Consider the money you spend on cannabis as an investment. Just like a car or an expensive piece of jewelry, your flower, edibles, or oils provide you with a value that you want to treat with care. Obviously the weed you buy isn’t nearly as expensive as a luxury item, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat it like one.

As the marijuana industry has grown in its ability to utilize cannabis in some amazing ways, so has the complexity of keeping these products fresh. Rather than sealing your weed in a zippered plastic bag and calling it good, users are getting more crafty with the ways they store their product. If you’re interested in learning about how to treat your marijuana right, continue reading this handy guide.

Keeping Flower Fresh

Depending on who you ask, some might say that storing your nugs is one of the most important items to pay attention to, while others place a higher emphasis on how they care for their edibles or tinctures. No matter which camp you fall into, your weed will last a lot longer with a little extra TLC.

Think of your weed as a living organism, one that will dry up and die if left in the sun for too long. More often than not, when you purchase your nugs they will be stored inside a well-sealed container. Sometimes these containers are opaque to keep light out while others focus more on the level of airtight protection they offer.

In general, you’ll want to keep your flower in a cool and dark place whenever possible, but refrigeration will actually work against you, so steer clear of the kitchen here. Items that can be sealed properly, like a mason jar, vacuum sealed bag, or even a zippered plastic bag are better than nothing at all. Feel free to keep your product in the packaging that it came in, as long as you have the option to open and reseal it with ease.

Some connoisseurs go the extra mile to purchase fancy equipment that creates airtight seals, and while that’s nice to have, it may not be necessary unless you’re in a distribution type of environment.

Storing Edibles Properly

Consuming marijuana by eating yummy treats is certainly a method that many prefer, yet for some reason the concept of storing edibles brings up unnecessary confusion. The combination of food and cannabis tends to cause people to pause and wonder how to treat it - do you store it in the pantry like a cookie or do you have to do something special instead?

While it’s important to remember that heat, light, and oxygen are all elements that will cause your cannabis to expire faster, storing an edible isn’t as complicated as you’d think. Items like hard candies or gummies can live on your kitchen shelf as long as they are in a sealed package. More sensitive treats like cookies, chocolates, or infused drinks will do better when refrigerated. Again, ensuring that these products are properly wrapped up is crucial to their longevity.

Above all else, manufacturers take the guesswork out for you by including a “best by” or “expiration” date on the packaging. In many cases, products are crafted to last several months or even up to a year, although you’ll find this varies based upon what you purchase. When in doubt, only buy enough edibles to last you for the next week or two, as stocking up might cause some of them to pass their prime.

Tinctures, Oils, And More

Those who prefer alternative methods to getting their cannabis fix may find that a range of products other than flower or edibles work best for them. Items like balms and salves, cooking oils, infused butters, and concentrated tinctures all serve their own purpose, yet require even more care when storing in order to maintain their potency.

Remember the guiding idea that light, oxygen, and heat will degrade cannabis faster than intended, so when possible use airtight and opaque containers to store these items. Thankfully, most upscale dispensaries like The Bakeréé already offer these items in the proper storage containers, so as long as you don’t transfer them into anything else you should be good to go.

When it comes to cooking oils or infused butters, you can opt to make larger batches at a time and freeze them for future use. Many home chefs like to make their cannabis butter and store it in ice cube trays for easy portioning, while smaller batches can be put into your fridge.

Product quality and storage conditions will always vary from home to home, but one item you can bet on is that of a tincture, which is said to have an indefinite shelf life assuming that it’s stored and packaged correctly.

Using Common Sense

 Cannabis compounds do tend to degrade at the same rate whether you’re dealing with flower, food, or other products, but it’s the addition of extra ingredients that can play a major role in how long your items will last. Manufacturing processes, original packaging components, and the full ingredient list will always determine just how long your items will stay fresh for.

When in doubt, employ your common sense if you come across some hidden weed or a long lost cookie before simply going for it. While flower can be smoked even if it’s past what many would consider its prime, extra caution must be used with ingested items. Much in the way you might get food poisoning by eating an old taco from under your couch, an expired cookie or gummy is a gamble you probably don’t want to take.

If you’re looking for high-quality flower, edibles, tinctures, and more, head over to The Bakeréé and visit with our experienced budtenders. They’ll be able to give you even more information about how to properly store your products for maximum freshness and the greatest benefits possible. After all, consuming cannabis has come a long way in the last few decades, so it’s smart to get your money’s worth by utilizing proper storage techniques.