Freezing Cannabis - Should You?

The way we normally store things such as foods, including fresh herbs, fruits, and vegetables to keep them fresh is to put them in the fridge or freezer. Well, cannabis is a plant as well, after all, so the idea of freezing it to maximize its shelf life doesn’t seem too far off, right? But is freezing marijuana really a good idea? And if it isn’t, why not? Let’s look at why you might want to think twice about whether you really want to freeze your weed.

Keeping your weed fresh and potent for a long time isn’t really too complicated if you just know some basics about storing it right. No worries, these things are straightforward and you can learn them easily.

THE BASICS OF STORING CANNABIS

Just like most foods and other perishables, cannabis likes it cool and dark after it is cured. Temperatures over 25 °C and a humid environment would greatly increase the risk of mould and mildew. And once mould takes a hold of your precious buds, it would ruin your harvest before you even know it.

On the other hand, keeping your buds too dry will not be good for them either. Dry heat will not just make your bud crumbly and dry, it will also negatively affect the aroma and will make for a harsh smoke.

The best temperatures for storing your weed would be between 10-15°C in a dark and moderately humid location with a relative humidity of 59-63%. You also want to protect your ganja from direct sun. This way you can store your weed for a very long time, and it will keep its aroma, taste, and effect.

FREEZING CANNABIS

There are still myths making the rounds about how freezing keeps your buds nice and firm, and how it helps slow its aging process. Let’s just make this short: Ignore this “advice” and do not freeze your weed. Because if freezing your cannabis does anything, it makes your weed much less potent over time and will make it lose its taste. Here is what freezing your pot does:

Even after you cured your weed and have properly stored it, preferably in glass jars with a lid, the decarboxylation process of your weed is still going on, although much slower. This is the process that slowly over time turns the non-psychoactive THC-A in marijuana into THC, which is the main psychoactive compound responsible for the high. In other words, as your cannabis sits, it slowly becomes more potent.

If you now put your cannabis in the freezer, this process basically comes to a halt, which means that your weed will come out less potent.
But the halt of the decarboxylation process isn’t all that’s happening to your weed in the freezer. The cold will also freeze the sensitive trichomes on your buds so that they fall off. The trichomes are these microscopic tiny “bubbles” on your weed that contain the majority of its active compounds. You obviously don’t want them to fall off as since this would greatly affect the quality of your weed.

There are only a few situations where you would want to freeze cannabis: for making ice-bubble hash, live resin, and other types of concentrates. In these situations, freezing would only be brief, and not a method of storage. In any other case, you should never freeze your cannabis. Bottom Line: Don’t put your weed in the freezer!

HOW NOT TO STORE YOUR WEED

• Fridge?

We have established that freezing is not what you want to do with your cannabis. What about putting it in the fridge instead? After all, this is where you’d put your food and other things such as CBD oils and medications to keep them from spoiling. Can you put weed in the fridge?

Putting your weed in the fridge is not much better than freezing it. There are a number of reasons for this: first, the humidity and the temperatures in a fridge are not always constant since fridgesa are often opened many times throughout a day. The fluctuations in humidity and temperatures can cause your buds to become mouldy. Secondly, even if you don't frequently open your fridge, chances are it will still be too humid or too dry as a standard.

• Plastic Bags?

What about putting your weed in bags? When you put cannabis in plastic bags there is a good chance that it will get crushed and crumbly. The buds, when packed in a bag, will also not have enough space to cure evenly. What’s worse, plastic bags will normally hold a static charge that will attract the trichomes from your weed. So every time you handle your weed and take it out, it will become weaker. For all these reasons, putting weed in bags for long-term storage is a pretty bad idea.

• Cardboard Box?

Some people say that storing weed in a cardboard box like a shoe box is a good idea. Let’s just say these folks don’t know a lot about storing weed right. Cardboard dries out your weed very fast, so it can’t cure properly. Cannabis likes to be cured slowly and evenly. If it dries too fast, such as when you put it in a box, you’ll end up with crumble weed that will have a terribly harsh taste.

THE BEST WAY TO STORE YOUR WEED

GLASS JARS (MASON JARS) FOR PERFECT WEED

The best way to keep your weed fresh for a long time to use airtight glass jars with a lid, also called mason jars. Yes, the same type of jars that your grandma uses for her pickles. These jars can provide your weed an optimal environment to cure properly for the best taste and potency. Jars will also keep your weed safe and fresh for months once the curing has finished.

The curing process of your weed requires that you occasionally allow it to “breathe” with the lid off to bring down humidity in the jar and replenish oxygen. This is followed by periods where you allow your weed to sit in the jar with the lid tightly closed. You’ll alternate the opening and closing of the jar for at least the first few weeks of curing. With mason jars, this will be very easy.

If you want to go really “pro” when curing your weed, you can also put a small hygrometer or humidity indicators in the jar together with your cannabis. This way you will always know when you should open the jar to “burp” your weed and when to have it closed for curing.

Once the curing process has come to a halt, you’ll be able to keep your weed fresh inside the jars without having to do anything special. You can just leave the lid on as long as you want. Just make sure you store your weed jar in a cool and dark place. This way, you can store your weed for many months.