Edibles is an umbrella term for food items that are infused with cannabis extracts.
It may be easy or difficult to get edibles, depending on where you’re from.
They are a great alternative to smoking dried cannabis if you’re seeking a smoke-free way to consume the plant.
You’ll also prefer eating edibles rather than smoking the dried leaf if you want to hold on to the after-effects for longer.
There are tons of ways to consume cannabis – in brownies, smoothies, candies, or cookies, to name a few.
The major difference between consuming edibles and taking them in other ways is the way the human body processes the plant’s active ingredients.
When you smoke it, you feel the effects almost immediately. With ingesting cannabis, the effects wash over you slowly, lasting up to four hours for some people.
If you’re looking to bake a whole batch of these treats and wondering to yourself, ‘how long do edibles last?’ The answer varies depending on what you do with the cannabis.
How Long Do Edibles Last? Do Edibles Go Bad?
The simplest way to figure out the shelf life of edibles is to know their ingredients. For instance, if they contain dairy, the chances are that they will go bad quickly.
On the other hand, if the cannabis is in candy form, it will take longer to go bad. Cannabis in edibles such as brownies and cookies, also remain consumable for a long time.
Regardless, you’ll still want to eat them as soon as possible because leaving edibles untouched for an extended time can lead to their deterioration.
The maximum shelf life of edibles when they are kept at room temperature is a few days. To extend their usability date, refrigerate them.
Simply dumping them inside the fridge isn’t the way to go about things. Instead, wrap each piece of edible carefully and place them in an airtight container before stowing them away in the fridge.
When refrigerated, edibles remain usable for up to a week. They will last longer if you wrap them in aluminum foil or saran wrap.
Cannabis, on its own, does deteriorate over time. However, it does not go bad as quickly as food.
This is why when you add cannabis to food items, you measure its ‘use by’ date depending on the ingredients you use to make the edibles.
Food items will go bad as their usual shelf life dictates whether or not they have cannabis in them. If you don’t want your cannabinoids to go to waste, you’ll want to consume the edibles before they reach their perishable date.
If you’re buying your edibles from stores, they should come with a ‘best before’ date.
How to Tell if Edibles are Bad?
Everyone has a different tolerance level for edibles. Other than knowing how much of it your body can take, it’s also crucial to know if you’re ingesting spoiled edibles.
We say this because, in both scenarios, you’re looking at unpleasantly strong reactions that may need medical assistance.
The first step is in your hands. The second (how to tell if edibles are bad), we can help you out with.
Refrigerating any kind of edible hardens it. But that’s a price you’ll likely have to pay if you want to extend its shelf life.
If you’ve chosen to keep your brownies at room temperature and they somehow feel and look harder than you remember them, they are most likely bad or in the process of becoming stale.
Edibles’ worst enemies are light and oxygen. So if you’ve been storing your cannabis-infused foods in an environment that is friendly to any one of the two factors mentioned above, you may want to consume them with caution.
Has your edible passed its ‘best by’ date? It shouldn’t be a problem as long as there’s no suspicious film or mold growing on the edibles.
If all looks and smells good, the edibles are still usable. The only thing is the reduction of potency.
Edibles with dairy in them develop a rancid smell when they go bad. If yours smell normal even after it’s been days since you baked/bought it, taste a portion of it to confirm its ‘fresh’ state before gobbling down a chunk of it.
Cannabis-infused gummies and candies are the best way to go if you want edibles that don’t spoil (like ever). The only times these hard edibles should be trashed are if they have mold on them or if insects get to them before you do.
Conclusion
Consuming food with cannabis in them has its benefits. Some people ingest these foods to relieve mental disorders or to reduce the symptoms of chronic illnesses.
However, eating too many edibles in one sitting or taking in cannabis-infused foods that are bad can have serious consequences.
Hold the reins on your excitement of finding edibles that you’d misplaced or forgotten about.
Double-check to see that they don’t show signs of spoiling before eating them.
How Long Do Edibles Last? Do Edibles Go Bad?
Ingredients
- Edibles
- Air-tight containers or Ziplock bags
- Labels and markers
Instructions
- Read the guide thoroughly to learn how long it lasts.
- Label your container with the content and date and keep track of how much youu0026#x27;re using!
- Make sure to store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place (pantry or fridge).
- If frozen, thaw in the fridge before use. Always check for signs of spoilage before using.
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