Old Weeds – What Happens With Them? Should you smoke it

Have you ever wondered what happened to the weeds you found in an old ziplock bag hidden in the depths of your closet? Because the same. Before you grind and smoke that, read this article first to find out what goes on behind the scenes when your weeds get old.

Smoking or not smoking

Weeds do not technically decay like food. Smoking old weeds doesn’t poison you like drinking spoiled milk. Long story short, as long as it doesn’t go moldy, you can still smoke it. However, the effect is certainly not as good as a fresher weed. How long your weeds will stay well will depend on the storage method used. Airtight jars are the best choice to keep your weeds fresh for as long as possible. More information on proper weed storage can be found here.

Image retrieved from Leafly

One of two things could have happened to these old weeds – they either dried out or moisture crept in. If it’s dry and crumbly, you can try to get the most out of this weed by treating it with a moisture control pack such as Boveda. Alternatively, you can use a citrus peel such as orange or lemon. But be careful not to leave these with the weeds for more than a day or two, as it can get moldy very quickly. A dry person feels hard in the throat and does not make for a good smoking experience. However, you don’t want it to be wet either.

On the other hand, if your weeds feel spongy to the touch, smell them and break them apart to see if any buds are rotting. Bud rot is a type of mold that grows in the dense core of a cannabis bud. it spreads like an infection and breaks down your weeds. You should avoid smoking if it smells like powdery mildew or urine, or if there is white or black fluff on it. Smoking mold can have a variety of effects on your health, including nausea, severe coughs, and sometimes lung infections and death. Learn more about how to identify moldy weeds here.

Image retrieved from Merry Jane

Changes in the effects of weeds over time

Weeds also lose two things over time – their terpenes and their psychoactive potency. Terpenes evaporate in the air and are the first to go. Your once skunky, citric, fleshy pouch of weed hardly smells or not at all the older it gets. Smoking weed without terpenes is like drinking cheap, watered down orange juice – it’s not ideal, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

Image retrieved from EDMWEED

The next thing to decrease is potency. Weeds are filled with cannabinoids; The most notable one that will get you high is THC. THC is the first in the form of THCA in freshly harvested weeds that can’t get you high. When the buds are exposed to heat, light, and oxygen, the THCA converts to THC – a process known as decarboxylation. If you consume weed without heating it up, you won’t get high. However, when exposed to excessive light, heat, and oxygen over time, the THC converts to CBN, which is less psychoactive than THC (but more psychoactive than CBD). CBN has effects similar to CBD; In addition, it has powerful calming effects. As a result, when you smoke it you may feel very tired and relaxed, which may or may not be a good thing depending on the type of effect you are consuming weed for.

On the bright side …

It’s getting old, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing! Preliminary research on the therapeutic effects of CBN has increased, including helping sleep, relieving pain and inflammation, treating convulsive disorders, stimulating bone production, improving appetite, and much more, all of which you can read about here.

All in all, while not as ideal as eating fresh weed, you can get the most out of what you have by considering the differences in effects and using it appropriately. Just make sure the weeds aren’t moldy and you’re good to go!

What are you doing with the bag of old weeds you found? Let us know in the comments and follow us at follow @cannalifenet for more cannabis information!