Cannabis Edibles: The Short Shelf Life You Don't Expect

There is no way around it: marijuana is expensive. Whether you buy your weed in edible or flower form from your local dispensary or that guy you know, cannabis can be costly. Even though Illinois cannabis connoisseurs can save money by obtaining their medical card, it can still be cost-prohibitive to get stoned on delectable edibles. 

Even if you are a medical patient who grows your weed, makes your cannabutter, and bakes your edibles yourself – there is still a substantial cost associated with cannabis, especially edibles. The worst part of all the work that goes into homegrown or the cost of pricey store-bought edibles is that they will eventually expire, leaving you with a weak or stale product that is vastly different from the original item.

Logically, it makes sense that edibles don’t last indefinitely. They are, after all, food or drink products, all of which have expiration dates. So don’t throw your money away by saving the edibles you make or buy. I know that it’s tempting to save your edibles for a special occasion or when you need them to help you sleep or relieve your pain, but consuming edibles shortly after you obtain them is in your best interests. You can always get more!

Cannabis edibles that you get from a dispensary will have an expiration date printed on the packaging. Mind this date, and make sure you consume your goodies before they lose potency or become stale. Eating expired treats won’t hurt you, but the potency of the cannabinoids may decrease over time, and your once tasty morsel may be stale and have less flavor than you remember. 

If you bake your marijuana goodies yourself, try our recipe for the best pot brownies you’ll ever try. Whether you bake these or other delicious treats, always label your home-baked goods with the date they were baked. If you don’t plan on consuming them within one week, you may want to freeze them and unthaw them as needed when you want to munch on them. The general consensus is that you should use any frozen edibles within six months of baking as the cannabinoid potency begins to deteriorate after that time.

A tip for keeping your marijuana goodies fresh and strong is to make sure that they are always stored in air-tight packaging. Since oxygen can degrade cannabinoids, keeping your edibles tightly wrapped up is crucial to ensure the THC is available when you consume them. 

However, it is important to note that as THC degrades, it is converted into a different cannabinoid called CBN. Since CBN is known to help induce sleep and has very few psychoactive properties – consuming expired edibles would likely make you sleepy rather than high.

Personally, my medical marijuana tolerance is high, so it takes me a decent dosage to experience the awesomeness of edibles. If I get them from EarthMed or bake them myself, they don’t last long and are usually gobbled up within a week. Otherwise, they're also fun to share with others, but keep in mind that bringing edibles on a plane is against federal law.

Be like me – eat your edibles before they expire!