Can I smoke it?

February 1, 2018 8:34 PM

I have just stumbled onto a small stash of marijuana that I thought I had lost long ago and now I call upon the hivemind to determine... can I smoke it?

* It dates from around October or November 2013
* It's been stored this entire time in the cellophone baggie it came in and the baggie placed inside a sealed thermos so I expect it hasn't been exposed to much moisture or temperature changes
* It looks and smells fine but feels kind of dry
* It's about an eighth's worth

I expect that even if it's deemed safe to consume it probably won't be very good but I'm still curious about what it's like. Also, I have the option to vape it if that's a factor.

posted by Pseudonymous Sockpuppet to Grab Bag (17 answers total)

My unprofessional opinion is that it is safe. And by that I mean "I would smoke it if I were you".
posted by lilies.lilies at 8:37 PM on February 1, 2018 [14 favorites]

I feel it's dry, consider putting some fruit (lemon, orange, etc) peel in the bag to help refresh it.
posted by sacrifix at 8:47 PM on February 1, 2018 [5 favorites]

If it isn't moldy-looking it's probably fine, and vaping it might be a more pleasant experience than smoking it.
posted by MonsieurBon at 8:56 PM on February 1, 2018 [3 favorites]

For sure.
posted by trbrts at 9:01 PM on February 1, 2018

Yup.
posted by rtha at 9:07 PM on February 1, 2018

With the absence of mold, yeah sure. It’ll get the job done.

It’s likely going to taste kind of bad, vaporizing it might make it less harsh, but taste worse. I’d slate it for edibles.
posted by furnace.heart at 9:09 PM on February 1, 2018

I don't smoke, so all I can do is relay this story...

In 1996, my dad & boyfriend were cleaning house to paint, and found a baggie that had been stashed and forgotten in the bottom of a large vase. Nice and dark interior, but located close to our wood stove.

They took it outside and either smoked it or threw it in the burn barrel. Either way, it had some effect, much to my naive mortification.

It was more than TWENTY years old.
posted by stormyteal at 9:22 PM on February 1, 2018 [8 favorites]

I get fresh stuff that is cured to "kind of dry," you'll be fine. Enjoy!
posted by rhizome at 10:03 PM on February 1, 2018

I have found that old weed gives me more bad effects--foggyheadedness and a hungover feeling--and far fewer of the magical stoner expansiveness that should, at very least, precede the fog and hangover! YMMV, especially since it's been stored so well.
posted by tapir-whorf at 12:14 AM on February 2, 2018 [2 favorites]

Roll that shit, light that shit, smoke it.
posted by ZipRibbons at 3:00 AM on February 2, 2018 [4 favorites]

Oh gosh yes.

I'm a squirreler and get presents like this from my past self on a pretty regular basis. Sometimes I use 'em and sometimes I just re-squirrel them for my future self.
posted by inexorably_forward at 4:29 AM on February 2, 2018 [8 favorites]

For educational purposes, you might consider testing the Neil Young honey slide method.
posted by mr. digits at 5:14 AM on February 2, 2018 [2 favorites]

So I had a "friend" that bought a 1993 camper van and drove it all over, crossing into Canada and reentering the US multiple times. Last year, while doing some modifications, he discovered a small baggie secreted in the trim above the driver's side window. It was so old the border dogs couldn't smell it. But it smoked up just fine, although it was milder than most modern weed, it did the trick. Or so I'm told.
posted by Floydd at 7:35 PM on February 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Well, it looks like the consensus is basically "420 blaze it" so I did. And it was totally fine! If I didn't know already that it was a little over four years old, I would never have guessed. Thanks everyone!
posted by Pseudonymous Sockpuppet at 7:53 PM on February 2, 2018 [6 favorites]

Just wanted to add that when you come upon over-dry herb, simply stick it in a ziploc with an orange peel for half an hour. That'll bring back enough moisture to make it 95% as good as the day you got it.
posted by arishaun at 11:37 PM on February 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

If you use fruit to rehydrate cannabis - use it immediately or it'll start to go mouldy and/or over-hydrate.

Or just rehydrate just enough bud for what you desire to smoke 'immediately.'
posted by porpoise at 4:44 PM on February 3, 2018

It is safe to smoke, but it may not be enjoyable to do so. Likely dry, stale and may lack potency. If you want to try and re-hydrate, definitely follow porpose's advice above.
posted by terrapin at 8:19 AM on February 6, 2018