Editor's note: This article has been reviewed and updated for accuracy in 2026. This is the question that everyone who loves Mary Jane ends up asking themselves at some point, more often during the beginning of the weed love affair vs the end. But, similar to how long do hotdogs stay good, most of us haven't bothered to actually get to the truth of the matter, preferring just to risk it and see what happens. Fortunately, smoking old weeds is a heck of a lot less dangerous than eating expired meat products. What Happens If You Smoke Expired Weed? Expired weed is just weed that's been improperly stored or exposed to too much sun and/or oxygen. Expired buds usually lose their vibrant green/orange/purple colors and become browner as they age and degrade. Terpenes escape via oxygenation and UV rays from sunlight or big florescent lights can break down the complex cannabinoids in the terpene structures. As the flower ages it becomes more brittle and much of the <a aria-label=THC-containing trichomes (opens in a new tab) h