Can You Keep Weed In The Fridge? Where To Put Cannabis When It’s Hot Out

When the weather gets hot and even the AC units struggle to keep up, you may worry about your weed. Fluctuating temps can be a recipe for degradation and mold growth — will your flower or edibles stay good?

The fridge may sound like a great storage place when the temperature indoors hovers in the 80s. Although fridges have stable temps, storing your weed there is not usually a good idea (with a few exceptions).

Setting the record straight: Should you store weed in the fridge?

The success of storing weed in the fridge depends on one main factor: how often you’re taking it out.

For bud that you’re consuming several times a week, storing it in the fridge isn’t a good idea. The fluctuations in temperature and humidity from moving in and out of the fridge over and over can make it a good place for mold or mildew to grow. (The same goes if you accidentally leave the jar out.) For your regular stash, keep it in a cabinet or a humidor.

If you have some bud that you’re not using like if you’re saving it for a special occasion or just picked up an ounce or two, you can store it in the fridge, as long as you’re careful.

Here’s the thing: weed needs to be kept in a cool, dark place where the temperature and humidity stay stable. That doesn’t always describe countertops or your kitchen in high summer, but a cool, dark place does fit the inside of your fridge.

The risks of storing weed in the fridge

The main problem with storing weed in the fridge is taking it out and putting it back in over and over again. But if your weed is sitting in a sealed container with a humidity pack (like Boveda) and stays in the fridge for a few weeks, it will be fine. However, you must be sure the container is truly airtight so moisture from the fridge can’t get in. If it’s not airtight, your weed could get wet and moldy. A mason jar or a vacuum-sealed bag are your best options for contains if you store your flower in the fridge.

Storing weed in the fridge is a hot topic on internet forums, and a quick Google search will draw up conflicting results. Proponents of fridge storage point to hops, the plant used to make beer. Both cannabis and hope belong to the Cannabaceae family and have temperature-sensitive compounds, including terpenes. Hops are stored in the fridge from the time they’re harvested until the time they’re processed, so fridge storage isn’t too far out of the realm of possibilities for cannabis.

If you’re storing weed in the fridge and want to smoke it, take it out, open the lid and allow the flower to come to room temperature. Then add your humidity pack back, seal the jar up, and place it in another dark storage space. Be sure there is no residual moisture in the jar. Improperly transferring weed from the fridge to room temp leaves moisture in the buds from the changing temps, which can attract mold and mildew.

What about chocolates? Should you store cannabis chocolates in the fridge?

Yes, you can store weed chocolate in the fridge.

Since chocolate is processed and not in plant form, chocolates are not susceptible to the same moisture issues that can occur with flower. You wouldn’t be very concerned about taking a Hershey’s bar out of your fridge and putting it back in, and you don’t need to be with weed chocolate either.

In hot weather, storing your cannabis chocolates in the fridge can actually prolong their shelf life, since exposure to high temps can melt chocolate and degrade cannabinoids.

What about the freezer?

Don’t store your weed in the freezer. Putting cannabis buds in freezing temperatures damages the bud structure, which can cause your weed to be less potent. Improperly-frozen cannabis turns the sticky trichomes into brittle structures that fall right off the nugs, making your smoke sesh much less effective.

The four main factors to take into account for storing weed

1. Light

When exposed to direct light, cannabinoids and terpenes degrade. That’s why it’s important to store your weed in a dark place.

Although there is a light in the fridge, it’s not strong enough or on for long enough to have an effect on your bud. But if you stored your weed in the fridge and left it on the counter in a beam of sunlight, that could cause problems.

1. Temperature

Weed has a sweet spot, around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. That can be hard to find in the summer months in NYC, which is why some people think about putting their weed in the fridge. But weed can also be too cold, and leaving it in temps under 32°F can also harm your nugs, which is why you shouldn’t store buds in the freezer.

1. Air

Prolonged exposure to oxygen can degrade your weed. If you’re storing your weed in a container that is not airtight (in or out of the fridge), it will go stale faster. This will cause your nugs to be dry, brittle, and harsh when smoked.

1. Humidity

Changes in humidity can cause problems for cannabis flower. In hot weather, humidity can spike in your fridge, causing condensation in the jar. If your weed isn’t stored in an airtight container, that humidity and moisture can creep in and get your nugs damp — and there’s nothing that mold and mildew love more than damp conditions.

3 tips for storing weed in hot weather

Keeping weed in a temperature-stable place is important for prolonging its shelf life. Ultimately, a little swing in the temperature is not a big deal, but when it’s 98°F with 75% humidity in the city, you may need to take extra precautions with your stash.

1. Store your weed in the basement. If you have access to space underground, consider storing your weed there, as long as it’s in an airtight container with a humidity pack inside. Temperatures underground stay more constant than above the surface and temperature swings aren’t as extreme.
2. Get a humidor. Humidors are traditionally used to keep cigars fresh, but work well for cannabis too because they keep the humidity inside constant. Humidors come in all sizes, so for occasional smokers, a small one is all you need.
3. Find the coolest corner of your place. In these summer days, the heat seems to pervade every space, but hot air rises. Find the coolest, darkest corner of your space, like the back of a closet, and store your weed in a sealed container with a humidity pack there.

For regular smoke sessions, avoid the fridge

Storing your cannabis in the fridge is controversial, but works best for long-term storage when your nugs are properly sealed in an airtight container with a humidity pack.

For your daily or weekly stash, keeping it in the fridge can do more harm than good. Consider investing in a humidor or find the most remote, cool corner of your home to wait out the heat wave with your bud.