How Long is Cannabis Flower Good (Does it Expire)?

Cannabis flower is the part of the cannabis plant used for recreational use and to assist relief for some medical conditions. While cannabis will not necessarily break the bank, the last thing you want to do is buy it, and it expires before use. Knowing the life span of the cannabis flower and the proper storage conditions can help preserve your plant for as long as possible.

Unfortunately, the cannabis flower does not last forever. Although it might not last forever, it can last for a long time, from six months to two years, when stored in proper conditions. The perfect storage condition for storing cannabis flowers is at temperatures between 65 degrees and 74 degrees. Do not store your cannabis flower at any temperature less than 55 degrees. If stored at any temperature above 65 degrees, you are at risk of mold and mildew developing on your cannabis flower.

Best Ways to Store Cannabis Flowers

Storing cannabis flowers at room temperature is not recommended. Keeping cannabis flower at room temperature for one year will decrease your THC percentage by 7% and, by two years, you will have lost up to 27 percent of THC from your flower. Assuming you want to keep potency as evident as possible, storing at room temperature is not ideal unless you intend to consume rather quickly. 

Avoid keeping cannabis flowers in the sun. If kept out in the sun, cannabis flower becomes degraded similarly to how grass turns brown on sunny days your cannabis will dry out and lose its color. Crunchy, dried-out, and brittle cannabis is a quick way to launch your cannabis flower directly into uselessness.

Cannabis Storage Containers

The best way to store your cannabis flower is in an air-tight storage container. Excellent storage containers for holding your cannabis are glass jars, think mason jars. Plastic storage containers are not recommended since they can cause cannabis flowers to sweat moisture.

An even better option than an air-tight glass mason jar is a blacked-out, air-tight mason jar. By blacking out the glass, you are stopping UV rays from degrading your cannabis flower and drying it out. You can black out a mason jar using black construction paper or spray painting with black or black chalk paint. If opting to paint the mason jar, ensure you give it time to dry out before housing the cannabis flower.

For the freshest weed, you will want to add humidity packs to your storage containers. Humidity packs are small packets that contain a mixture of salt and water that you place in the container with your weed to help maintain the proper temperature and humidity levels.

Places to NOT Store Cannabis Flower

You should never store your cannabis in a freezer. Unlike fruits, cannabis does not stay fresh in the freezer. The reason? The freezer is opened a few times each day, allowing light and other external elements to degrade your cannabis flower. The refrigerator is not the best option either because the constant change in temperatures and humidity can degrade your cannabis flower.

Tobacco and cigar humidors are a no-go for storing cannabis. There is a chance of over saturating your cannabis with the propylene glycol that is pumped out regularly of tobacco humidors. Tobacco and cigar humidors are commonly made with cedar wood which can emit oils that alter the taste of weed.

How Long is Cannabis Flower Good? – Conclusion

Cannabis flowers in the proper conditions can last you six months up to two years. Being a cannabis user means you must do your research on not only types of cannabis, what they can do for you, and the other fun or exciting things. You must also educate yourself on the “boring” facts like cannabis storage and shelf life.