“Just a spoon full of (canna)honey makes the medicine go down, in the most delightful way.”

        -Mary Poppins

Cannabis-infused honey, or cannahoney, is one of the sweetest ways to add therapeutic weed to your life. Like cannabutter and cannaoil, this beautiful bee juice is easy to make. But, it has a longer shelf life than butter and is incredibly versatile when creating cannabinoid culinary concoctions.

Weed-infused honey can be added to virtually anything without adding the flavor of herb. It can add a whole new spectrum to morning tea, smoothies or oatmeal. Honey is also used in dressings and sauces, drizzled on granola and fresh fruit and even blended into batters and butters.

Cannahoney may seem a sticky thing to master, but it’s really easier to make than you might think. And, as with all cannabis-infused bases, there are some common steps to take.

Decarbing Weed  |  Making Cannabis-infused honey  |  Using Cannahoney  |  Cannahoney Recipe

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Decarbing Weed

Weed won’t make you high until it’s heated. Walter White could explain the chemistry better than I, but suffice it to say tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) isn’t ‘activated’ until it’s warmed past 220º F. This is decarboxylated, or ‘decarbed,’ weed which is psychoactive and ready for liftoff.

Decarbing herb happens on the fly as you smoke it (also destroying a lot of THC that cannahoney keeps!). Vaping delivers even more THC because it gently warms the bud. But maximizing THC yield is best in the kitchen where time and heat deliver a fuller extraction.

The most common measure for cannahoney is one cup of honey per quarter ounce. So, a half ounce for two cups, etc. For a stronger constitution, feel free to use more herb with less honey. Your mileage may vary, so ‘season to taste.’

What You’ll Need to Decarb Weed

Heat and time.

Note on heat: Decarbing weed can be done in a regular oven but will produce a smell (though probably not as bad as but definitely noticeable). If concerned about odor, a portable toaster oven may lend itself to more remote decarbing.

1. Heat oven to 240º F / 115º C.
2. Break weed down by hand to pebble size. Not too fine, not too fat.
3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (foil can also work).
4. Spread weed evenly on the cookie sheet.
5. Heat for 40-60 minutes, stirring and rotating occasionally.
6. Let cool to room temperature.

Decarbed herb is considered “activated,” which means it is fully psychoactive. Going low and slow ensures you preserve as much of the cannabis plant’s cannabinoids like THC and CBD as possible.

Barring a professional extraction lab, cannahoney is one of the best ways to have a powerful, full-bodied infusion.

Making Cannabis Infused Honey

I hate articles about recipes that don’t get to it until the very end. So, since this is such an easy process, let’s knock it out quickly, then talk about why cannahoney is a mainstay in many a medicinal and recreational pantry.

What You Need to Make Cannahoney

• ½ Oz. Weed
• 2 Cups pure honey
• A slow cooker (Crock Pot or similar)
• Tea towel or washcloth
• Cheesecloth
• 12” string (Use natural fiber as this will touch your honey)
• 1 Quart glass canning jar w/ lid (Mason or equivalent)

How to Make Cannahoney

1. Fill the slow cooker with 4 inches of water. Turn to the lowest heat setting.
2. Place decarbed weed in the center of cheesecloth and seal in herb, leaving string to extend out of the jar.
3. Put the honey in the jar.
4. Add the cheesecloth weed bag into the jar leaving enough slack in the string for the bag to reach the bottom.
5. Seal the jar, leaving the string overlapping the side, with the lid.
6. Submerge the jar in the water bath, placing the towel underneath to keep the jar from rattling once heated. Adjust water level until just higher than the honey.
7. Slow cook for 8 hours, releasing the jar’s pressure every few hours and resealing.
8. Pull the cheesecloth pot bag out of the honey. Seal jar with adjusted string, dangling cheesecloth bag above honey, letting it drip as honey cools for an hour. Remove and squeeze out any excess. Save the cannabis bag for tea!

Honey has an indefinite shelf life if stored in an airtight container, out of direct light, at 50-70 º F. It’s probably a good idea to label it so that should someone else come across it, they won’t get a surprise.

Will Cannahoney Get Me High?

This is a trick question. There are too many variables for a simple yes or no answer. Potency, extraction, tolerance, physiology and more are all variables as to how high one will get when consuming this honey.

Chances are, you’d have to Winnie the Pooh-out on the jar-full of cannahoney to really float away like a cloud. But it’s certainly a nice way to sweetly dose throughout the day.

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Using Cannahoney

The sweet stuff obviously lends itself to food and delivers a host of beneficial aspects. When infused with cannabis, the medicinal and therapeutic qualities are even greater.

There’s even evidence that cannahoney was first used more than two millennia ago in ancient Egypt for antibacterial properties.

Today, cannahoney is linked to weight loss as a substitute for artificial sweeteners. It’s also used to treat fatigue, insomnia, coughing, wasting syndrome, memory issues, acid reflux, hangovers, acne, sinus problems, cut and burns as well as soothing chronic pains and aches.

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Adding cannahoney to your diet will give you a little buzz of wellness. It’s sweet, natural nature can lend itself to countless recipes, has a long shelf life and is a perfect medium for micro dosing of full spectrum of cannabinoids like THC and CBD and more!

Extraction the low and slow way is a tried and true method to capture as much of the cannabis plant possible. The process predates written history. Now that we know decarboxylation fully activates marijuana, making full-power, high octane cannahoney

Put your Crock Pot to good use. Go buy a 16 ounces of pure, organic honey and a half ounce of chronic and infuse away the low and slow way!