Storing cannabis has always been an issue for people who indulge for many different reasons. From your personal small stash weed storage to your larger storage for longer-term, the misunderstandings and misinformation on the web are easily fallen for. But we look at it from a scientific perspective.
The freezer may look like a tempting option for the long-term storage of large quantities of weed. But as we are about to see, although the freezer may very well ‘freeze’ and put a pause on all the chemical processes responsible for the aging processes of weed, ultimately, it’s a very bad idea and can ironically ruin your bud in an instant.
This is especially true if you don’t put a lot of thought into the whole freezing and thawing process and don’t properly control processes like condensation, which can instantly turn your herb into a mush.
Why Freezing Weed Isn’t a Great Idea
At first glance, it makes sense. After all, food that would otherwise go bad in a day at room temperature, can be kept for many years in a freezer. And since weed can be kept at room temperature for months, it would make sense that in the freezer, you can store it for a lifetime, right?
Well, it would certainly make sense that at the low temperature the freezer reaches, factors like mold, light exposure, and chemical oxidation by atmospheric oxygen are greatly reduced or even eliminated.
However, there are risk factors involved, which ultimately make freeze-storage a very bad idea. Here are some of them:
Weed Loses Its Structural Integrity While Freezing and During Thawing
If you’ve ever frozen vegetables or fruits, you know what happens to them when you get them out of the freezer and thaw them – they have become mushy, wet and have lost their fresh look. This is because as water freezes, it first contracts and then expands.
This breaks the cellular walls of the plant material, causing it to turn into a mush. This is very similar to the process that occurs during cooking.
Even though weed is already relatively dry, it still has a 10% to 15% water content, and as that water freezes in the tiny trichomes, it causes them to break off, crumble and turn into a fine powder, which is then very difficult to properly roll into a joint or pack into a bowl.
The trichomes are where all the potency is, so their destruction during the freezing process is obviously a very bad thing.
CONDENSATION DURING THAWING
If you take any frozen plant material out of the fridge, tiny water droplets will immediately start condensing on its surface, making it wet.
Although this can be theoretically avoided by keeping the weed sealed in a container during the thawing process, it’s still something that can easily ruin a large batch very quickly if you’re not careful.
As you can see, freezing weed is generally a bad idea and there’s no reason to do it – it involves many risks that can potentially ruin your herb, without offering any significant advantages.
So, stick to proven storage techniques, like a glass jar or another container with carefully controlled humidity levels inside.
If you keep the herb out of strong light and in a cool place, it can very well last for years, without a significant loss of potency or flavor.
There are studies from more accredited sources internationally who are not restricted by their government that totally disagree with your assessment. I have been storing in the freezer for for years. I also own my own testing equipment and find just about every comment in your article to be false. When bud is dried to 10-11% moisture and then froze, when thawing out it’s simple, spread it out on a cookie sheet in a room between 70-75 deg. and it will thaw and be just as fresh feeling and looking as the day you put it in. A fan blowing across it helps even more but not necessary. As for potency, I’ve tested weed out of the freezer that had been in for over a year, tested 1% lower than when it was put in. THC reduction is basically non existent. As far as trichomes, they are brittle when frozen, but once thawed are the pretty much the same as fresh. Color is the same, smell is the same and taste is the same. Don’t know where you got your info for this article, but it definitely could not have been from experience. Funny how you article suggest, just because you read it in the internet, it’s not necessarily true……. Your article is a PERFECT example of that suggestion.
Rick, unfortunately the mold on the carrots has most likely transferred to the weed, even if it’s not visible to the naked eye, and could cause you serious lung problems if smoked. You’re going to have to throw the weed away. :(
I had 3 different strains about an half oz each. I just put a peace of carrot in them and got mold. I got rid of all the carrots. Now what can I do about my Buds. Dry or Freeze or something else. Thanks in advance. Rick.