Before we even get started we need to decide what ‘goes bad’ means. If you mean in a sense like groceries expiring the answer is not usually, but maybe – kind of. I know, that’s the worst answer ever, but give me some time to elaborate and you’ll see what I mean (it mostly boils down to mold).
On the other hand, if you mean ‘goes bad’ as in loses favorable characteristics, the simple answer is yes.
This topic has a lot of parts so this turned out to be a lengthy article. If you’re looking for something specific you can use the links below to jump around the article. But, if you’ve got a few extra minutes to spare you should read the whole thing.
How Long Until Weed Goes Bad? A Year? A Month?
Bud/Flower
Wax/Concentrates
Tincture
Edibles – Cookies/Brownies
Seeds
Mold on Weed
Will You Get Sick?
Factors that Keep Your Weed Fresh
Temperature – Cold/Heat
Light
Moisture / Humidity Level
What Container Makes Weed Last Longest?
Pill Bottle
Jar
Bag
Vacuum Seal
How Long Will Weed Last in a Joint or Blunt?
Final Thoughts
Make sure to tell me your thoughts in the comment section at the end.
[ps2id id=’How Long Until Weed Goes Bad A Year A Month’ target=”/]How Long Until Weed Goes Bad? A Year? A Month?
The answer for exactly how fast cannabis loses its potency is really subjective. I’m going to do my best to break down some variables for different types of cannabis consumables, but I just can’t give you exact times for everything.
[ps2id id=’Bud Flower’ target=”/]Bud/Flower
Okay, let’s talk about THC. It will degrade, but it’s really slow. As it would appear it may never fully break down. A 2,700-year-old stash was discovered in the Gobi desert and it still tested positive for THC. So, you can probably get high on weed that’s pretty old.
Now, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a pleasant smoke. Much of the plant material is going to be over-dried and stale. The terpenes that give it such a great taste will have broken down, so the taste and smell will no longer be what it once was. The amount of time this starts happening dramatically changes based on how it’s stored. I discuss storage in depth later.
[ps2id id=’Wax Concentrates’ target=”/]Wax/Concentrates
This is one category I have a more definitive answer on, but I can’t tell you exactly why it’s that way. For concentrates, I suggest no longer than a year (if stored properly).
My reasoning for this is simple. When I go to a dispensary and get concentrates they sometimes have an expiration date on the package. The date is always around year from when I bought it.
You can see in the photo above the shatter has an expiration date of May 2017.
It’s probably fine for longer, but let’s be honest – do you really need to store concentrates for longer than a year?
[ps2id id=’Tincture’ target=”/]Tincture
This is going to depend largely on the substance used to make the tincture. If it’s a pure alcohol base then it should keep for years if stored properly. There are so many substances used to make tincture there’s no way I could comment on all of them. If you’re interested in the shelf life of tincture then just look up the shelf life of what was used to make it.
[ps2id id=’Edibles Cookies Brownies’ target=”/]Edibles – Cookies/Brownies
With edibles, the food itself will almost always go bad before the THC has enough time to degrade much. If you’re taking edibles then you should use whatever the expiration date is for the type of food it is. If purchased from a dispensary, the edibles should have a printed expiration date on the packaging.
The photo above is the label for a chocolate based edible. It’s good for 6 months. Each edible is going to have different amounts of time. Baked goods will typically expire sooner.
[ps2id id=’Seeds’ target=”/]Seeds
Seeds do go bad over time, and you’ll see less and less seeds sprout as the years pass. This doesn’t mean an old seed doesn’t have any chance of sprouting. Like everything else, if you store it properly then it’s going to last much longer. Don’t worry, I’m almost to the part where I actually tell you how to store it – but not quite yet. First, I gotta talk about mold.
[ps2id id=’Mold on Weed’ target=”/]Mold on Weed
Remember, when I told you that weed typically doesn’t expire in a way that makes you sick? Well, here’s the exception. Like pretty much any herb or food, if left in certain conditions your weed will develop mold. If you notice mold on your bud do not smoke it. That’s not how penicillin works.
Typically the mold is white, however, you’ll see mold come in a variety of colors. Look for a blotchy fuzz that doesn’t belong to the weed. Of course, if you’ve smelled mold before then you’ll typically be able to tell just by the smell.
[ps2id id=’Will You Get Sick’ target=”/]Will You Get Sick?
Most likely you will not, but since every mold is different I couldn’t say for sure. If you think it may be a problem give the poison control center a call. You can tell them it was a moldy cigarette if you don’t want to admit to smoking weed.
[ps2id id=’Factors that Keep Your Weed Fresh’ target=”/]Factors that Keep Your Weed Fresh
I’ll briefly go over some of the major factors that’ll affect the freshness of your weed. Once we talk about these factors I can break down which containers help mitigate said factors. Cool?
[ps2id id=’Temperature Cold Heat’ target=”/]Temperature – Cold/Heat
Try to keep your cannabis in a cool (not cold) environment. Keep it at less than 75-degree fahrenheit. Much higher and it’s a too good of an environment for mold. Beyond that, the heat would cause your cannabis to excessively dry out, and become brittle and harsh to smoke.
[ps2id id=’Light’ target=”/]Light
Light will degrade your cannabis. Avoid exposing your bud to light when storing for longer periods of time.
[ps2id id=’Moisture Humidity Level’ target=”/]Moisture / Humidity Level
If there is too much moisture it can cause mold and mildew. If there is not enough humidity it can dry out your cannabis. The magic number has been said to be 55%-62%. Of course, most people don’t have a way to measure humidity like that.
The best way it to keep it in an airtight container so the outside moisture and humidity don’t affect your cannabis a much. In fact, since I brought it up – let’s talk about containers.
[ps2id id=’What Container Makes Weed Last Longest’ target=”/]What Container Makes Weed Last Longest?
I’m going to give you my quick #1 recommendation at risk of spoiling all the suspense I’ve been building. I recommend going with an opaque jar with an airtight lid – something like this. Put that in a nice cool area and you should be good to go for storing your bid for a while.
With that said, I’ll break down the usefulness of some other common containers.
[ps2id id=’Pill Bottle’ target=”/]Pill Bottle
Pill bottles are a popular choice, and they could be a good choice for smaller amounts. Here’s the thing, though, if you have a small amount then you probably aren’t trying to store it for that long so it really doesn’t matter. If for some reason you need to keep a small amount for an extended period of time then an opaque pill bottle may be all you need.
Of course, be sure to clean it out very thoroughly, and I recommend removing any previous prescription information if applicable.
[ps2id id=’Jar’ target=”/]Jar
As stated, a good jar is the way to go. Mason jars are nice because they’re cheap and easily available, but they don’t help with the light situation. If you use a clear mason jar keep it in a dark spot or find a way to cover your jar.
Also, make sure the jar has an airtight lid. Most mason jars are good to go, but double check. If air can get in and out it’s not going to be ideal for storage.
[ps2id id=’Bag’ target=”/]Bag
Ahhh, the old baggie. A timeless favorite of smokers for decades. A bag is probably the worst thing you could use for long term storage. They typically aren’t completely airtight and they’re usually clear.
Now, do not let this bother you if you carry your small amount in a plastic bag. If it’s getting smokes in the next few weeks it’s really not going to make a huge difference. If, however, you’re storing for months or longer I would avoid a bag.
[ps2id id=’Vacuum Seal’ target=”/]Vacuum Seal
Using a vacuum seal machine is another popular option. This is because it’s completely air tight. No air inside the bad, and no air getting in or out.
I do not like vacuum seals, and here’s why. It compresses everything together. What was once a beautiful nug is now a smashed up lump of weed. It works, but it’s kinda a downer whenever I get weed that’s been vacuum sealed.
Also, most vacuum seal bags are clear so make sure to keep it away from light.
[ps2id id=’How Long Will Weed Last in a Joint or Blunt’ target=”/]How Long Will Weed Last in a Joint or Blunt?
This question seems a bit odd to me, but it’s one that has come up a few times so I thought I would discuss it briefly. We’ve already stated that the THC won’t completely degrade for some time (if ever), but the joint or blunt itself is going to get really stale after a few days. You could prolong this by storing the joint in an airtight container. A doob tube works great for short term storage. Honestly, just don’t roll it up unless you plan to smoke it within a day or two.
[ps2id id=’Final Thoughts’ target=”/]Final Thoughts
This really isn’t a problem that should plague most cannabis users. Most of us are just buying enough to get through a few day or weeks. It’s not often a smoker is buying a supply for months at a time, but I’m sure it happens.
Have you ever smoked some really old weed? Tell me about it in the comment section below.
I once smoked 7 year old nugs that my parents brought home from their vacation years ago…it wasn’t until this year when I started smoking that they revealed their stoner habits and pulled out this DANK (but very old) stash. got sufficiently high and giggly from it! 🙂
Nice! First hand stories are the best. Cheers 🙂
Several years ago I found a roach in my jewelry box that was probably from the late seventies. Out of curiosity, I lit it (in a pipe). I don’t remember if the taste was off, but a couple of us had a nice high. I remember I used to get some really good weed back then. It had been a good twenty years since the last time I lit up. THC does hang!
Remember back then a good ounce of Columbian Gold cost between$10-$15: those were the days
MY first OZ was $10, then the guy doubled the price the next week & Kept doubling it up to $100 but it was that awesome skunk bud from the 1980’s in Dallas TX region, today I want to smoke I go for a drive then find a creek & hike, I don’t stop until I smell the skunk 🙂 There are billions of Wild Weed Plants within 200 Miles of Dallas, they went as far as the trinity carried them during a flooding rain, just be careful the pigs find it and watch the patches to bust the ones that show up with a Uhaul to carry it all off, will generally have a small duffel bag with waded up paper in it to make it loo full and when i come out it is full can take 6 to 16 hours to find but the nose knows.
I smoked 6 month old dro that was vacuum sealed and buried. better than fresh weed in my opinion
yeah, smothering and darkening it seems to intensify the thc as if the molecules heat up and fight each other growing each others strength from the two opposing forcesover each other.
When my brother came back from living in Hawaii, he had to put his stuff in storage for about six months until he found a perm place to live. I was helping him move into his place with some other friends when a paper bag fell out of the bottom of his couch. I picked it up and opened it, and there was a really fine ounce of some pretty purple flowers inside the paper back. I rolled it back up and walked over to the moving truck, got up in it, and said “Hey dude, something fell out of your couch” and tossed it to him.
He opened the bag and got the biggest grin. It was an ounce he had purchased, had shoved into the crack of the couch when the landlord came by right after he got home, then some other dudes came over and when he went to look for it, he couldn’t find it. He thought one of the dudes had found it and had taken it, so he had just shrugged and went and got another.
So, after we finished moving him in, he tells his friends that he’s not buying beer after all, he’s got some thing much better – REAL BLUE HAWAIIAN. Everyone fell out.
It was only after we were all well and tuned that he told us the stuff was two and a half years old, Not bad at all, and he kept the seeds and grew a plant or two at a time for several years, until he met that tight assed bitch he married and started hanging with Jesus.
Bro was military, and I remember him saying “If I had known that was still in there, I would have had a month long heart attach waiting for the MPs to show up.”
Great story! Some good ol 2 and half your old couch weed – I love it!
My buddy was doing some electrical work in the attic, of a member, of the most popular outlaw biker gang. He found some Thai sticks near the crawl hole. And carfully smuggled them out. He had balls. He was also hitting on the dudes old lady. What a knucklehead. The thai sticks must have been super old. They looked beautiful,
Colorful buds wrapped around a wooden stick and tied with a thread. When I saw them I got exited. But as I checked them out there was no aroma. Just smelled like attic dust.
And hard as a rock. We tried to smoke it anyway. It was harsh and un-enjoyable. It was like fake cardboard weed. I guess storing it unwrapped in the attic is not the best idea.
I have a nug of ny late mother and i still have her bong but i lt was some haze from 96 it was good still it was in one of her purses it about an 1/8
Dude , WHAT?!?
Found an old carrdboard box. with buds (wohockein sic) round 10 years old it taste like old leather &small little buzzz also found a vail of oil same age . Twas premo guess the sealed bottle kept it fresh.
Yeah, I would imagine the cardboard would draw out the moisture making it extra dry.
My dad had a nug in a glass jar in our wood shop that had to be from the 70’s. It dissapeared when I was a freshman in high school about 8 years ago but from 7th-8th grade I would break off a little piece for a hit. It was the first bud i ever smoked, needless to say it was terrible lol
I was cleaning out my room, as I was moving out of my parent’s place, so I went to the closet to grab everything, and then remembered I had a stash of a bunch of weapons (knives and a pistol) as well as all my old bud related stuff, So I figured I would take a look down there, as it had been buried by various boxes, and I never got around to accessing it. This area had been sealed up for 4 years. I opened it up and to my surprise found two oz’s of some Blueberry Kush, sealed in le’ old pill bottle (Which still had my Ritalin dosage and stuff written on it :P), as well as a few pipes, and a 2L bottle water bong that I made in 8th grade, + some knives and my old pistol that never actually worked. I smoked up on the porch of my new home.
Good times.
I have the problem of 4getting where I stashed my weed! No biggie tho, I’m happy when I don’t have the money 2 buy & come across an ounce I’d stashed …
I used to have that same problem! I was looking for some weed I lost one time – I didn’t find the weed I was looking for, but I found two other bags I had lost 🙂
I LUV your website btw
Thanks! You’re too kind 🙂
Found two nugs that have been flattened under a box of heavy things in my car trunk for 2 years, tasted like shit made me real high
back in the early 90’s i was in high school and played baseball. needless to say everyday after practice my friends and i would smoke out in the woods behind the field. my son is getting at the age where he plays baseball so i pulled down my old bag out of the attic and it a jar wrapped up in my glove was an old jar with about an ounce. so my wife and i pulled out the old pipe and started smoking. the weed was a little dry but it sure did get me really high and didnt taste all the bad just burnt faster that usual.
I like weed nice
To get down from a big high, drink Gatorade! It will get you to where you can function on a much better level faster than anything else.
Something in it changes the whole experience. It also kills or subdues the munchies urge known to many of us.
Dick
Good tip to know about the Gatorade! I’ll definitely try that! Love to smoke every night but hate getting the munchies 🙁
Question: for storage of several months or even a year, can bud be stored in your freezer?
I wouldn’t store bud in the freezer unless you’re making bubble hash. The coldness freezes the trichomes and may make them fall off the bud. Just get it in something airtight and opaque.
Hi Mary Jane, I want to respectfully disagree with you writing that weed should not be frozen. As a chemist I can state with authority that storing chemicals at below freezing can extend the shelf life of semi-volatile chemicals (such as terpenes) from weeks to years and often decades. This can be particularly helpful if you grow your own marijuana (I live in California and can do so legally) and have a bountiful harvest. My last harvest was large enough to likely last me ten years, so storing the weed in an air tight jar in my light free freezer is a perfect way to keep the harvest in good shape as I gradually smoke my way through it. Freezing weed is the only way to ensure that it will maintain its original well-rounded chemical composition for many years. Plus, if any of the trichomes fall off, then I will have a wonderful time smoking it when my harvest is used up! It is a win/win!
I have never held a particular quantity of weed long enough for degradation to become a concern…. Would love to know what it feels like to have such a supply that proper storage is actually an issue.
Personally, its very dry around here, so I need to order in larger quantities because it may be months before i can find anyone to sell to me again! its crazy, five years ago you could ask anyone and theyd know someone easy, but now…i’ve asked all my toker friends and its the same for them– it sucks, i’m in canada even! i mean, the economy is down.. really down.. 🙁 thankfully i have now been granted a prescription, but i suppose that can also dry up….im kinda used to dry weed but im currently trying out some airtight camping containers 🙂
I put mine in ziplock bag. I try to get as much air out as I can and then put the bag inside an opaque supplement bottle. I then put that bottle inside a small Pringles can so that I can ensure that no light gets in there. Since I don’t smoke that much I am usually storing small amounts. I have kept an oz in there for a year and it was still good.
Had this little spot next to the river where we would smoke and there was a crack in the concrete where we would stash and each time we would come back there would be more someone else used the same spot over like 3 years we got maybe 12-13 oz free it was lit
love the articles. Really interesting. I learned alot just from reading a couple of articles. Keep up the work.
We go to Colorado from Texas once a year and I buy enough for a year and store in an opaque plastic bag with a zip lock supposedly made for the purpose of storing. It also locks in the smell. At the end of the year, remainder is not as fresh, but still tastes good and kicks a**.
I just ran out of my Girl Scout cookies eighth. I won’t hook up with my guy till Wednesday this week. Oh no where do I grab some hold me over. Got a half of seeds and stems tiny buds herb. Old school dirt weed. The best I can equate it to is this rott gut whiskey compared to Jameson or Crown royal. Rott gut will get the job done but you won’t enjoy the journey. Stoned is not always stoned!!!
I once stashed a few grams of cheese when it came through town, then forgot about it after I smoked the rest of it. Found it like 2 years later and it was dandy. It was a little dry but so was I haha.
In 1973 I drove 20 pounds of weed from Santa Barbara to Detroit. When I got there, there was only 19 in my hidden storage area of my car. Could not figure what the heck happened.
Cut to 30 years later, my dad showed me a brick of weed he found in his basement. For the heck of it we fired up a joint. Big mistake. I think smoking a dog turd would have been better. Oh well. We gave it a shot.
I wanted to “try” Mary Jane when I was 16, in 1969. Went to the local college to try and find some, since all the hippies were there. First guy I saw with long hair I asked where could I find some weed. I told him I heard about it on tv and wanted to try some. He invited me to have a seat in his new 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner. He pulled out a cool brass pipe, lit it up, took a big toke and passed it to me. Jim Hendrix Purple Haze was playing on the radio. Awesome buzz, made a best friend who became my husband 3 years later. He gave me a few buds that night and I saved one as a “souvenir” of my first time smoking. Put it in a little trinket box and put it in an old purse. Long story short, we were married until his death 26 years later. I joined the Army at age 25 and never smoked again until after I retired 30 years later. I was going thru boxes of old memorabilia about 3 years ago and saw that small purse. I opened it and there in a little zipper pocket was that trinket box. Needless to say I opened it, took out the bud and smoked it in my trusty old brass pipe while listening to Jimi Hendrix tunes. 2nd best High of my life, not to mention that wonderful memory of my first time and meeting the love of my life at the same time. Couldn’t have gotten any better.
Sincerely…..Thank you for sharing
wow. what an awesome story.
What a great story. love & blessings
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SITE! TY for all the time and effort you put into this site.
I always grow my own in my backyard. This year I got just over a pound of neatly trimmed bud which should last me at least a year for my own personal consumption (and a little bit of sharing with close personal friends and family).
This is the main reason I read the article on how to store weed for extended periods of time.
I have always and I guess I will continue to store my surplus in vacuum seal bags.
My supply normally extends out for about a year from one harvest to the next.
I guess the buds do get smushed up a bit but a year later they have the same great taste and potency as when I first stored them.
And BTW mason jars are available and a blue tinted glass which works very well for medium term storage.
Some friends and I went to Vegas and my buddy grabs this film container. You know those little black holders for cameras rolls of film. He said it had been in there about six months. Made me so sick I had to stay in the hotel while they all went out. Sucked, was my first and only trip to Vegas, ruined.
So what I do is just get a zip an put it as airtight as possible in an old phone box inside a shoe box inside a suitcase inside my closet
cool site love the stories have one my own will reply when i get it all together.
Vacuum sealers:
There is an accessory that hooks up to the vacuum unit that fits over the mouth of glass canning jars. The nugs can be placed in the jars, the lids heated in hot water, dabbed dry, placed on jars, and the air can be extracted without harming the contents. Keep in dark cool place. Also mitigates straying aromas.
How about in the refrigerator?
I brought home a good amount of herb from college (a very generous ounce grown by my friend’s dad at the time) and broke it up into roughly eighths & stashes them all around my old bedroom at my mom’s old place. I found one literally YEARS later while de-installing the sliding doors on my old bedroom closet, taped to the inside of one of the doors. Kept airtight & in the dark it was maybe a little crispy & tired tasting but it absolutely got the job done, lol!
weed id say lasts tasty and potent about one year or so then tastes yuk.cure then seal in air tight mason jars in dark semi cool place.dark no extra air then its ok
I have a option for vacuum sealing your buds and I can tell you for a fact it works . Being that I have smoked about 50 yrs now . Started in Nam . I found out that if you put your buds in a cardboard tube ( a thick one )and then seal it by vacuuming out the air it will stay close to how you put it away . All you need to do after opening it up is to put it in a humidor to add a little moisture . And then you have your stach is close to how you put it away . Did it to some skunk and it still smelled good with little or no lose of potency . It was stored in a safe for 18 months After 50 yrs. I know how to do it .
My man is a maintenance manager at an apt complex. He was clearing out a unit and found about 2 grams of bud (the apt unit was vacated by a person we know. I’m not a hype like that…..who’d smoke anything.) Anyway, the bud had been stored in a plastic bag and hid in a top cabinet way in the back for 3 years according to our friend. It smelled like $hit, was dry as hell and crumbly. I’m not psychotic enough to throw it out (it’s still weed) so I made a tincture. Well lemmy tell u, it was on point. Tasted like $hit but gave a nice mellow high. Finders keepers.
I currently just bought a half ounce and don’t smoke regularly but when I do I usually micro dose. Benificial to the consumption of the weed but I need to keep it good for about 5 years. I’m going the freezer route.
In 1965 we moved from Los Angeles to New York where I had a job with the publisher Grosset and Dunlap. It was like moving to a foreign country in those days. Can you believe there was no place to buy Mexican food in New York City in those days? So, In 1972 we returned to Los Angeles to a house away up on the hill in Pacific Palisades. We had a killer view from the dodger stadium to the Queen Mary, Palos Verdes and Malibu. We paid 90,000 and thought we would never make any money on the house. It is now listed on Zillow for $5.4 Million Dollars. We had a party that New Years to see all our old LA friends. The next day we were cleaning up after the party and found about a dozen paper bags of pot that had been bought as gifts. We did not smoke in those days, so we put it up in a cabinet over the stove and forgot about it. Fast forward 12 years and we were remodeling. The workers were tearing up the kitchen when they found the pot. It was totally disintegrated. I doubt it had any THC left but we gave it to the workers and they seemed to like it.
My fiancé and I go through about an once a week. Lol
I had a gf visit for Pride, she wa