Keep Reading
Tired of wrestling your cart out of that complicated vape cartridge packaging? Completely puzzled when it comes to the complexity of cannabis flower packaging? Frustrated with the pre-roll packaging that slows your roll when trying to achieve good vibes?
Hey, bud, we’ve all been there, and you’re definitely not alone if you feel like everything you buy at the dispensary is hard to open. As frustrating as some of the packages can be that surround your favorite weed products, there are some excellent reasons for the madness.
To give you a better idea of why weed packaging can be so complicated, let’s take a look at some of the reasons why, including the cannabis packaging regulations in New England.
Shop the Top Cannabis in New England
The Whys Surrounding Hard-to-Open Cannabis Packaging
There are two big reasons cannabis products can be so complicated: state regulations in terms of child safety, as well as cannabis packaging sustainability efforts. These are some understandable reasons why opening your cannabis edibles packaging feels like working through a brain-bending logic puzzle that has you perplexed. Take a look.
Cannabis Packing Regulations and Child Safety
Every state has laws in place that cover how cannabis packing should be designed, right down to what the packaging looks like. However, one of the most important and understandable regulations involves child safety. In short, states have made specific requirements to make sure cannabis products are not easily accessible to children.
Why is child-proof cannabis packaging so hard to open? As much as we can all celebrate cannabis legalization, a scary and unintended issue has surfaced: accidental cannabis poisoning among children. Some cannabis products can appear enticing to children. So, these products must be in containers that are difficult for children to open. And the best brands do hours of packaging testing to make sure this is the outcome.
Sustainable Cannabis Packaging Initiatives
Sustainability has been and remains to be a big concern in the cannabis industry. The need for child-resistant packaging has historically also meant that cannabis packaging resulted in a lot of waste. However, a lot of packaging companies have tackled this problem with full force to marry the two ideas harmoniously.
As a result, some packaging is now made out of more earth-friendly or biodegradable materials, but, these newer materials can also come with nuanced challenges when it comes time to open them. For example, some packages that look like paperboard are crafted from hemp fibers, which can be exceptionally difficult to tear.
A Look at Cannabis Packaging Regulations in New England
Massachusetts
As the first state on the East Coast to legalize recreational cannabis, the packaging laws in Mass are some of the most effective and refined. Packaging should be child-resistant and resealable to prevent accidental ingestion by children, clearly indicate individual serving sizes, be plain or opaque, and not resemble existing branded consumer products that don’t contain marijuana. So, this is why a zip-close pouch of your favorite flower from Old Pal looks so plain and why those square containers of bud from Standard Farms are such a challenge to open.
Maine
Maine’s packaging laws are slightly different. These include that cannabis products must be prepackaged in child-resistant and tamper-evident packaging or placed in such packaging at the final point of sale to consumers. Additionally, the packaging must be opaque, so the contents are not visible from the outside. Therefore, in ME, your Refine concentrate packaging will have one of those push-and-turn lids, and your tin of mints from Treehouse Cannabis may be hard to open.
Vermont
In Vermont, stringent packaging regulations are in place for all cannabis products. Each item must be housed in opaque, child-resistant containers that are not only resealable but also effectively seal in the scent of the cannabis. So, this explains why your Puff Exotics pre-roll package is not see-through and your Satori vape cart package can be a bit of a challenge to open.
How to Open Child Resistant Cannabis Packaging
Press here, punch there, squeeze these two sides, and pull this tab … it can all get a little confusing. And every cannabis brand can have its unique childproofing attributes when it comes to packaging. One of the best ways to make sure you know how to get into your dispensary purchase once you’re home is to ask the budtender while in the store. These dispensary employees have the inside scoop and all the tips to help you open childproof packages without giving up and reaching for a tool of some sort for package deconstruction.
At Silver Therapeutics, we’re happy to help you out whether you’re in Maine, Massachusetts, or Vermont. Any of our budtenders will be happy to give you some guidance on opening that child-resistant, sometimes adult-resistant cannabis packaging.
