How Do You Make Cannabutter?

A quick internet search for cannabutter will give you an endless list of recipes, but a little knowledge and some basic kitchen skills are all you need to hone your own way of cooking marijuana-infused butter. Most recipes call for one pound of butter and anywhere from a ounce to 4 ounces of cannabis, but the truth is that each batch of cannabutter is only as potent as the weed you use to make it. Now, let's begin.

You should first gently warm your chopped or ground cannabis a topic of debate in its own right to fully activate the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the plant's main psychoactive compound. This process is called decarboxylation, and it is important, though often overlooked, because it increases the herb's potency. The easiest way to do this is to heat your oven to it's lowest setting and warm your marijuana for about 30-45 minutes - just enough for it to dry out and crumble, but not burn. Some suggest sealing the cannabis in aluminum foil to prevent vapors full of therapeutic compounds from burning off.

Next fill a saucepan with enough water to cover your cannabis and bring it to a boil. Add your butter, and once it has melted completely, turn down your heat to the lowest setting and mix in your marijuana. Let the mixture simmer for 2-3 hours and stir frequently to prevent scorching. As the water burns off, the resulting cannabutter is infused with the marijuana's psychoactive and therapeutic compounds ...