Today it’s fairly easy to acquire medical marijuana in states where weed has been legalized. You can get different cannabis products ranging from cannabis concentrates and edibles, to oils and topicals, as well as choose your preferred method of consumption which can be bongs, vapes, dabs, etc.
However, acquiring weed in the past wasn’t as easy as it is today. Nowadays, you simply go to a dispensary, get your cannabis buds, place them in a grinder, grind them up, assemble a joint, and light it up. Back in the day, however, marijuana buds were illegal and were only sold on the black market. As a result of the Controlled Substances Act, cannabis became illegal and was sold as dry weed or “brick weed.”
These days, even if weed is becoming legal in a lot of countries, there are chances that you may come across some dry weed that needs to be fluffed. Well, we’re here to tell you how you can do it.
The 411 on Brick Weed
Brick weed, which is a term coined for different shapes of compacted marijuana, used to be a very popular way in which ganja was sold back in the day. Typically, a brick weighed about 500 grams or 1 lb and was sold on the black market.
This form of selling weed was trending during the 1970s and 1980s, and it was popular until the 2000s. Before the era of legalization and home cultivation, a lot of medical marijuana users were getting their brick weed stash on the streets.
This type of dry weed came from Jamaica, Mexico, or Thailand and was exported to the US and European markets. Although the quality of weed wasn’t nearly as good as those on the market today, there were a few popular strains that came from these countries, like:
- Acapulco Gold – a Sativa legend that came from Mexico and was very popular in the 1960s with THC levels as high as 23%.
- Mexican Sativa – a hybrid strain made up of the Sativa – Durban Poison and the Indica – Pakistani Hash Plant with THC levels of about 17% and CBD levels of 1%.
- Cannalope Haze – almost a pure Sativa strain which has a mix of tropical, floral, and melon flavors and 16% THC.
Why Isn’t Brick Weed as Popular as It Used to Be?
Brick weed isn’t trending today for a couple of reasons. On the one hand, modern cultivation methods have made significant changes to the cannabis culture. As indoor cannabis cultivation gained its momentum, cannabis growers took the weed game to the next level. Advanced growing techniques like SOG, ScrOG, and others made cannabis users self-sufficient, which in turn reduced the need to buy brick weed.
On the other hand, cannabis legalization has spread around the globe as more and more countries are legalizing weed. As a result of that, recreational users are able to buy their own stash in dispensaries that provide dank high-quality marijuana, as opposed to buying lower-grade weed on the black market.
Fluff Up and Rehydrate Your Dry Cannabis Buds
Even though brick weed isn’t as common as it was in the past, you can still come across dry cannabis that’s in dire need of rehydrating. Maintaining the ideal moisture levels preserves the flavor and potency of your weed, while also keeping your terpene and cannabinoid levels as close to the condition after the drying and curing process. If this is your first time dealing with dry weed, read on to find out how to rehydrate your stash.
Use Lemon or Orange Peels
If you’re using brick weed, break it apart, and place bite-size pieces in a glass jar (if you’re rehydrating dried out cannabis, place small pieces inside a jar). Place a slice of citrus fruit peel and seal the jar with a lid. Let the jar air out every day to prevent mold from forming. Lemon or orange peels will also add a little fruity undertone to your stash. You could also use a damp paper towel or a cotton ball instead of the orange peel, although it won’t provide extra terpene flavor.
Steam Your Brick Weed
You can fluff up a larger piece of brick weed by steaming it over a boiling pot. Place the brick weed in a strainer over the pot for 60-90 seconds. This method of rehydration will require that you dry the weed after you’ve steamed it, as the weed will inevitably retain a lot of the moisture from the steaming process.
How to Prevent Dry Cannabis
While you may not be looking to buy brick weed nowadays, you may come across some dry cannabis nugs, or maybe you’ve had some weed laying around that has dried out. To prevent that from happening in the first place, you can follow our tips and tricks below.
Store Your Weed in an Air-Tight Container Away From Light
UV rays and oxygen are a nightmare for already dried and cured cannabis. To keep your cannabis at peek freshness, keep the jars in a dark corner. That will not only keep it fresh, but will also delay the process of THC converting to CBN which inevitably happens over time.
Use Glass Jars and Avoid Plastic Bags
To keep your fresh bud fresher for a longer time, avoid keeping it in a plastic bag. Plastic bags would allow air to get in, and storing your cannabis this way will only dry it out faster. Opt for a mason jar or any other glass jar or Tupperware instead.
Final Thoughts on Rehydrating Cannabis
Rehydrating your stash is a fairly easy process, but it’s also a delicate one. You need to make sure that you don’t over-hydrate the nugs since it can cause mold and bud rot (and ruin your stash). So check your weed regularly as you’re rehydrating it to see if it has reached its proper moisture content. The goal is to return your weed to its previous state of moisture content, not make it soaking wet.
Keep in mind that by rehydrating your stash, you won’t achieve the initial quality of the weed before it dried out. Rehydrated weed won’t be as high-quality as weed that has been dried and cured from the fresh flower.
And in the end, some weed can’t be saved and rehydrated. If the bud looks like it can’t be helped, it probably can’t be. In that case, go to your local dispensary and get yourself some high-quality, freshly cured, and dried cannabis. Then light up and enjoy!
