How Packaging is Ruining Your Cannabis

Did you know the fate of your unsmoked cannabis lies nearly entirely in how you store it? In fact, your Ziplock baggie or mason jar could be ruining your bud right now. Environmental factors are crucial in determining the shelf life of marijuana post-harvest. Fortunately, there are options to preserve freshness and protect against degradation (which we’ll get to later).

So, how is your packaging wrecking that Trainwreck or Sour D – and what is the answer? Read on to find out!

Oxygen – Human Friend, Canna-Foe

For living creatures, air and more specifically oxygen is critical to survive. It is cured marijuana’s mortal enemy. Exposure to one of nature’s most important molecules will cause buds to dry out, making them harsh to smoke. Terpenes, which are the active ingredients responsible for the unique aroma and effects, are also lost. Even the seasoned plastic bag pro can’t rid the entire container of air every type they dip into their stash, putting the entire batch at risk every time.

For producers, dry product is a major concern for two important reasons. First, it decreases overall yield, leading to loss of profits. The other reason boils down to street cred. Having a reputation for selling weed reminiscent of the Sahara will likely not earn a company repeat customers. While the final cured product may go into the package at the perfect consistency, it has to endure potentially months of waiting before it’s actually consumed.

Damage Control

Almost all of us have been there at one point or another. You obtain some gorgeously cultivated and cured ganja flowers, only to have it become squashed after the baggie it in was shoved in the bottom of your pocket and forgotten while you go about your day. You hate to see it. 

Containers meant for today’s lunch have no business being used for craft cannabis. They offer zero protection and are juvenile to say the least. 

Food Saver Works, Right?

Wrong.

While food-grade vacuum sealing machines were the epitome of trap life once upon a time, they’ll only compact the contents within. Legends of still too wet weed being sealed up after harvest and becoming breeding grounds for mold and mildew may sound like nothing more than a scary movie script but it was and is a thing. Not to mention the fact that the buds will again get squished.

So What is the Answer?

There are a number of amazing solutions out there for your bud storage needs suitable for a variety of budgets. Here are a few of our faves:

Canlock –  One of the best stash jars on the market, this innovative smell-proof container has a vacuum pump inside the lid. With a simple tap of the fingers, the Canlock creates a pressurized seal time and time again, eliminating the risk of over-drying or worse yet, mold. The jar itself is made of durable yet classy borosilicate glass, offering a sleek and functional way to store that fire. Available in multiple sizes.

CVault – The CVault is another great option for stashes large or small as it comes in a variety of capacities. Made of food grade 304 stainless steel, the container is impenetrable to light. The interlocking lids have a space built in for the use of two-way humidity packs from Boveda, which keep the environment at peak conditions for the cannabis within.

Smokus Focus – For the out and proud cannasseur, Smokus Focus is a must buy. The jar has a magnifier on the top and a ring of recessed LED lights, letting you get up close and personal with the top-shelf bud it houses. The lid has an airtight silicone seal and locks in place, making it perfect for home or on the go. Smokus Focus is available in four sizes; if you want to take things to the next level, pick up their “Launchpad,” which literally makes your stash levitate.

Long gone are the days of your container destroying your cannabis. Take your buds’ fate in your own hands and let it retain all of its glory the cultivator achieved.