Many people like buying pre-rolled joints, simply because they make life a lot easier. Instead of having to buy flower, grind it, roll it, and then light it up, you just have to take your pre-roll out of the package and put fire to it. Whether you enjoy rolling a joint or not, there is no denying the fact that pre-rolls do make things a bit easier.
However, there are things that you have to remember with pre-rolls. Just like with regular flower that doesn't come rolled, the cannabis inside can degrade over time. So, do pre-rolled joints go bad? The simple answer to this question is that yes, pre-rolled joints go bad.
That said, how long do pre-roll joints last? Well, it depends on how well you take care of them. As you will learn shortly, there are a few things that you can do to make your pre-rolled joints last much longer. Let's get to it and find out how long pre-rolled joints last, if you can still smoke them when they are old, and how to keep them in good condition for as long as possible. Click here to find out more about pre-rolled joints.
Key Takeaways
- How Long do pre-rolls last? Pre-rolled joints will stay in top condition for 6 to 12 months.
- Cannabis starts to lose potency at around 12 months.
- Pre-rolled joints can slowly go bad.
- Keeping cannabis away from light, moisture, and oxygen will help preserve it.
How Long Do Pre-Rolled Joints Stay Fresh?
Whether your joints are pre-rolled or not, cannabis does have a shelf life. Unfortunately, this is not something that you can keep around forever without it going bad.
Pre-rolled joints will generally stay in prime condition for anywhere between six months and one year. At the one-year mark, cannabis will start to lose its potency. It is estimated that THC levels in cannabis drop by up to around 16% after the first year of storage.
Therefore, although pre-rolled joints won't necessarily be bad after one year, the cannabis inside of them will certainly be much weaker. However, there are things that you can do to preserve the potency and flavor of your pre-rolled joints. This way, maybe you can get them to stay in prime condition for 12 months instead of just six, or even less.
Do Pre-Rolled Joints Go Bad Then?
So, how long will a rolled joint stay fresh? As mentioned above, your cannabis can lose up to 16% of its potency after the first year of storage. However, this number just gets bigger and bigger as time goes on. After two years, expect a 23% decrease, a 34% decrease after three years, and a whopping 41% after four years.
Therefore, pre-rolled joints can certainly go bad, particularly in terms of overall potency. There are also other ways to tell if your cannabis is old, not just in terms of potency.
You might notice that your cannabis doesn't really smell strong anymore, especially not when compared to how it smelled when you first bought it. You may also see that the rolling papers used to roll your pre-rolled joints have altered color, usually turning from white to yellow.
Something else you might notice is that the pre-rolled joints feel extremely dry and brittle, which is because all of the moisture has left them. This often also leads to a very harsh smoke that makes you cough very hard. One of the most dangerous aspects of getting old is if it gets moldy. If you notice moldy patches, then those joints need to be thrown out, because mold may be potentially harmful to smoke.
Can You Smoke Stale Weed?
One of the most dangerous aspects of smoking stale or old weed is that it may have molds. However, if it does not have mold in it, there is technically no reason why you cannot smoke stale weed.
No, your experience is not going to be very enjoyable, but it shouldn't kill you. After a long time, those pre-rolled joints are just going to be extremely dry, which leads to a harsh smoke. They're also not going to have very much flavor left, and the flavor they do have is not going to resemble the original strain. It's just going to taste dry, old, and harsh.
Furthermore, if it's been a few years, then your weed won't have very much THC left in it. So, not only will it taste bad and make you cough really hard, but it won't even really get you all that high anymore. Therefore, keeping your pre-rolls in good condition for as long as possible is your best bet, or just smoke them right away. Worried about CBD joints showing up on drug tests? Find out more right here.
How to Keep Pre-Rolled Joints Fresh for Longer
There are quite a few things that you can do to make sure that your joints stay as good for as long as possible.
Use a Doob Tube with a Good Seal
One of the best methods at your disposal is to use a doob tube with a very good airtight seal. These are special little containers designed to hold joints and blunts. They are usually made out of opaque plastic to keep any air and sunlight out. They also keep moisture out.
Remember that sunlight, oxygen, and moisture are the three biggest enemies of your pre-rolled cannabis joints. These doob tubes are designed specifically to keep your joints in prime condition for as long as possible. Doob tubes are very convenient because they are portable. You can easily transport a few joints this way, although they can't hold on to that much at once.
Store Them in a Mason Jar
If you don't have a doob tube around, or you just want a good way to store your joints at home, a Mason jar works very well. A Mason jar has the advantage of being quite large, so you can fit many joints on the inside.
Just make sure that if you are going to transport your joints, there isn't too much wiggle room on the inside. You don't want your joints banging around on the inside of the Mason jar, as this may cause damage to them.
Mason jars are airtight and they will keep the moisture out, so this is a big advantage. However, Mason jars aren't always opaque, so you might want to cover them in something to keep some light out as well. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on a specialized container like a doob tube, however, then a cheap Mason jar will do just fine.
Keep in an Airtight Container with Humidity Packs
One of the best things that you can do to ensure that your weed stays in good condition for as long as possible is to keep it with humidity packs. Yes, you should always have your cannabis in airtight containers. This could be a Mason jar, Tupperware, or anything in between.
Generally speaking, however, glass is considered best. Moisture packs are important because they ensure that your cannabis doesn't get too dry or too moist. If your cannabis is too dry, it's going to degrade quickly and it won't smoke well.
However, if it is too moist, there is always a chance that mold might develop. Therefore, keeping your cannabis in an environment where the moisture is controlled is one of the best ways to store it.
Avoid Exposure to Direct Sunlight
UV rays from the sun are one of the biggest enemies of your cannabis. UV rays will cause the terpenes and the THC to quickly degrade. Sunlight just has that effect on many things. Therefore, you want to keep your cannabis in an opaque container that does not let any light in.
If you don't have your cannabis in opaque containers, at least make sure that you don't let it rest in direct sunlight. Artificial light should not make a big difference here, but actual UV rays are harmful to your cannabis.
Protect Them from Physical Damage and Moisture
Not only is moisture bad for your pre-rolled cannabis joints because it might cause mold, but also because it can just damage the joints in general. You just don't want them getting wet. Therefore, keeping them in a container where they cannot get wet or be exposed to moisture at all is best.
You also want to make sure that the container in question keeps your joints safe from physical damage. As mentioned above, this means not leaving too much room on the inside for them to move around in. The less your joints can move around, the lower the chances of them suffering some kind of physical damage.
Bless Up and Enjoy the Pre-Rolls Now!
At the end of the day, one of the best ways to make sure that your joints are in great condition when you smoke them is to smoke them now. If you don't store them for too long, then there won't be enough time for them to get old in the first place.
Final Thoughts
As long as you keep your pre-rolled joints in an airtight, moisture-proof, and opaque container, along with some humidity packs, they should stay good for at least one year.
Where to Buy Pre-Rolls Online
If you are looking to buy some pre-rolled joints, the best place to be is right here at Botany Farms. We have a huge range of extremely popular products.
Some of our best-sellers at this time include these Delta-8 Sugar Queen Pre-Rolls, these Delta-8 Lemon Diesel CBG Pre-Rolls, this Delta-8 Blueberry Kush Pre-Roll, and this Delta-8 Strawberry Banana Kush Pre-Roll. Delta-8 pre-rolls are some of our biggest fan favorites, so check them out today!
