Dear Cheri,

How long can you store decarbed flower?

I recently came into several pounds of cannabis that I want to use to make butter. Usually I am scrambling to find some.   If I separate the product and weigh out portions then decarboxylate it will it extend the shelf life of the cannabis or should I just decarb as I use it?   I only make around a pound of cannabutter a month.  Thank you again for helping me.

At first I was not sure how long you can store decarbed flow before it starts to degrade.  My instinct was to say decarb as you use it, but I was not sure if there is actually a reason for this.  So rather than go by my gut, I consulted an expert, Shanel Lindsay, inventor of the Ardent Nova and Ardent FX decarboxylators.  

Shanel confirmed my instinct.  Although it is not major, there is in fact slight degradation with time.  Likewise, I would debarb as needed rather than doing it all in advance.  

So while decarbed flowers don't have a specific shelf life, Shanel found that they will lose some potency over time.

Ardent is great about lab testing their results, and they did not disappoint on this.  Click here to access their lab tests that put this to the test.

If you do need to store cannabis long term, don't decarb it first.  

This article discusses some good long term cannabis storage solutions.

Also know that you can make infused butter or oil in advance and store them in the freezer for longer shelf life.  

You can also extend the shelf life of edibles by wrapping individual portions and storing in the freezer until ready to eat. See this article for details.