One of the most obvious questions that comes up when you are activating cannabis to use for various products or to smoke or vape is “how long does cannabis stay fresh after decarb?” To help save time and money, people in our community want the best options for long term cannabis storage. As with most marijuana inquiries, there are many different opinions on how long you can store weed after decarboxylating before THC and CBD degrade/how long cannabis will stay potent after activation, but only the science provides reliable proof.
The results below show two different strains, one THC dominant and the other CBD, both decarbed in the NOVA and then stored in a plastic bag in a cool, dark drawer for a little under six months. Check out the results and let us know in the comments if they match your hypothesis or not!
THC
We decarbed some Sour Apple back in June, and tested a portion of it immediately after. Analysis of the remaining batch tested six months later in early January showed no significant loss of THC during the storage period. In fact, aside from a tiny amount of CBN (a degraded form of THC that can make you groggy/helps with sleep), the two samples are nearly identical with over 19% THC (190mg of THC per gram of cannabis).
Test Results
CBD
Lilly Hill was our strain of choice for a CBD test. After 6 months, we found mild CBD degradation - a reduction of about 30 mg per gram - from 18.5% CBD in the fresh sample (185 CBD mg per gram) to 15.84% CBD (158 mg CBD per gram) in the 6 month post-decarb sample. Despite this bit of loss, there is still significant CBD in the decarbed cannabis that was stored for 6 months.
The Best Way To Store Decarbed Weed: Our Conclusion
In summary, while we recommend consuming freshly decarbed cannabis, especially when it is so easy to decarb anytime or anywhere with Ardent's decarboxylators, these latest results indicate fresh doesn’t necessarily mean best. No more wondering in worry if weed goes bad - if stored in a cool, dry and dark place, decarbed cannabis can have a more than adequate shelf life. And just like flower, you can store decarboxylated kief as well!
You may be wondering, when do you need to decarboxylate weed and then store it for awhile? Since you'll need to decarb your flower before infusing, storing your decarbed flower makes infusions on the fly even easier. Simply decarb what you'll need for the next few infusions to have it at the ready for, well... anytime!
Let us know in the comments below if the results above are consistent with your experience, and what your favorite method is for planning out your cannabis prep and intake.
49 comments
decarbed all 2019 harvest after 12 weeks curing multiple strains all super
I love my Nova and think you really nailed the design and production of the device, but I especially love how you, as a company, spend significant resources investigating questions and issues around cannabis that we all have. This is great data to share with your users. Thanks!
Thanks for all this information based on science and practice.
Glass (air tight canning jars) will preserve both your decarbed and undecarbed cannabis longer and with less degradation than plastic (unless you vaccum pack in heavy duty bags). But it must be cured to a stable 50-60% humidity before storage in either type of container to prevent mold. We keep the jars in air tight containers in a cool, dark place. No notable signs of degradation. After 6 months we move the jars to a freezer where they are kept until used. Whenever we want to decarb we just take out a jar, let it thaw to room temp and then get to it. As far as freezing goes we prefer the glass jars because the trichomes get very brittle when frozen and if its in plastic it will be susceptible to degradation since the trichomes may get dislodged during handling if care isn’t taken to avoid that. In jars there isn’t that concern. Either way thaw until it reaches room temperature. If you remove it from the jar when its cold moisture may condense on the outside of your buds, making them wet (Yuk) and you may lose trichomes as well. Freezing seems to keep everything very stable. We’ve used material thats been frozen for two years and its still in great shape. Enjoy!
I had MCT oil that I infused sealed in a glass jar for over one year 13 months to be exact made brownies that everybody went bonkers over ? It was on the shelf not hidden but not in direct sunlight at room temperature . Flower would never last in my house over six months