Here at Green Goods, we spend a lot of time talking about the various effects of cannabis and the latest developments about its use. But there’s another important and very practical consideration that doesn’t get as much airtime, though it arguably should: Knowing how to keep cannabis fresh so that it maintains its peak flavor and potency.
Beyond this, there are other considerations to keep in mind when it comes to storing cannabis. One, of course, is safety: It’s crucial to keep cannabis products away from children or anyone else who shouldn’t have access to them. Beyond this, different types of cannabis products require different storage strategies in order to keep them at their best.
If this sounds like a lot to digest, relax. In this post, we’ll share some simple, low-cost, and effective tips on how to preserve cannabis.
Are you ready? Let’s dive in!
Keeping Cannabis Safely Stored
We’ll begin with safety considerations. While some products such as the anti-seizure medication Epidiolex—which uses the non-intoxicating power of CBD to help quell the symptoms of epilepsy—are approved for pediatric use, it’s important to ensure that cannabis products are kept safely out of reach of youngsters. And while you may keep your over-the-counter medications in your medicine cabinet, if you have children in your home, this isn’t the safest location for your cannabis meds.
While children generally know not to ingest things like capsules, tinctures, or vape cartridges, these medicines can look pretty interesting to a young detective. To protect against accidental ingestion, make sure to store your cannabis where it’s out of reach of children. A small lockbox or another type of enclosed box can be placed on a high shelf to ensure little ones can’t access anything they shouldn’t.
Because some of them resemble common candies and treats, cannabis edibles such as mints, cookies, or gummies can be especially tempting to kids. Again, keeping these items locked away, inaccessible, and away from other similar-seeming edibles can save you and your child from potentially dangerous situations.
On that note: While it’s considered next to impossible to suffer a fatal cannabis overdose—a mysterious case from 2019 aside—having too much, especially if you’re not expecting a strong psychoactive experience, can be a frightening and potentially traumatizing experience for little ones.
How to Keep Cannabis Fresh: Avoiding Its Natural Enemies
With that important safety message out of the way, let’s talk about freshness and potency concerns. As you may already know, cannabinoids such as THC and CBD are considered the major “active ingredients” in cannabis, and they’re associated with a large number of health benefits. In addition to providing the majority of the cannabis plant’s psychoactivity, THC helps modulate our experience of pain, and it functions as a natural anti-inflammatory, too.
Over time, THC eventually degrades into CBN. And while CBN is a fascinating and medically useful cannabinoid on its own, it’s our goal (and likely yours) to keep your cannabis potent for as long as possible.
We haven’t mentioned the terpenes yet. A large family of aromatic oils, they lend different strains of cannabis their characteristic scent profiles, and lend potentially impactful therapeutic benefits as well. That’s why, depending on the type of cannabis products you’re storing, you’ll want to keep your medicine safe from the following elements:
- Heat: While heat transforms the inactive THCa in cannabis flower into THC, it’s not something your cannabis should be subjected to until it’s time to enjoy it. Moreover, heat can cause vape cartridges, oils, tinctures, and flower to lose potency and it can cause soft gels and other capsules to lose their shape or degrade.
- Humidity: Humidity can cause mold or mildew to grow on flower and can soften the coating on soft gels and other capsules.
- Sunlight: Just as sunlight can make olive oil go bad sooner by causing it to degrade, it can also shorten the lifespan of your cannabis products, particularly flower, vapes, tinctures, and oils.
Best Way to Store Cannabis: Storage Strategies for Freshness
As we hinted a moment ago, it’s important to choose appropriate storage containers for specific kinds of cannabis products. Let’s take a guided tour of some of the most common:
Storing Fresh Cannabis Flower
Flower is best stored in airtight glass or metal containers. This can help contain the aroma while blocking out any humidity. Metal containers have the added benefit of blocking light. Keep your flower in a dark, dry spot—i.e. not your bathroom. The kitchen—which tends to get hotter when you’re cooking—also isn’t the best spot. Skip plastic baggies, and if possible, plastic altogether. The plastic can take on the aroma of your flower rather than reduce it, and it provides a poor shield against the elements.
How to Store Vape Cartridges
Store vape cartridges upright. If you keep your original packaging, you can easily store your cartridges upright in a small box. Keep your vape cartridges in a dark spot and away from heat.
Keeping Tinctures & Oils Fresh
Most tinctures come in dark glass or plastic containers. Some oils, on the other hand, come in clear containers or syringes. Store your tinctures and oils upright in a manner that reduces the amount of light they come in contact with and keeps them away from heat.
Storage for Capsules and Soft Gels
If kids don’t visit your home or apartment, keeping your capsules and soft gels with your other medications should be fine. If your medications come in a see-through container, however, consider placing them in a dark spot to protect them from sunlight.
How to Preserve Cannabis: Accessibility Concerns
While we’ve focused on the importance of keeping cannabis out of reach and stored in safe containers, there are other considerations. One potentially important one is whether or not you’re able to access your cannabis medicine. If you have trouble twisting open jars because of arthritis, for instance, it may be best to find secure flip-top jars so that you can comfortably access your medicine when you need it most.
Explore the Freshest Green with Green Goods
Whether you love cannabis for its proven medical benefits or as a relaxing, all-natural way to kick back with friends and family, we want to help you keep your green…well, green! We sincerely hope that today’s post has given you some simple but effective tools to help you know how to preserve cannabis for maximum freshness, flavor, and potency.
Speaking of which, if you’re curious about the best and most exciting cannabis products available in the great states of Maryland or Minnesota, the nearest Green Goods location is only a click away! We carry stash boxes to keep your cannabis safe and fresh, along with all the other gear you’ll need to enjoy it.
If you have any other questions about how to keep marijuana fresh—or any other cannabis-related topics—just ask! We’re always here to help.
