were studied over the course of a four-year period; all of them stored in various controlled conditions.

They found that cannabis which has been kept in a bright room with room temperatures saw a 13% reduction in THC content while cannabis kept in a dark room with room temperatures dropped 11% in THC after 100 days. Considering that these are the traditional storage methods we know about and use today, you might want to start changing how you store your stash: by using your freezer.

“Freezing is the best storage condition to avoid the reduction of the cannabinoids content over time,” write the authors.

External factors were found to have the greatest impact on THC and CBN levels; if cannabis is stored in room temperatures then this results in a quicker deterioration in THC although CBN content increases. On the other hand, when you refrigerate cannabis, it gives similar effects but it happens at a slower rate. Freezing helped keep THC levels the same and these samples showed no changes over time.

However, if you’re after the therapeutic effects of CBD over the intoxicating qualities of THC, CBD levels in cannabis showed no significant changes when exposed to different storage conditions over time.

How To Freeze Your Cannabis Correctly

Professionals and seasoned cannabis connoisseurs probably already know about this secret. Now, you can do it too, to efficiently preserve your cannabis buds for a long time.

To the uninitiated, it might seem strange, but here are tips on freezing your buds correctly:

Use a vacuum jar, vacuum sealer, or a storage container that won’t expose your cannabis to static charge. Pack your cannabis flowers in and make sure that no air can get through.
If you have a huge stash, you might want to break them up into smaller containers. Consider keeping around 4-5 ounces in each bag or container so that you don’t disrupt the rest of the stash that you won’t be consuming just yet.
Keep your freezer at 0 degrees for the best results.
Once you need your stash a year or so later, remove the container from the freezer and allow it to thaw. When the cannabis is still frozen, don’t touch it with your hands because the fragile trichomes will only break off. Don’t even think about defrosting your flowers in the microwave the same way you do with meat.
It’s extremely important to pay attention to the thawing process. Allow the cannabis to be completely thawed out; wait at least one hour as you leave it out at room temperatures. Never ever force heat it.
If you have some leftover trichomes that have fallen out by accident, you can still use this to make some potent kief.
Choose the size of your container well. Don’t use an oversized jar or bag for freezing tiny amounts of cannabis because it will only increase the risk of letting more oxygen in.
If you’re keeping more than one kind of cannabis strain, separate them in containers. All strains possess unique properties and the best way to preserve this is by keeping each strain in their own container.