As a business owner you cannot influence how marijuana is handled once it leaves your store. But you can do your best to reduce the risk of children ingesting products through secure child resistant packaging.The absence of an effective child-resistant closure is a frequent cause of accidental poisoning. As a business owner you don’t want to be held reliable if a case like this occurs. But how do you choose the best packaging and which options are on the market?
Keep in mind that in most states there are strict rules for the packaging of cannabis products. As a business owner you want to buy your packaging which is approved by Child proof packaging regulations.
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Which states are included in the regulations?
Keep in mind that there are child-proof packaging regulations in the US
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oregon
- Vermont
- Washington
Cannabis is set to shortly become legal for recreational use in New Mexico and Virginia.
It’s also legal in certain US territories like Guam, and is legal for medical use in a large number of states, including Florida and Hawaii.
How do they test these products?
But how do they test these products? Here are some key points where organizations for testing child proof resistant packaging.
As expected, every state has its own specific laws regarding cannabis packaging, which is why it’s vital for cannabis brands to research the rules and get legal advice in their local region. In general terms, however, states will usually stipulate the following kinds of rules:
- Packaging for cannabis and cannabis products must be designed in a way that is significantly difficult for children under five to open (but not difficult for adults to use).
- Cannabis products cannot be packaged in a way that appeals to children i.e. it shouldn’t look like candy, or have labeling that uses bright colors or cartoon characters.
- If a cannabis pack is designed for multiple uses, it must be resealable and must remain child-resistant for all future uses.
- A cannabis pack should bear the words “KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN”.
Many states will specify the Poison Prevention Packaging Act in their wording, and will require packs to have been tested according to these rules.
The rules for organizing and carrying out the testing process are detailed and complex, but in the simplest terms the test involves the following:
- A group of children aged between three and five are handed packages and asked to open them
- They are given five minutes – during this time they can move around and bang or pry the package to open it
- After five minutes have passed the adult demonstrator will open the package in front of the children to show them how it can be opened
- A second round will begin, with the children given another five minutes – during this time the children are told they can use their teeth to open the pack
According to the PPPA, a pack can be certified as child-resistant if it cannot be opened by at least 85% of children before the demonstration, and at least 80% after the demonstration. At the same time, it must be accessible by 90% of senior adults.
Top 5 Best Child Resistant Packaging Solutions For You
1- Glass jars
Child-resistant glass jars are the perfect way to showcase your cannabis in any environment. It gives your brand a professional look and are the perfect containers to present and preserve the marijuana goodies. The glass jar is chemical resistant and ideal to store in extreme high temperatures. They are available in a variety of convenient sizes, apply a custom label or imprint your logo in the cap of the jar.
2- Ziplock bags
Ziplock bags come in many sizes and are available in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. You can even design a non transparent ziplock bag with your logo to create the ultimate marketing tool. There is a big variety of ziplock bags with child-resistant closures to make sure your customer will not forget how you want the extra mile to secure your products. There are eco-friendly ziplock bags with 0% plastic and options for smell proof bags.
3- Cannabis Tins
Plastic bags are not from this time anymore, and the fact is that this kind of packaging does not match the character of the product in question, it goes against its nature. Tins to store the cannabis are designed to protect the product from exterior influences and inform users about the content inside. The tins are designed with pressure points and therefore are hard to open for children, also customers like the idea of buying cannabis without letting people know what they bought. The Tin gives a secure and discrete feeling while leaving your store.
4- Containers for cannabis concentrate
This packaging is to store concentrates, you can see it as the packaging sister of the Glass Jars. This will help to preserve the moisture in an airtight container, and is 100% child resistant. The containers mostly come with pressure points therefore it is hard to open for children. Concentrates are taking the cannabis community by storm! That’s why your company can’t go without them, because of the packaging it helps with preserving the freshness and the product will have a longer shelf life.
5- Locking slider boxes
The locking slider boxes are a unique design and fairly new on the market, it has a simple design. The locking element usually involves a push mechanism engaged with one and the other hand needs to pull out the tray. It is mostly used for pre-rolled joint or vape cartridges. The design variety comes in all shapes and sizes, as a business owner you could choose a hard plastic box or keep the environment in mind and choose an eco-friendly hard cardboard option from recycled pressed paper.
Branding Your Cannabis products
Due to so many regulations you need to keep in mind while buying child resistant packaging for your cannabis products you can’t forget about your branding! If you think really hard you can name at least 3 or 4 branded pens or lighters from some kind of company which are laying somewhere in your office. This is the same with branding. In this already competitive market it’s really important that your company will stand out, and people will keep remembering your business. Take time to work out your logo, font style, and colors!