I have a large Tupperware container full of marijuana stems.
Every week the lid gets just a little harder to close.
I didn’t have a plan when I started saving the stems. In the beginning, throwing them out felt wasteful… almost like I was throwing out smokeable weed. In the past few years, I kept collecting more out of habit than any real plan to put the stems to use.
But my weed drawer isn’t big enough to fit any more stems.
And that leaves me with a choice to make. Either I give the stems their own drawer (am I ready for such a commitment?!) or I put them to use.
Before I can make such an important decision, I need a plan. I need to know my options.
If (like me) your stem cache is growing too large, shrink it back down with these 8 creative ways to use marijuana stems.
1. DIY Marijuana Tea
Ok, so you’ve probably heard of stem tea before. But this is one of the fastest, easiest ways to put old stems to use. And who doesn’t like a good cup of tea?
Start by decarboxylizing your stems. Spread the stems over an oven tray and heat for about 60 minutes at 225 degrees Fahrenheit. This converts THCA to THC, increasing strength.
Chop up the stems and add them to a saucepan with water or milk, then bring to a light boil. Keep stirring for about 7 minutes before straining out the stems.
Add flavor as desired—honey, lemon, or mint are all great places to start.
2.DIY Cannabutter or Cannabis Cooking Oil
Like with pot tea, you’ll want to decarboxylize your stems before using them to make cannabutter or canna oil.
Many cannachefs include flower as well as stems to maximize potency, but this isn’t necessary if you prefer to smoke your flower and just cook the stems.
Check out this cannabutter recipe from Royal Queen Seeds for step-by-step instructions—just replace the 28g of weed with “as many stems as you can manage.”
Or, to make your own THC-infused oil, check out this canna oil recipe from Leafly.
3. Marijuana Alcohol (Make Your Own Tincture)
That’s right. THC-infused alcohol can be made in the comfort of your own home.
The process is similar to storing whiskey or other spirits in an oak barrel—except instead of taking on elements of the wood, you’ll be infusing your alcohol with cannabis.
Leafly offers up a few simple tincture recipes you can use to get started.
Or pick up a high-potency, ready-to-use cannabis tincture at Karing Kind in North Boulder (maybe I’ll see you there!).
4. DIY Hemp Rope/Wick
This one will take a bit of work, but it’s a great way to keep your hands busy while watching a movie or killing time.
First, use a sharp blade to strip the longest marijuana stems into strings of fibers. Twist the fibers together to form a rope. Next, fold the rope over and twist again… like we did last summer.
Finally, dip the rope in beeswax and let it dry.
Check out this step-by-step guide (with pictures) on rollitup.
5. Weaving
Now that you’ve seen how to make hemp rope, you’re one step closer to weaving a homemade marijuana stem basket.
Start by soaking a bunch of long stems in water overnight. The next morning, use hemp rope to tie a few together. From here the weaving process gets a bit more involved, so I’ll direct you to a few of the more helpful resources I found on how to weave a basket: WikiHow and Jonathan Ridgeon. Just substitute stems for wicker.
6. Make Your Own Cannabis Stem Pen & Hemp Paper
With a little time and effort you could be writing memos on hemp paper with a stem pen you made yourself.
To build your own stem pen, pick up a pen kit (you can find these online) and use a thick cannabis stalk instead of wood or another material.
If you don’t have access to the thick enough stalks to build your own pen, you can still make your own hemp paper using the tutorial in the video below:
Or if you’re running a little low on stems, you can mix ground up stems with paper scraps and soak them overnight. Then move on to the blender step in the video above.
7. Marijuana Stem Kebab Skewers
Pick long, straight stems and use a sharp blade to trim unseemly knots and sharpen one end. You’ll want to soak the stems overnight to keep them from breaking while you’re loading up the kebab.
Couple this with marijuana tinctures for the ultimate THC-themed dinner party.
8. Make Your Own Cannabis Stem Bowl Screen
This one’s pretty self-explanatory. And it’s safer than using tinfoil or other materials that are dangerous to inhale. Just measure the size of the opening in your bowl and trim a few stems to fit.
Karing Kind is Boulder’s First Recreational Marijuana Dispensary
We strive to offer a top-tier experience every time you enter our store. Our extensive menu of clean-grown bud, award-winning budtenders, incredible deals, and the lowest marijuana tax rate in the state make us the perfect Colorado cannabis destination.
Karing Kind is located just off of US-36, one mile north of Broadway, open daily from 9am to 10pm.
While we carry a variety of strains, concentrates, edibles, salves and tinctures, inventory and stock levels fluctuate from week to week. Check our menu and follow us on Twitter for an up-to-date list of edibles, concentrates and buds available.