Knowing how to safely store your cannabis leads to two things: a safer cannabis environment for everyone, and a longer shelf life for your products. But what exactly do we mean by ‘safely’ storing cannabis? It’s not like it’s going to wake up in the middle of the night and bite you. Safely storing cannabis means keeping it in a place where kids and pets have zero access to it. The addition of things like chocolate and drinks could make it harder to keep cannabis products out of sight and out of mind. We’ve laid out some ways to keep your cannabis safely stored, lowering the risk of unwanted users.
Dried Flower
All cannabis sold in the legal space comes in childproof packaging, so half the battle has already been won. However, you may have grown your own cannabis, or perhaps you prefer the look of a different container. If that’s the case, you should make sure of two things. First, make sure the container you choose is airtight. This will keep your cannabis fresher, longer. Second, and most importantly, make sure your container is clearly marked as cannabis, and that it’s not accessible to children or pets.
We’d recommend locked cases or boxes when storing your cannabis flower, which includes pre-rolls. If that’s not an option, then make sure your cannabis is higher up and out of sight so that children or pets can’t access it. Dried cannabis should always be kept in a cool location away from moisture.
Oil
Cannabis oil should also be kept locked away, but there are some other things to consider. There are some cannabis oils that can be refrigerated, and since you probably don’t have a separate refrigerator for cannabis products, make sure your cannabis is clearly marked so there is no confusion. If you have kids who get into the fridge a lot, make sure you either keep the cannabis oil out of sight, or explain to them that it’s not to be touched.
If you’re storing your cannabis oil at room temperature, keep it in an opaque, airtight container to protect them from light and oxygen. Cannabis oil stored at room temperature should also be locked up and kept out of reach of children and pets.
All of this information applies for other oil products as well, such as softgels or capsules. While it may be tempting to store these in the medicine cabinet, that’s not always a safe place.
Edibles
Edibles, whether you’re talking about drinks or food, are an interesting case. You don’t want to keep a canned drink at room temperature, that’s for sure. Just like dried flower (and any other legal cannabis product), cannabis edibles are sold in childproof packaging. This means if you do decide to store your drinks in the fridge, or your edibles in the cupboard, you have an extra layer of protection. That being said, it’s still best if you keep them out of sight and reach of your kids and pets.
Where you need to be especially careful is with homemade cannabis edibles. To the unsuspecting eye, a cannabis-infused brownie and a non-infused brownie look pretty darn similar. If you do make your own infused treats (more power to you, by the way), make sure you’re storing them in a clearly marked container. And, say it with us now, out of reach of children and pets.
Topicals
Similar to homemade edibles, topicals are hard to differentiate from non-infused lotions or creams. Even though you may recognize it based on the red THC symbol, other people who are unfamiliar with cannabis may not know it’s infused. Store all your cannabis topicals in a safe, preferably locked location.
Talk to your kids
If you plan on having cannabis in the house, and you also have kids, make sure you talk to them about cannabis. Education is key when it comes to safe cannabis consumption. Every child is different, so use your best judgement on how to talk to them about cannabis. Even if the conversation is “this is mommy and daddy’s, so please don’t touch,” you need to make it clear that cannabis is not something for them.
At the end of the day, your cannabis needs to be stored in a place that not only keeps it fresh, but also keeps everyone in your household safe. Knowing how to safely store cannabis can help prevent unwanted accidents.