Whether you’re smoking boof, rolling up, or ripping a bong, without proper storage, you’re wasting your weed. You’re wasting money, too. Exposure to oxygen, sunlight, and heat are all factors that will degrade the flavor and freshness of your flower. It’s not your fault, though—a mix of underground information, misleading myths, and cannabis’ enduring stigma make it tricky to get to the bottom of the best ways to store weed. Let’s start by clarifying some of those don’ts before getting to the best do’s when it comes to proper cannabis storage.
Lose the plastic bud baggies
Plastic sucks as a storage option. Its static charge can fry succulent trichomes (the beautiful little hairs), so immediately remove any flower in plastic bags or containers. That includes those childproof containers sold at most dispensaries. Unless your storage time is measured in days, you’re subject to the same issues we’re looking to avoid. They’ll surely do in a pinch, but think of these as good travel packs rather than long-term solutions.
Don’t put weed in the fridge
Don’t store flower in a refrigerator or freezer. The former’s temperature and humidity fluctuate too often and the latter will create brittle trichomes that fall off at first touch. Unless you’re making ice water or dry ice hash, keep the cold away. And whatever you heard in the dorms about keeping a chunk of orange peel in your stash to keep it fluffy—that’s a quick way to mold your weed. It’s not necessary if you’re using an airtight container.
Use paper in a pinch
Reach for a clean napkin, sheet of paper, or paper towel you can find. Before wrapping your nugs, you can soften the paper by scrunching it up (it will make folding an envelope-shape easier). Paper protects against odor as well as plastic or cling wrap without destroying your bud. At least until you’ve got something more ideal for the long term in hand.
Stock up on good ol’ glass
There’s no better container for cannabis than glass. It’s not static like plastic, won’t affect the taste like metal containers tend to, allows for an airtight seal to protect against oxidization, and is easy to clean. But clear glass is no good—light speeds up the THC’s (the high) degradation into CBN (that sleepy feeling), leaving you with weed that’s only good for one thing: couch lock. Combat this by wrapping your glass in a towel or storing it in a dark place.
Check out weed storage brands
Glass is great, but companies are coming up with other airtight, easy-to-clean options. Look to travel container companies like Cadence, which sells small, magnetic containers that perfect for stacking and organizing. Stori’s offers a color-coded system for housing both joints and whole buds. Forti Goods makes lockable furniture to keep cannabis products out of the wrong hands. Most any material is available at this point in the game, for any kind of cannabis consumer—this ceramic jar by Rose Los Angeles is a useful non-twist option for arthritic hands.
Use parchment to prevent damage
If your idea of long-term storage is still Tupperware, let’s at least lessen the damage. Grab that same kind of parchment paper popular for concentrates and softly wrap your bud before placing it inside. You’ll then have a built-in surface for breaking apart nugs or rolling joints.
Wrap it in foil in the short term
Aluminum wrap protects from light, heat, and air, making it a fantastic option if you’re planning to only open it once a la restaurant leftovers. If babied and left untouched, it will last for weeks. But if it’s handled too often the foil can bunch up and scrape off trichomes.
Use a humidor
Cigars are often stored in over 70% humidity. Cannabis doesn’t need this level of moisture. Its happiest around 50% to 65%—industry leader Boveda likes 63%. Sadly, this means your humidor must choose between tobacco and marijuana. We recommend making the best blunts ever from the cigars you kick out into a box on a counter.
Spring for humidity packets
Then there are humidity packets, which are meant to be stored with cannabis nugs long-term. Inside any airtight container, these devices keep a steady humidity of around 62%. Cheaper than a humidor, sure, but not as versatile. Still, it’s a simple way to store a big jar of weed for a long time. Full Story