Can You Consume Weed Stems? Uses, Risks, and Benefits

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Weed stems constitute the stick-like parts of the marijuana plant that connect to the flower. You may receive a greater or lesser amount of the cannabis stem attached to a bud based on the strain and kind of cannabis you purchase.

Cannabidiol and Tetrahydrocannabinol are the two major cannabinoids found in cannabis stems in trace concentrations. If you have a KIF medical marijuana card and are interested in trying out legal cannabis to help with any health conditions, we strongly advise you to read this first!

Cannabis stems are technically legal to smoke. Should you, however? No. It’s just not worth it. Smoking pot stems are unlikely to produce any psychedelic effects since they include very few, if any, trichomes (tiny bumps that produce the majority of the terpenes and cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant). Furthermore, they are said to taste awful.

Cannabis stems, on the other hand, have additional uses, such as inclusion in foods, hemp wicks, and tinctures.

Can You Consume Cannabis Stems?

While smoking or eating weed stems is technically possible, there are no advantages because they contain relatively few cannabinoids. They lack sufficient cannabinoids to create any physiological or psychological effects.

More importantly, smoking marijuana stems may result in several negative side effects and hazards to your lungs. Stem smoke has an unpleasant flavor, is quite harsh, and may quickly cause irritation to your lungs.

The combustion of cannabis may release several chemicals, irritants, or carcinogens, all of which can be harmful to the health of your lungs.
Smoking cannabis may result in some subsequent negative side effects.

Possible Risks

The stems of cannabis tend to be more fibrous than the flower. As a result, the stems are burned hotter and quicker than the flower, producing more smoke. Consumers have reported the following adverse reactions from this smoke:

• Extensive headache
• Coughing
• Throat discomfort
• Pain in the abdomen
• Nausea

Furthermore, cannabis stems have an unpleasant flavor. Finally, it is preferable to use marijuana stems for a different purpose (discussed further below).

Usage of Marijuana Stems

You must first decarboxylate the marijuana stems before proceeding. Decarboxylation occurs when cannabis is subjected to high temperatures or light, such as when it is baked or consumed. It activates cannabinoids, which are found in the cannabis plant.

Spread your cannabis stems in a single layer on a sheet of parchment paper to decarboxylate. Bake the stems in the oven for about forty-five minutes at 225 degrees F. After they’ve finished baking, you may utilize them.

Can You Become High From Weed Stems?

Cannabis stems have almost no cannabinoids like Cannabidiol, Tetrahydrocannabinol, or CBG. As a result, if you choose to smoke them, you will not get high.

However, the claim that cannabis stems contain no cannabinoids is false. According to lab data, a normal cannabis stem might have anywhere from 0.1% to 0.5% potent Tetrahydrocannabinol.

In comparison, the average THC content of cannabis flowers sold in regulated shops ranges between 15% and 25%.

So, while cannabis stems don’t contain nearly enough THC to be worthwhile smoking, this does not mean they are useless or need to be discarded.

Can You Eat Cannabis Stems?

You can theoretically consume marijuana stems. This does not imply that they will taste delicious or get you high, just as smoking them will not. That is, stems have almost no THC or cannabinoid compounds.

For a long time, many individuals have anecdotes that nibbling on cannabis stems may make you high. However, this is not the case.

Any perceived psychological effects from munching on remaining stems are likely a placebo effect.

However, as previously stated, the absence of THC or other psychoactive substances does not always render cannabis stems useless.

Discover what you may accomplish with your stems before throwing them away:

Brew Cannabis Tea

One of the most effective uses for marijuana stems is for preparing cannabis tea. While stems alone will not get people high, they can be an excellent addition to the cannabis tea mix.

Even if you choose not to use cannabis flowers in your tea, the stems make a delicious cup of tea.

You must first decarb the stems prior they are suitable for brewing. Decarboxylation is a chemical procedure by which heat transforms THCA to THC, a substance called cannabinoid that causes you to get high. When you inhale pot, this happens naturally, but if you’re using extra weed or stems to make cannabis tea, you must decarb them first.

Make Cannabis Topicals

You can utilize leftover plant stems to manufacture your cannabis topicals, just like you can use them to make cannabutter.

Topicals are lotions and creams applied to the skin’s surface directly. Consumers frequently use marijuana topicals to moisturize skin, relieve muscular and joint pain, and treat sensitive skin disorders.

Cannabutter and edibles

Making cannabutter and edibles from cannabis is another fantastic application for weed stems.
Cannabutter is just cannabis oil blended with butter, which is then utilized to make a wide range of consumables such as brownies, cookies, and more.

Most individuals use cannabis flowers to produce cannabutter, but nothing stops you from using your extra stems!

While the stems will not increase the potency of your cannabutter or food items, they will provide a wonderful marijuana-tinged savoriness that will complement your next cuisine.

Make Kief from Stems

Kief is the finely ground substance at the bottom of many cannabis grinders. It is made up of numerous trichomes that have accumulated through time. Because it is so strong, many users of cannabis like to mix it into bowls or joints.

However, kief takes a long time to gather in the kief collector of your grinder. Some like creating their own from old plant stems, including trichomes (kief).

You only need to complete the following:

Cut your stems into tiny pieces (as tiny as you can).

Place the tiny stems in a plastic bag with a zipper in the freezer. It’s usually preferable to keep adding more stalks over time.

Give the plastic container a thorough shake now and again. This should cause the now-frozen trichomes on the stems to fall off.

After a while, you should have a lovely mound of kief at the bottom of the pouch.

Tinctures

You can produce cannabis tinctures using our formula. Make certain to use decarboxylated cannabis stems. You should also double the quantity of marijuana stem you use because it contains far fewer cannabinoids. Mix your tincture with food and drinks once you’ve produced your tincture, or apply a few drops under your tongue for rapid results.

Beverages

There are two simple ways to produce cannabis stem-infused beverages.
To infuse the cocktail, grind up some decarboxylated marijuana stems and add them straight to the booze. You can also brew a tincture and add a few drips to your beverage.

Bottom Line:

It is not advisable to smoke cannabis stems. There are no advantages to smoking marijuana stems. You may encounter undesirable side effects, but no psychedelic effects are likely. However, obtaining medical cannabis is only possible with a KIF medical cannabis certificate.

Still, cannabis can make topicals, tinctures, and edibles to extract cannabinoids that would otherwise be lost when smoking. If you have any marijuana stems remaining, it is preferable to experiment with these methods rather than smoking them.

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FAQs

Do you take out the stems before grinding?

• Before grinding, plant material should be bucked, cut, and cured to remove bigger stems and branches.

Is cannabis stem tea potent?

• However, it differs based on the tea’s cannabinoid composition and the brain’s response. Marijuana tea is a hallucinogenic beverage in general. Marijuana tea will likely produce a considerably stronger sensation than smoked cannabis.

Is it okay to grind stems?

• When you’re down to the stems of your pot, ground them up and add them to a bowl containing new cannabis. However, while smoking the residual stems of your marijuana will provide a further burst of THC to the blend, it’s generally not worth it.