New To The Cannabis Market? Talk To A Custom Packing Pro For Advice

Posted on: 30 September 2016

If you're part of the burgeoning legal marijuana industry, you need packaging that's able to keep up with the laws as they change. Your packaging needs to meet certain requirements to be compliant with state and local laws, and you also need packaging that will help express your brand. These are some things that you need to consider.

You want packaging that's tamper-proof.

Tamper-proof packaging is a must in the marijuana industry—whether you are selling edibles or straight cannabis that's designed to be smoked later. Having a package that is easy for your adult customers to get into and reseal is a must—but almost all states also require the packaging to be hard for children under a certain age to easily manipulate. Talk to your packaging consultant about how you can achieve a balance between those two goals.

You need to be compliant with your state's labeling laws.

Each state has unique labeling and warning requirements that have to be incorporated into your packaging design without detracting from the overall attractiveness of the product.

These requirements can be quite varied from state to state—for example, packaging in Alaska has to contain some basic warnings about the intoxicating effects and addictive qualities of marijuana as well as cautions about driving while under the influence, underage use, and use while pregnant or nursing. By comparison, California requires a bevy of cautions, including warnings about potential exposure to nuts or other allergens, lists of pharmacologically active ingredients, the manufacturing date and source, and other warnings including those similar to the ones used in Alaska.

Because these requirements can change essentially every time there's a movement in marijuana legislation, your packaging supplier needs to be able to be quickly responsive to any communications about your labeling needs. 

Your packaging needs to communicate your brand's message.

Finally, your packaging needs to communicate your brand's message. Aesthetics are important to the non-verbal communications that you are sending your customers about your products. If your product is primarily for relaxation and personal use, do you want your overall product line to exude sophistication and have an upscale feel? If your product is primarily for medicinal use, do you want color-coded packaging that can help buyers identify the relative strength of a product simply by looking at the package design? Do you want your packaging to convey an earth-friendly vibe with its simple colors?

If you're new to the cannabis market, talk to your custom packing company about what you need in order to remain compliant with the laws while also conveying the message that your brand wants to promote. Contact a company like Crating By Ihi Corp for more information.

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