What To Do With Weed Stems: Get High, Relaxed, Or… Crafty!

After you’ve trimmed your cannabis plants of its buds, you’re left with a bunch of stems and stalks. However, these parts are not completely useless and could be worth saving. Before you think of throwing them away, read ahead and see what you can do with weed stems.

Make Some Drinks or Foods

If you’re wondering what to do with marijuana stems, one of the best uses for them is to add them to your favorite foods and drinks.

Have a Cup of Cannabis-Infused Tea

Did you know that many cannabis growers save stems to make weed stem tea? To follow their lead, just let your stems seep in hot water for 24 hours if you want just the distinct flavor. For something more potent, decarb your weed stems and then boil them in milk or butter before adding to the tea of your choice.

Make Stem-Infused Alcohol

Cannabis stems are among the ingredients for an alcoholic beverage known as “Green Dragon”. To make the drink, simply take your stems and fill a mason jar with them to the brim. Then add a high-proof alcohol, such as whiskey, tequila or vodka. Store your jar in a dark, cool place for at least a week, shaking once a day to disperse the stems evenly. Filter your liquid through a strainer upon serving, but take it slow – your infused alcohol drink could be quite potent!

Simple Cannabutter With Stems

Stems can be used to cook them into cannabis-infused butter just like any other type of bud. To make cannabutter, grind your stems in a food processor, but not too finely so that it’s still easy to strain out later. Simmer the stems and butter together with water in a saucepan for at least 45 minutes (3-4 hours for best results). Let your butter solidify, then store for later use in all your favorite dishes. For the full guide with ingredients and directions, check out our article.

How to Decarb Cannabis Stems?

Decarboxylation transforms your weed, including the stems, and unleashes some of the THC or CBD using heat exposure. This process basically strips away the carboxyl group from cannabinoid acids. While smoking or vaping can do the trick, if you're making edibles like cannabutter, you'll have to pop those stems in the oven to get the job done. Here's a quick and easy way to decarboxylate the stems:

1. Set your oven to 110°C.
2. Spread the stems on an oven tray avoiding high piles.
3. Place the tray in the oven for 30-45 minutes.
4. Watch them to achieve a light brown color without burning.
5. Allow it to dry, and then use in any infusion you choose.

How to Get High Using Leftover Stems

If you want to use stems to get high, you’ll need a large amount of them, as THC in stems is very low. The recommended minimum for many of these recipes would be about 10 grams.

How Much THC Is There in Cannabis Stems?

Weed stems do contain small amounts of THC – about 0.1% to 0.5% – which is a lot less than what occurs in cannabis flowers. You might want to throw them away, but stems may give you a mild fun way to try cannabis beyond the usual stuff. Just keep in mind, you won't get very high so don't expect much.

Make Your Own Hash Oil With Stems

If you’re looking to get high off your stems, try making something more potent like hash oil. Fill an entire mason jar with finely-ground stems and add 90% isopropyl alcohol, then shake the jar for 2-3 minutes. Strain the liquid through a silk or coffee filter and scrape off the leftover resin. Make sure the alcohol is fully evaporated before adding your hash oil to your next bowl, joint or meal.

Simple Stem Bubble Hash

Why not have fun and use some cannabis stems to make a batch of hemp bubble hash? Add equal parts cold water, ice and stems to a blender and frappe until you have a light, fluffy mixture. Repeat this process until all stems have been mixed. Sift into a jar, let the trichomes separate from the ice water mixture, then dump the water. Repeat this process 4-5 times, and finish by sifting the remaining stem-ice water mixture through a coffee filter. Let dry and use as you wish!

Extract Charas From Your Stems

You can also extract charas from your weed stems and other trimmings. Charas, sometimes referred to as “finger hash”, is a popular extract in Nepal and India, and very easy to obtain. Simply rub your stems in your hands thoroughly, being sure not to miss any crevices, to extract the resin from your stems. A thick coating should appear on your hands; scrape this off and it’s ready to use!

Get Crafty: Further Uses for Stems

You’ve eaten your stems, you’ve gotten high from them, but what else can you do with this part of marijuana? Here are some ways to use your stems in arts and crafts.

Work With Your Hands: Crafting With Stems

Stems also have various uses in arts and crafts. Use fibers from larger branches to make wine and baskets, and leave smaller stems to create filters or screens for glassware. You can even produce your own recycled stem paper by grinding stems into a fine powder, adding water, and laying out the paste to dry on a deckle.

Making Stem Topicals

If you still have some weed stalks left, use them to make a nice topical cream for nourishing and moisturizing your skin. To make the base for any topical, melt 1 ½ cups (324 grams) of coconut oil and simmer with stems for 20 minutes. Strain the stems from this mixture and combine with ⅓ cup (68 grams) of melted beeswax. Add essential oil of your choosing for added flavor and let the mixture solidify completely before application.

What About Smoking Leftover Weed Stems?

Apart from the cooking, crafting, and other methods of using cannabis stems previously explained, smoking them may also come to your mind. But even if doing so is technically feasible, the general perception is that it’s not advisable. We will now touch on the reasons for that.

Can You Smoke Stems Despite the Low Cannabinoid Content?

Sure, you could smoke cannabis stems, but the experience most probably won’t be pleasant. Stems have minimal amounts of THC, so you won't get that desired head high like you would from smoking buds. Plus, it just smells bad and can irritate your throat and lungs. The taste is nothing to write home about either – it's woody and bitter, not exactly delicious like top-notch bud.

However, if you're determined to use every part of the plant, there are better options for those stems. Most people opt to grind them up for tea or for cooking. A popular choice is turning them into cannabis-infused butter or oil. This way, you can still get a little bit of cannabinoids without the downside of smoking.

Does Smoking Weed Stems Cause a Headache?

Smoking weed stems can lead to a headache. The amount of THC in the stems is very low compared to that in the buds, and, thus, the desired effect is not achieved. On the contrary, the steam generated by stems burning is poor, which is heavy and unpleasant to your throat and lungs. This harsh smoke further causes the discomfort and leads to headaches in some users.

Furthermore, the stems contain more cellulose and other plant materials than the buds and these materials can not burn as cleanly as the buds. There are also more toxins and byproducts in the smoke. These substances can exacerbate headaches and make smoking cannabis stems even less enjoyable.

If You’d Still Like to Try, How Do You Grind Weed Stems?

To grind the stems, you do the same things as when you grind other parts of the weed plant. First, make sure your stems are dry enough. If they are, just put them in your grinder and turn it until they're as fine as you want. You might want to make them a bit chunkier than usual, since stems are often drier than buds. In case you’ve decided to smoke them, remember that stems burn fast, producing smoke that's not nice to inhale. Grinding them a bit chunkier helps a bit, but it won't totally fix the problem of harsh hot smoke that ground stems make. So if you're looking for a way to put your cannabis stems to good use, just check out the options above.

Upcycling Done Right

The next time you harvest one of your plants, think twice about disposing of its stems. As you can see, there are many cases when cannabis stems come in handy. So now that you know what to do with weed stems, be sure to save them for some tinctures, cannabis tea or coffee, marijuana topicals, and many other great uses!

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