Cannabis storage is sometimes an overlooked, yet essential aspect of your overall cannabis experience. This is particularly important when it comes to storing extracts and concentrates as you’ve specifically paid for a product of higher purity and potency.
Let’s see how CBD products should be stored and if there are any notable differences between the conditions they require compared to THC concentrates.
CBD and THC Share the Same Enemies
According to an article from Echo Connection, to properly store CBD we need to be aware of the storage’s environmental conditions. The factors which lead to THC’s decay are pretty much the same that eat away at CBD’s potency.
Air Exposure
Usually, CBD bottles are designed to be air-proof for a reason as air breaks down CBD over time. This is why you should close bottles and/or any other CBD carriers as well as possible. If you have to transfer your CBD for whatever reason, make sure the new container is as size-appropriate as possible and can be closed tightly.
Light, Heat, and Damp
Dark, cold, and dry – this may sound almost the exact opposite of your dream vacation location, but when it comes to cannabis and CBD in particular, these attributes will keep your product fresher for longer.
You can keep your CBD oil in the refrigerator, basements and cellars work, too. Just don’t put it in the freezer unless you’ve specifically consulted an expert – CBD products usually contain botanical liquids which can freeze or turn solid and hence alter the oil’s viscosity, making it impossible to use. Furthermore, keep your CBD away from windows or anything that lets light in, as well as machines or appliances that produce heat.
To avoid sunlight even better, you can wrap your product in aluminum foil.
The Differences Between Stored CBD and THC
CBD and its vulnerability to the mentioned above enemies seem to be somewhat paradoxical compared to THC.
An experiment compared how two cannabis oils decayed in different conditions – one was exposed to light at 22oC, whereas the other was kept in darkness at 4oC. Naturally, the latter remained more potent, both in terms of its THC and CBD content.
What’s more intriguingis that CBD seems to be more resilient than THC altogether, however, it is far more susceptible to all the mentioned factors than THC.
To put it simply, THC appears to decay almost at the same rate regardless of the conditions, making time its biggest enemy, whereas CBD decomposes almost twice as fast when exposed to light, heat, and damp.
So, both CBD and THC should clearly be kept at the best conditions possible. However, it’s important to remember that CBD can live for far longer if stored in a dark, cold, dry, and air-free space, whereas THC is probably best consumed sooner rather than later.
References:
- (2017, August 15). How to Take Care of Your CBD Hemp Oil Products. Retrieved from https://echoconnection.org/take-care-cbd-hemp-oil-products/
- Trofin et al, Long – term Storage and Cannabis Oil Stability,Revista de Chimie – Bucharest – original Edition, 53(3):294 March 2012
