Smoking Moldy Weed: Is it Good for You?

Consider yourself fortunate if you have never experienced smoking a moldy weed. Perhaps you were sold with some mistreated homegrown bud or saw a long lost stash (not knowing it was improperly stored), but no matter how you acquire it, you were likely frustrated and most likely disposed of the stuff. But what could have happened if you did not throw the weed? Is there a danger in smoking moldy weed?

Lately, molds together with the toxins they create are catching the eye of the medicinal communities. Any moist surroundings can be a breeding setting for catastrophic fungus and bacteria. Compressed cannabis flowers commonly make the best concealing spot for mildew and molds, particularly if the bud has been a little damp or wet. Breathing in this mold straight to the lungs may trigger some health issues for just any type of consumer, although it can be specifically agitating for the medicinal users. 

How to Check Moldy Weeds?

Moldy weed commonly has a grayish-white covering. If you are not a grower or you don’t categorize yourself as an aficionado, it can be very easy to mix up trichomes to mold, or the other way around. 

Trichomes are the vicious and smooth crystals found on the buds and leaves that provide cannabis its scent. Different from trichomes that look similar to tiny hairs that almost look to sparkle, molds have a white or gray powdery look. Also, molds have a unique scent attached to it, hence the nose is likely to recognize it before the eyes can do. Moldy weed commonly has a mildewy or musty fragrance, or it may create a scent that resembles hay.

Is it Good for You?

Why even bother caring about the occurrence of mold in the weed? In the end, isn’t that mold is an origin of medicine or treatment just like cannabis? Well, mildew and molds are fungi that prosper in moist environments with an insufficient circulation of air. With weed, the occurrence of mildews or molds signifies that the plants are unhealthy, not medicated.

Although some molds release antibiotics such as penicillin, medicating an infection through smoking moldy weed can be considered a bad idea. People with an allergy to penicillin may respond fiercely to smoking mold. Other people like those who are suffering from compromised immune systems may not be able to combat the spores of mildews, resulting in moldy lungs because of breathing in shitty weed.

Smoking moldy weed will probably not cause you death. However, it is still not advised to consume a moldy weed.

Among healthy individuals, smoking moldy weed is not likely to create a damaging effect on the health – discounting the overall hazards of smoking. If you happen to smoke moldy weed, you may feel different symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, and coughing, which are more obnoxious than treacherous.

However, if you develop an allergy to mold, you may result in the inflammation of your lungs or sinuses and manifestations that may include the following:

• Wheezing
• Sinus pain
• Congestion
• Drainage

For people with sluggish immune systems or certain lung conditions, breathing in the smoke from a moldy weed may lead to some serious health conditions. Fungi such as Cryptococcus, Mucor, and Aspergillus can develop critical and even noxious infections in the central nervous system, lungs, and the brain in individuals with imperiled immune systems.

You might ask whether it would be possible to just remove the mold. Well, this can be tempting – cutting off the moldy parts and smoke the remaining parts. However, it is not a brilliant idea. Life is too short for unpleasant bud. If you notice mildew or mold in your weed, you better throw it off. It is not going to smell or taste good anyway, and it can also make you sick.

Why Smoking Moldy Weed Makes You Sick?

There are several reasons why smoking moldy weed can trigger adverse effects on health. Mold spores can endure amazingly in rough environmental settings, including being flamed, only to stay inside the damp and warm environment within the human body. If the immune system is not that strong, this can develop lung infection.

Moldy weed may also develop sickness because of its compounds which are known as mycotoxins and endotoxins. Mycotoxins settle on the exterior of mold spores and in little portions of the mold. They are classified as toxins because they are damaging to the body, and may cause illness and irritation. This is particularly noticed if you are consistently exposed to them and in huge volumes.

Endotoxins, on the other hand, are molecules produced by bacteria as they perish. Commonly, endotoxins and molds go together, making exposure particularly disturbing. Endotoxins are known to aggravate the manifestations of asthma and a factor in lung irritation.

Breathing in several mycotoxins and endotoxins together may trigger inflammation. Chronic vulnerability to mildews and pro-inflammatory molds may worsen autoimmune conditions and heightens the possibility of forming an infection.

In the worst case, this infection may lead to pneumonia and may spread to the other parts of the human body. Symptoms of mildew exposure and acute mold may include the following:

• Dizziness
• Headache
• Changes in mood
• Allergy attack or asthma
• Fatigue
• Chest pain
• Light sensitivity
• Weakness
• Cough
• Memory impairment or brain fog

How to Determine If You Are Buying a Moldy Weed?

There is no need to worry about the possibility of getting a moldy weed if you choose to buy your stash from a credible cannabis club, marijuana dispensary, or coffee shop. Unfortunately, being worried about a moldy weed is inevitable since mold does not single out between neophytes and professionals, all it needs is excellent conditions, even after harvest.

The inappropriate storage of a cannabis seller may lead a jar loaded of weed into a shaggy turmoil of fungus. Wet weed is a breeding environment for fungus and allurement for mold.

Even after a cautious and slow drying, preferably, in simple paper bags, the final step is the curing and most often where it all happens wrong. 

Another undesirable feature of a moldy weed is its smell. There are times that it can be associated with hay, although something is always mortifying when the smell of a moldy weed. It will be helpful to give your chosen stash a puff also while you are doing your inspection. Many known cannabis sellers are not too particular on customers who are very touchy and feely with the menu.

How to Spot a Moldy Weed?

Marijuana plants come in different colors, hence, it will be very easy for the neophytes to not distinguish the distinction between the normal buds and those that are infested by mold. The surest way to discern a mold is to place the plant beneath a black light. If there are spores available, they will emanate a unique green color. However, you can also conclude that mold is present if you notice any strange black or dark green spots, or you observe gray or white-shaded strings emanating from the plant. 

Mold spores can also affect the fragrance of the plant and develop a musty odor. Several types of weed can commonly affect weed. Here is quick information about each:

• Aspergillus – This is the most common kind of mold spores, and probably the one that you will commonly encounter in just any kind of environment. The aspergillus strain is condemned for a huge variety of issues such as triggering a lung disease not just on humans but also in animals and causing food to taint. It is even responsible for the foul-smelling of shoes.
• Botrytis – This strain is also known as “bud rot”. Although it is more likely to infect grapes, it can also do several harms to the cannabis plants. In certain extreme scenarios, it can abolish the whole cannabis plant.
• Penicillium – There are variants of this strain that are believed to be useful. They are utilized to create cheese as well as the mighty – and often life-rescuing – antibiotic Penicillin. However, other strains are extremely detrimental. They do not only damage plants, but they may also create a serious implication for the welfare of humans and also the animals.

How to Prevent Mold?

Storage is all that matters when it comes to avoiding mold. Uncovering the weed to the wrong humidity, temperature, light, and oxygen may urge the development of mold. Here are some things that you should remember:

1. Do not go for a freezer or fridge

Throw away what you have been suggested about storing the green in the freezer or fridge. The temperatures are extremely low, and the vulnerability to moisture may lead to mold. The recommended temperature in storing cannabis is below 25 degrees Celsius.

2. Use the appropriate container

Glass jars that are designed with an airtight seal are the best containers if you want to prevent mold in your weed. Mason jars and the like help restrict the exposure to moisture and oxygen, which can inhibit mold and can keep the nugs fresh for a longer period.

If you prefer to use something a bit more contemporary than a mason jar, then you can check with your favorite dispensaries as they are likely to sell containers that are designed for this particular purpose.

3. Place it in a dark and dry area

Moisture and direct sunlight are the major factors for mishap when it comes to maintaining the freshness of cannabis. The rays of the sun may heat things and constrain moisture. A damp surrounding may also trigger excessive moisture to accumulate if the container is not properly sealed.

Place the container in a dark and dry cabinet or in a closet that is not exposed to too much heat.

4. Consider the humidity

Cannabis is best stored at a comparative humidity of 59 to 63 percent. If you happen to go anywhere higher, then you might just encounter the risk of cornering moisture and developing mold.

Putting a humidity pack in the container may also help. These are tiny packets that have a combination of water and salts that help manage the humidity in the container. They are affordable and can last for two months.

Another option is humidors that are designed particularly for cannabis – that is if you want to get sophisticated and are willing to spend higher.

Safety Precautions

You should always do your best to avoid smoking moldy weed. Although there can be some times where your weeds only have minimal molds and you may feel that you have no other choice.

If you are running low – and you think that your weed is only slightly infested, there is a precaution to take to ensure your safety. Place the weed on a cookie sheet. Bake it for 15 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, which will terminate some of the more common mold strains.

It is very important to remember that if you experience any kind of respiratory problem, or if you have a compromised immune system, the danger of smoking moldy weed is high. You should never take the risk because this may lead you to a major health problem.

Some may tell you that if you get a water pipe or bong you will be draining out the mold. But that is not the scenario. This method can only drain out perhaps 15 percent of spores. You should not consume any edibles that have moldy weed because that can be more hazardous.

Conclusion

Moldy weed will commonly smell, appear, or taste mortifying. Rapid inspection of your weed before you decide to smoke it is always recommended. This is particularly applicable if you are suffering from a chronic lung ailment such as asthma, or a compromised immune system.

Nevertheless, even if you do not have any health issues, smoking moldy weed is not advised. It will be best to just throw anything that does not seem right. Although you do not have to live your life in the scare of moldy weed, you must have a healthy recognition for it.