prop said:

just wondering if weed gets stronger as it ages. i have some in mason jars that are 2 years old . they are turning brown and the tricomes look like they very amber colored.

Click to expand...

In most cases, marijuana maintains its peak potency for 6 months to a year. Research shows that, on average:

• Weed loses about 16% of its THC after one year
• Weed loses about 26% of its THC after 2 years
• Weed loses about 34% of its THC after 3 years
• Weed loses about 41% of its THC after 4 years

CannaSol, for example, developed vintages of their Alice in Wonderland strain—aged up to 2 years—to be processed into vape cartridges. The processing was done by Pearl Extracts in Seattle using supercritical CO2 extraction. Interestingly, lab reports for the Alice in Wonderland vintages indicated that the oldest cannabis actually had the most terpenes. This defies conventional wisdom about cannabis terpenes degrading over time, but it demonstrates how cannabis can transform in unique ways over time depending on the strain, the growing conditions, and other factors. In addition, the aged cannabis had much higher concentrations of cannabinol (CBN), which may be the biggest benefit of aging weed. It’s important to note that when we talk about aging cannabis, we’re not talking about the curing process, during which fresh cannabis is aged for a brief time to ensure the optimal quality and moisture content. This process definitely results in better cannabis, but it only lasts 2 to 4 weeks—hardly enough to get a good vintage.

I prefer Fresh weed. When it is dry, its ready to smoke. And I store it in Vacuum Sealed, with Silicon Seals vs Rubber. Put in Mason Jars, and put them in the Refrigerator, or the Freezer. Depends on how much I have.
Or Vacuum Sealed Freezer Bags.

is it better to store it in the freezer? i have it in mason jars with humidi packs

prop said:

is it better to store it in the freezer? i have it in mason jars with humidi packs

Click to expand...

The three main things that degrade THC are light, heat, and oxygen. So, well sealed in a fridge or freezer is the best way. Barring that, sealed in a cool, dark place.

Cool and dark is all you need with your mason jars and humidity packs.

I don’t know if I would do the freezer, as it would likely rupture the cell walls, that would negatively impact smell/flavor/texture after thaw, but I have actually never done it so I cannot say for certain.

I do keep my jars in a fridge in my cabin, as the air is not conditioned unless I am there. Inside of cabin can easily reach 100 degrees and 80%+ humidity in summer. I have never experienced any problems other than the nugs drying out a little bit more in fridge.

I also have jars that are 10 years old in my basement that I regularly sample. I am a big fan of CBN.

Italian Study Finds Frozen Cannabis Maintains THC Levels Best​

The study out of Italy, which was published in Forensic Science International, looked at cannabis samples stored:

• At room temperature
• In a refrigerator (4 degrees C)
• In a freezer (-20 degrees C)

During the four years the study took place, researchers tested the samples 14 times. They found that:

• THC levels in the cannabis stored at room temperature dropped over time.
• At room temperature and in light, THC levels decreased by 13% after 100 days.
• At room temperature in the dark, THC levels decreased by 11% after 100 days.
• The refrigerated marijuana samples also lost THC content, but not as much as the room temperature samples did.
• In the frozen cannabis, THC levels mostly stayed the same.
• In all samples when THC went down, cannabinol (CBN) levels went up.
• Cannabidiol (CBD) content stayed stable across all cannabis samples during the experiment

Jmaes Mabley said:

Italian Study Finds Frozen Cannabis Maintains THC Levels Best​

The study out of Italy, which was published in Forensic Science International, looked at cannabis samples stored:

• At room temperature
• In a refrigerator (4 degrees C)
• In a freezer (-20 degrees C)

During the four years the study took place, researchers tested the samples 14 times. They found that:

• THC levels in the cannabis stored at room temperature dropped over time.
• At room temperature and in light, THC levels decreased by 13% after 100 days.
• At room temperature in the dark, THC levels decreased by 11% after 100 days.
• The refrigerated marijuana samples also lost THC content, but not as much as the room temperature samples did.
• In the frozen cannabis, THC levels mostly stayed the same.
• In all samples when THC went down, cannabinol (CBN) levels went up.
• Cannabidiol (CBD) content stayed stable across all cannabis samples during the experiment

Click to expand...

Interesting thanks for sharing this info.

sounds like the freezer is the best option

It's all just your preference. Does sound likes its aging out pretty quick at this point though. Once its more then a few months old just some ambient sunlight through closed blinds on it every day will rapidly accelerate degradation.



perceived potency will increase for upwards of a year+, even as overall thc levels decrease through spectrograph or centrifuge/home thc tests, thanks to an overall higher % of thc being fully decarded by the time its smoked. Smoking a flower with 16% decarbed (delta-9 thc) will be experientially more potent almost always then a fresh 25% strain with little to no decarb at like 3 weeks into cure. A lot of the thc-a gets destroyed instead of decarbing and then vaporizing, the process of smoking is just a bit too quick to create the context of an efficient conversion.

it's not as simple as straight thc content.

personally, i think the best highs cannabis provides (obviously imo, not anyone else's) is Sativa leaners between 1 and 2 years into cure when all of the present thc has fully decarbed and just started breaking down to CBN. As far as qualities of the high and how pleasant and enjoyable it is. However by this point smell and flavor will have usually suffered pretty good, and there are a lot of smokers where smell and flavor is a huge part of how much they enjoy cannabis or not, and most of these smokers wont care much for the buds at this point regardless of the qualities of the high.

Most my indicas im busting into after a month or two in the jar. I like to let the sativas decarb a bit because it takes away the anxiety and edgyness and turns it into chinese eyes, being openly social, and a fantastic mood instead, even if some flavor has been lost and a thc readout on a screen or sheet of paper will tell you its degraded in quality.

Most my indicas im busting into after a month or two in the jar. I like to let the sativas decarb a bit because it takes away the anxiety and edgyness and turns it into chinese eyes, being openly social, and a fantastic mood instead, even if some flavor has been lost and a thc readout on a screen or sheet of paper will tell you its degraded in quality.


Old indicas, 1-2 yrs old that have gone super brown/amber in the trichomes, a better all natural sleep aid does not exist imho.

A long cure can mellow things out, but brown color usually means the THC has been breaking down into CBN, which gives more of a sleepy vibe than a stronger high. I’ve played around with cbn isolate for that same kind of relaxed effect, and the feel is pretty similar to old, oxidized buds. If you store your jars somewhere cooler and darker, the aging slows down a lot.

I like mine as soon as its dry enough to smoke, and the stem snaps when I bend it. Its done, for me, at that point. Then Vacuum Seal it, and freeze it. I myself want the edge to stay, and dont want to lose that. I want it fast and hard hitting. The more WTF after the 1st hit, the better. Id also rather have it harvested too early, than late.

If using old pot (browned in color) to make butter, is it necessary to de-carb it?