8 Ways To Put Your Leftover Stems To Good Use

2. Time for Some Stem Cocktails

Alcohol plus marijuana is a great combination. For example, people have been mixing weed with vodka and other liquors for a long time.

So why can’t we use the same combination, but with a stem-centric twist? Because, people, cannabis stems can make amazing weed cocktails too.

What you’ll need is a strong, concentrated alcohol. You could do vodka, tequila, rum, or whatever else happens to be your preferred poison. Just make sure it’s 40% alcohol or higher.

Again, make sure you decarboxylate your marijuana stems, to activate the THC. The easiest way to do that is to place them in a hot oven. Simply grind up the plant material, spread it out on a baking sheet, and put in an oven set to 230°F. Leave it in there for 110 minutes.

Once that’s done, drop your activated matter into a bottle of your favorite liquor. Be sure to pour out a little bit first, so there’s room for the stems.

Seal the bottle tightly and shake well. Leave the bottle in a dark place for at least a week, or as long as 10 days.

You’ll have to shake the bottle vigorously for a minute or two every day. During those seven to 10 days, the alcohol will draw out all the THC from those leftover stems.

All you have to do now is strain the cocktail to remove all plant matter and enjoy. But make sure you take it slow. Test out the potency of your homemade cocktail before going too hard.

3. Stem Hash Oil, Anyone?

Since you can make hash oil out of cannabis flowers and kief, then why not leftover stems, too? True, they will be much less potent. But at the end of the day, THC is THC.

Making hash oil is basically separating oil from the cannabis plant using a solvent. The best one to use is 99% isopropyl alcohol.

For stem hash oil, you’ll need to grind the stems until they become an extremely fine powder.

Add the stem powder to a glass jar filled with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Cover it and shake vigorously for one to two minutes.

Strain immediately. Then transfer the liquid to a wide-bottomed glass dish or bowl. Set this dish in a well-ventilated space and let all the alcohol evaporate.

When it’s done, it will leave behind a sticky, resinous residue. There you have it — stem hash oil.