jason-crawford

Medically Reviewed by
Jason Crawford

Article Last Updated on December 26, 2022

If you’re a home grower, cannabis weed stems are one thing you probably have in abundance. This common plant material is usually left behind after picking the buds apart, or after trimming your cannabis plants, and even. Even though weed stems don’t have huge amounts of THC or any other cannabinoids for that matter, these shouldn’t go to waste.

If you’re a cannabis consumer who has a bag full of cannabis stems and don’t know what to do with them, this article will definitely be your cup of tea – pun intended. We’ll go over what weed stems are, whether you can smoke them, as well as how you can use them for health and wellness, so read on.

Can You Smoke Weed Stems?

Smoking weed is often related to the cannabis flower, however, some users wonder whether cannabis stems can be smoked as well. While this may seem like the most logical and simplest solution since they have a small amount of trichomes, smoking stems can result in a harsh smoke which probably won’t even give you a high. That’s why we recommend other ways of using up your leftover cannabis stems.

What to Do With Your Leftover Marijuana Stems?

As we’ve mentioned above, weed stems are the scraps that are left behind when trimming weed, or when separating the buds you purchased from the dispensary. If you’ve started collecting them and have collected a lot, we’ll give you a few ways on how you can use them. 

But first things first, you need to decarboxylate the stems to convert the precursors of THC and CBD, THCA and CBDA, into their psychoactive and sedative counterparts. To do so, spread the weed stems on a sheet tray and bake them in the oven for about 60 minutes at a temperature of about 210-230°F (or 100-110°C). After you’ve decarboxylated your stems, it’s time to start making some DIY cannabis products.

We need to mention that dispensaries carry a lot of the cannabis products we’ll mention in this article, such as dabs, tinctures, vapes, weed edibles, and others, but they’re often made from the cannabis flower, unlike the ones we’ll discuss below which are made using weed stems.

Charas

The first product on this list that uses weed stems is charas. To make charas using your leftover weed stems, gather a bit of stems between your hands and rub them to collect the hash. After you have resinous hash on your hands, rub them over a container to store your product. Note that you’ll probably need a large amount of stems to make a small amount of charas.

Kief

Kief is another cannabis product you can collect from your marijuana stems. To make kief, you’ll need to break the stems into smaller pieces and place them in the freezer inside a ziploc bag. Any time you add more stems to the collection, shake the bag so the resin crystals detach from the stem. Once you have collected enough kief, sift it out of the stems and make some moon rocks or use the kief to top your joint and make it more potent.

Stem Bubble Hash

Another thing you can do with your stems is make stem bubble hash. This solventless method washes the resin off of the stems using ice cold water, and the resin is filtered with the help of special bags. The final product can be less potent than the bubble hash you would make from the cannabis flower, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t make it if you’ve collected a lot of weed stems.

Cannabis Stem Tea and Chai

We’ve already posted a recipe about how you can make CBD tea, and you can use the same recipe to make a tea out of the cannabis stems by using some boiling water and your favorite tea. Remember that cannabis tea doesn’t taste that great on its own. So you can add some herbs, coconut oil, a tea bag, and also cannabutter or cannabis oil to increase its potency. If you decide to make chai, add spices such as pepper, cardamom pods, ginger, cinnamon, or another spice you like, and simmer the concoction on low heat to infuse the spices..

Marijuana Liqueur and Cocktails

If you’re into liquid calories, you can make a cannabis infused drink. To do that, you’ll need your favorite drink which contains 40% of alcohol or more such as tequila, vodka, whiskey, rum, or others, and dissolve the resin in it. Another thing you’ll need is a mason jar filled with your favorite drink and a handful of weed stems. Swap out the weed stems after a week with new ones, and let the potency of the alcohol build over a few months (the longer you leave it, the better it will be). You can use the concoction as a tincture, or make your favorite cocktails with it.

Cannabutter and Cannabis Oil

If you’ve been reading our articles for a while, you know that we’ve covered topics such as making your own cannabis butter and cannabis oil, so you could definitely repurpose those articles and use weed stems instead of cannabis buds. You can use your weed butter or oil to make edibles, and also spice up your savory dishes and soups.

Stem Hash Oil

An easy way to make a cannabis product out of weed stems is to make stem hash oil. For this, you’ll need to grind your stems until they resemble a fine powder (remember to decarb prior to grinding them), and add the powder to a mason jar filled with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Close the jar with the lid and shake it continuously for about 2 minutes. Strain the liquid with a sieve or coffee filter, scrape off the resin, and allow the leftover alcohol to evaporate. You can use the stem hash oil topically or in cooking. 

Topicals and Lotions

Topicals and lotions are all the rage on the cannabis market today, but did you know that you can use your weed stems to make a lotion? You can find a simple recipe for making a topical lotion and swap out the flower with weed stems. Swap about 30g of cannabis flower with 3 times the amount of stems to make the recipe, add essential oils such as peppermint or lavender, mix in some coconut oil, and bottle your lotion. This lotion will help take care of your sore muscles and achy joints when applied locally.

Kebab Skewers

You can also use the weed stems as skewers for your kebabs by sharpening the end and soaking them overnight. The next day you’re ready to assemble your kebabs and enjoy them in this unique way.

Make Hemp Paper

You can recycle your paper scraps and make them into interesting cards by incorporating cannabis stems. To make your DIY paper, soak the paper scraps and ground up cannabis stems overnight. The next day, add the mixture to a blender and blend the mixture thoroughly. Pour the mixture onto a screen (or make a deckle by placing stretch nylon stockings over a wooden frame and pour the mixture over them) and let it dry for about 24 hours. Remove the hemp paper from the screen or deckle before it’s completely dry, and you have your hemp paper. 

Make a Hemp Wick

Use your cannabis stalks and stems to make your own hemp wick. For this, strip the stalks with a knife until you get long fibers and twist them tightly to make a rope. Fold the rope over and twist it again. Finally, dip the wick in beeswax, remove the excess, and allow it to completely dry.

Basket

Use your leftover stems to weave a homemade basket. To make your basket, soak the stems overnight to keep the stems from breaking when you weave them. The next day, find a tutorial about making baskets and start tying the stems together with hemp rope. Weave your basket as if you would weave a wicker one, and display it proudly inside your home.

Final Thoughts on Putting Your Cannabis Stems to Good Use

In this day and age when we’re creating more waste than ever, it’s a good idea to reuse the natural materials we have lying around our house and repurpose them. We hope this article has given you enough inspiration to further explore how you can use weed stems, and maybe even motivation to try some of these DIYs yourself.

A passionate advocate for the benefits of cannabis. Fraser Horton, who has a background in botany and a strong love of nature, has spent years researching how cannabis affects the body and mind. He established Leaf Nation in 2020, where he has devoted himself to educating people about the legalisation of marijuana and its safe and responsible use. Fraser is committed to highlighting cannabis’ potential for improving wellness and working to dispel the stigma associated with its use.

Disclaimer

The information presented on this page is provided as a public service to aid in education and is derived from sources believed to be reliable. Readers are responsible for making their own assessment of the topics discussed here. In no event shall Leaf Nation be held reliable for any injury, loss or damage that could happen if using or abusing drugs.