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Packaging Vital to Cannabis Success

The fact that markets for cannabis-infused products are growing like, well, a weed, was made clear in the February 5, 2018 Packaging World article, “Cannabis packaging: a snapshot.”

Cannabis Packaging

Now, marijuana consumption, in all forms, remains illegal in fewer than a dozen states. It’s not necessary to speculate when or if those remaining states will change course, because the die is cast: state laws openly defy federal prohibition, seemingly with immunity, flashing the green light to companies and entrepreneurs seeking to cash in. Medical marijuana having paved the way, recreational marijuana is what provides the greatest impetus to the growth and expansion of cannabis-infused consumer packaged products.

Regarding packaging, it’s not all about having to reinvent the wheel. The material science, engineering, and art that make up packaging technology have the capability to meet whatever performance challenges that are imposed by cannabis-infusion.

That’s because recreational applications, for the most part, follow this strategy: begin with established retail product categories, e.g. beverages, baked goods, and candies; cannabis-infuse them; and package them using established packaging categories, e.g. bottles, cans, cartons, bags, pouches, etc. By that process, the conventional becomes cannabis-infused. Not every cannabis-infused product has to have a conventional counterpart, but the category won’t experience sustained success without packaging.

Packaging has to embody application-specific features imposed by cannabis-infusion. Features and functions, although related, are not synonymous: the packaging’s features are the means through which its functions (containment/protection, communication, and convenience/utility) are fulfilled. Unsurprisingly, regulations play a big role.

Containment/protection has to provide for child-resistance. C-R safety caps come in a variety of designs, but their application is limited to containers with threaded finishes, e.g. bottles and jars. Now available are C-R bags, having a clip or similar locking feature. There are C-R folding cartons. There are C-R pull-tab beverage cans. The preceding examples aren’t an exhaustive list of what’s presently available, but they do justify expectations that other innovations are sure to follow.

Communication must unambiguously convey that the product is cannabis-infused and to what extent (potency). Such clarity only implies that the product is not for children, necessitating explicit warnings, such as, KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. A related mandate is that the packaging not be attractive to children.

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