Moldy Marijuana – The Dangers and Side Effects

Moldy marijuana is something you want to avoid altogether. It should go without saying that inhaling mold is not a good idea. Inhaling anything other than oxygen is bad for your lungs. But if you have to smoke, as we all do, then you want to make sure your plants are fresh and free of mold. The dangers of breathing mold are well documented. To that end, let us look at moldy marijuana – the dangers and side effects, and some solutions to avoid the mold problem altogether.

Danger, Danger, Will Robinson

Mold is not good for Will Robinson, you, me or anyone else for that matter. The air is full of millions of molecules that we breathe into our lungs every day. Many of these molecules are dangerous, including mold spores. You breathe in mold spores every day. A low amount is not all that dangerous to a person with a healthy immune system. But if your immune system is breached, or you spend time in unsafe environments, this can be life-threatening.

The side effects can be devastating to your lungs and general health. The places that mold is most likely to thrive is wherever there is moisture. Weed is moist. For this reason, storing your weed in plastic containers, for example, can be problematic. Hence, it is vital that your buds dry out before storage. Otherwise, you are likely to become a mold farmer. Shoot for a dry place with less than 15% humidity.

The biggest problem is that mold is a living organism that is reproducing at a maddening pace before you can spot it with your eyes. By the time you see mold, there are millions of spores in your stash. Furthermore, the mold destroys the THC in the buds. And that is not a good thing.

How Can I tell if my Weed is Moldy?

There are simple and obvious ways to check your weed for freshness. One is to look at it. A careful examination is usually enough to determine if your weed is no longer fresh. Smelling it is also a good way to survey the integrity. If you smell anything other than a nice cannabis aroma that you expect to smell you probably have a mold issue.

Then there are the sellers, growers and dispensary owners. It is far more crucial to sellers and growers that their crops are mold-free. They can lose lots of money and could even be responsible for someone’s death. So, this is serious. They use black lights. Placing buds under black light will expose the mold spores. They show up a distinctive green under a black light. The light will also expose the growth of black spots and/or whitish-grey strings growing off the plant.

Types of Growth That Ruin Your Weed

There are some very common strains and then there a few that, although less common, can be very dangerous to your weed and your health. Aspergillus is the most common and most likely to affect your marijuana. This causes lung disease and is most likely to ruin your crops. Botrytis is also called “bud rot.” That ought to be self-explanatory. This mold strain will destroy all your marijuana. Then there’s penicillium. Penicillium may benefit your plants as it is an antibiotic and used in food production to ward off bad mold. There are however bad strains that can be destructive.