Cannabis Science

Do Edibles Smell?

woman about to eat a square light orange gummy edible

You’re probably searching for a way to use cannabis that is less obvious. The truth is, not everyone likes smelling like weed or wants others to know that they have just used it. We know that marijuana concentrates tend to be low odor, as well as using a bong. But what about edibles, a stoner fave? Do edibles smell? Here’s what we know. 

Photo: Unsplash

Do Edibles Smell Like Weed?

A little. The smell of edibles won’t be as strong as, say, smoking a blunt. However, edibles tend to smell like weed. After all, they’re made with weed!

The stoners on Reddit agree. According to one user, “In my personal experience, it always smells. Maybe not as bad as an actual bag of weed, but it still smells”

Another chimed in with, “In my experience, every edible has a slight smell to it.”

Finally, one user said, “When I open my bag of cookies, it’s not like opening a bag of weed but there is certainly a recognizable smell.”

 However, not all edibles smell the same. Some edibles may fill up a room while others may not be so noticeable. For example, if the edible is made with marijuana concentrates such as dabs, then it probably won’t have much of a smell. Compared to marijuana flowers, dabs, also known as wax, tend to have a lighter scent. 

If you want your edibles to be more discrete you can either use a marijuana concentrate or opt for a low odor weed strain which we’ll discuss later on. 

If you want to store in more discreetly opt for an airtight container. This will also help the edible to be fresher longer and therefore extend the time before it goes bad. 

Where Does the Weed Smell Come From?

We now know that edibles may smell like weed but why does weed smell like weed? Well, terpenes give marijuana its smell. Terpenes are simply aromatic compounds found in plants like marijuana. 

According to Healthline, some of the terpenes found in certain strains of weed are:

  • Myrcene (mango)
  • Pinene (pine)
  • Limonene (lemon)

There are also other factors that affect how weed smells. For example, the age of weed when harvested impacts its scent. Healthline says, “Cannabis that’s harvested earlier in its life cycles has a milder, less skunky scent.” In contrast, older weed plants that are picked and dried tend to smell stronger. 

Do Edibles Make You Smell?

If you’re wondering if someone can tell that you’ve just eaten some edibles, probably not. Maybe your breath could smell like weed a bit. However, that’s easily fixed with toothpaste and mouthwash. 

If you’re worried about your sweat, then yes, edibles can make you smell. It’s not the edible making you smell like weed; it’s the compounds in the edible. The terpenes from the weed may escape through your sweat. However, this is a fairly easy fix. You can opt for more frequent showers and an antiperspirant. 

Does Making Edibles Smell?

Absolutely. When decarbing weed to make edibles, your kitchen is going to smell strongly of weed. If that’s not something that you want, you can:

  1. Open a window- Opening a window is a great way to increase ventilation and eliminate weed smells. This is one of the most effective methods to get the smell out of your kitchen and the rest of your house. The more windows you open, the better! Depending on the weather, you won’t always be able to open a window. However, the next best thing is to use a fan. If you have a ceiling fan, crank it to improve air circulation. 
  2. Light a candle- Even before you start making edibles can help mask the smell of weed. Just pick your favorite scent and watch the candle work its magic. Combine this with an open window for the best results. Besides candles, you can opt for air fresheners. 
  3. Use an odor remover- You can grab a readily available odor remover spray from a local shop in your favorite scent. You can grab a spray like Ozium. However, we must warn you that it’s not recommended to breathe in this spray for a prolonged period. You’d have to leave the room, which may not be possible when you’re trying to keep an eye on your weed. We also suggest trying a more natural route such as spraying patchouli oil, using charcoal odor, removing scent bags, or opening a box of baking soda. 
  4. Use low-odor weed- Instead of opting for skunky weed, try less skunky weed, and the smell should be weaker. Some low odor strains you can look for, according to Royal Queen Seeds, are:
  • Northern lights
  • Blue Mystic
  • Royal Jack Automatic
  • Royal Creamatic

Conclusion

Do edibles smell? They can. Edibles can carry a weed smell but it’s often not overpowering. On the other hand, when you’re making edibles, the smell tends to be really strong. There are ways to mitigate both issues so it’s an easy fix. 

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About Trevann

Trevann is Stoner Rotation’s Jamaica-based lead writer for the Science section of our cannabis blog. She graduated with honors receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology from the University of West Indies, Mona. For the last three years, she has covered some of the biggest questions around cannabis and health underpinned with research from supporting studies, medical journals and scholarly articles. Got something on your mind? You can reach her at [email protected].