For over 30 years I've felt that decarboxylation, or heating to decarboxylation more exactly, improves pot. It's said that smoking completely decarboxylates THCA but I think this is not completely true.
There was a High Times feature one month in the early 90's I think where the crew visited The Collector and his jar collection. He had a lot of jars with labels, they took photos and it must be the most impressive museum of buds in existence anywhere. Because of the special occasion the most primo tiny jar was opened and it was hay. So they opened more jars and then decided it was a bad idea to collect buds even if you can afford to do so.
The question remains of the stability in the plant matter of terpenes and the odor molecules that represent smell other than myrcene, limonene, and pinene. Terpenes in general are not exactly stable.
This UNODC forensic (Bull Narc) article has it all except it's only room temperature and not also deep freezed, and they did not use modern genetics high test pot.
CBN and D9-THC concentration ratio as an indicator of the age of stored marijuana samples
ABSTRACT
The concentration of D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabinol (CBN) in cannabis plant material (marijuana) of different varieties stored at room temperature (20-22 Celsius (C)) over a four-year period was determined. The percentage loss of THC was proportional to the storage time. On average, the concentration of THC in the plant material decreased by 16.6% ±7.4 of its original value after one year and 26.8% ±7.3, 34.5% ±7.6 and 41.4% ±6.5 after two, three and four years, respectively. A relationship between the concentration ratio of CBN to THC and the storage time was developed and could serve as a guide in determining the approximate age of a given marijuana sample stored at room temperature.
