Ask Cheri

Can You Smoke Trim? Using Cannabis Trimmings for Smoking 

By Cheri Sicard
October 5, 2022

Dear Cheri,

A friend recently gifted me a bag of cannabis trimmings.  He said I should use it to make cannabutter or cannaoil and make edibles.  I actually prefer smoking to edibles.  Money is tight and I can’t currently afford to buy cannabis.  My question is, can you smoke trim?  Is there any reason I should not be smoking cannabis trimmings?

When it comes to what to do with weed trimmings you have a lot of options.  Making edibles is popular, as your friend suggested. You could also use trim and small popcorn buds to make dry ice kief or hash.  And yes, you can smoke trim too.

There are a lot of cannabis trichomes on the small “sugar leaves” that surround the nugs.  The nugs get manicured, but those sugar leaves go into the trim pile. 

A lot of trichomes are also found on the small “popcorn buds” that are usually found near the bottom of the plant. These also regularly go into the trim pile. (Although some dispensaries sells these as "smalls.")

Popcorn buds are the gold of the cannabis trimmings pile. 

Smoking cannabis trimmings may not provide as smooth and flavorful a smoke as top shelf weed.  But depending on the quality of the plant that provided the trim, it could potentially be decent. 

How to get the best results when smoking cannabis trimmings

When it comes to leaves, a good general rule of thumb is the smaller the leaf, the more trichomes it is likely to have.  So skip the fan laves and medium sized leaves but try to keep the tiny frosty sugar leaves that surrounded the nug that has since been manicured.

Generally speaking, the more leaves in your smoking material, the harsher the smoke will be.  So DO pick out those little popcorn buds for best results when smoking trim. 

Or make a mix of mostly popcorn buds with some sugar leaves. 

Otherwise treat and store cured trimmings you would regular cannabis.

Regardless of how you choose to use your weed trimming, enjoy!

How to Roll a Perfect Joint with Trimmings (even if you think you can roll)

The video at this link will show you how to roll a perfect dispensary quality joint, complete with cardboard filter or "crutch," even if you have zero joint rolling skills.  So if you plan to make joints from your trimmings, give it a watch.

Also on the topic of cannabis trimmings

Can you smoke trim? Using cannabis trimmings for smoking

More Ask Cheri Videos

About the author

Cheri Sicard is the author of Mary Jane: The Complete Marijuana Handbook for Women, and The Easy Cannabis Cookbook.  Her online courses at Cannademy.com have educated 1000s of students about marijuana, cannabis cooking for home cooks, and making infused topicals.

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