There are many reasons you'd want to get the most out of your cannabis flower: to save money, minimize dispensary visits, or simply extend your supply. Whatever your reason for wanting to conserve your stash, there are steps you can take to stretch your weed dollar further. Learn the best ways to properly conserve your weed.
Get the right gear
Having the right gear for cannabis consumption can go a long way towards conserving your cannabis. Joints and blunts are the least efficient consumption methods for flower, as the burning tip burns off the cannabinoids even when you're not inhaling. It also takes a lot of flower to properly pack them, which means much of your stash is going into a single experience.
Glass pieces, such as pipes and bongs, feature smaller bowls, which can help prevent you from loading too much bud at once. If you smoke the whole thing and you still want more, you can just pack another bowl.
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Bongs are also a good way to maximize your flower, as the long chamber allows you to consume all the smoke from the burning cannabis and take fewer hits to get the same experience. You can also invest in a one-hitter or snap bong piece designed for the smallest hit possible.
Dry-herb vaporizers are also a great way to stretch out the viability of your dried cannabis. These types of vaping devices heat cannabis at lower temperatures and burn off less of the cannabinoids in the bud, which means you get more THC and consume less weed.
Store your cannabis properly
Proper storage of cannabis helps ensure that it stays fresh and potent for as long as possible. To extend the shelf life of cannabis, it should be kept in a cool, dark place at or slightly below room temperature, ideally between 68°F and 72°F. The darkness and cool temperature prevent moisture from changing the integrity of your flower and can stop mold or mildew—which love warmth—from growing.
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Light and oxygen are the main culprits when it comes to degrading flower. According to a study that explored the stability of cannabis in various storage conditions, light is the single largest contributor to the loss and deterioration of cannabinoids. Carefully stored cannabis can stay reasonably stable for 1-2 years in dark, room-temperature conditions.
Ultraviolet light will also degrade your cannabis, so use dark and airtight glass jars to preserve your flower's THC and prevent it from degrading into cannabinol (CBN), a cannabinoid that doesn't have the same intoxicating properties as THC.
Invest in quality cannabis and save the kief
There's something to be said for investing in higher-quality cannabis. Potency levels, terpene profiles, curing and drying processes, and growing conditions all affect the experience of smoking a particular cultivar. If you can afford to spend a little more on high-quality flower from a reputable source, the potency may encourage you to consume less.
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To get the most mileage out of the flower you use in blunts, joints, or glass, you can also use a proper three-tier grinder and save the kief, the resinous trichomes that fall off the flower during the grinding process. You can reuse this very potent dust to sprinkle on top of future bowls to enhance their strength.
Smoke less
Research indicates that those who routinely consume highly potent weed can develop a tolerance over time, in which case the best method for conservation is to cut back on frequency. Tolerance increases with many substances, such as caffeine, due to a biological process called downregulation in which cells decrease their sensitivity to particular molecules.
More THC in the endocannabinoid system (ECS) overwhelms the CB1 receptors, and in turn, the cells reduce their sensitivity to THC. With this negative feedback loop, a consumer must smoke more and more cannabis to achieve the same experience they could when they first began consumption.
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When you intentionally regulate the amount of cannabis you intake, your body's tolerance adjusts, and you will soon be able to achieve your desired experience with a lot less green.
Already have a high tolerance? A study from the Yale School of Medicine found that “significant CB1R upregulation begins with two days of abstinence and continues over four weeks.” In other words, when a cannabis smoker takes a break, CB1 receptors begin to bounce back and could be fully reset for some consumers after just one month.
Bottom line
Little adjustments go a long when stretching your stash. From proper storage practices to frequency of use, there are many ways to get the most out of your cannabis and keep it fresh for as long as possible.
Written by Lesley Nickus | Featured image by Gina Coleman/Weedmaps
