Does Weed Go Bad?

What Happens When Weed Ages?

Since we have established that it ages, what actually happens when weed ages? When does weed go bad?

For starters, it loses its freshness! You’ll notice that your bud is no longer as fresh as it was the day you bought it. The lack of freshness is the first telltale sign that your weed is going to yonder.

That aside, other indicators that your weed is going kaput include the following:

• • Potency: Weed that’s gone bad or going bad will no longer be as potent as it should be. As weed ages, the THC components break down into a less potent form known as cannabinol (CBN). CBN is about 25% as strong as THC, but the longer the weed is exposed to air and UV light, the strength reduces even further. The relationship between weed longevity and potency is largely inverse. The longer the weed stays, the less potent the weed. This theory also applies to other indicators.
  • Smell: An aging weed loses its aroma faster than Cinderella loses her footwear. You’d have to bring it way closer to your nose to get a good whiff.
  • Texture and color: Weed that’s gone bad loses its color and feels drier than usual to the touch—it would go from lush green to grayish or brownish, and it will feel brittle when you touch it.
  • Flavor: In some cases of aged weed, you might notice an obvious change in taste. Sometimes the indicator is the lack of the strain’s signature aroma as the smoke floats over your tongue. Other times, the taste feels unusually harsh.

Weed doesn’t age like fine wine: the older is not better.

The Bad Weed and the Mold

One major point to bear in mind when pondering the “when does weed go bad?” question is that, in some cases, mold infestation makes your weed bad. And if you’re one for mold allergies, smoking mold-infested weed might immediately trigger your allergies.

Weed that’s lost its potency and its signature smell, texture, color, and taste are less likely to harm you. It might throw you into that “Nah, this doesn’t taste and feel as good as it used to” puzzle, but that’s all there’s likely to be.

But mold-infested weed? No, that’s trouble – even if the trouble only lasts a short while.

You can tell if your weed is mold-infested by checking to determine if it has whitish, blackish, or grayish spots that feel powdery or moist when touched.

Also, your weed probably has a mold problem if it smells musty. Best to only check with your eyes – for spots – and hands – to know if the spots feel powdery. Sniffing to confirm if it smells musty could have you breathing in mold spores.

You can minimize most of these aging/expiring weed problems if you know how to keep cannabis fresh, and we’ll get to that in a bit. But before that, how long does it take for weed to go bad?

How Long Does It Take for Weed to Go Bad?

If you store your weed well, it could last as long as 6 – 12 months without losing its potency substantially. Since the shelf life of weed is six months to a year, you should expect your weed to be less effective after six months. Beyond 12 months, it might as well be mere grass.

Now, to cannabis-derived products: does weedbutter go bad as buds do? How about weed oils? Do they go bad, too?