As cannabis is legalized in more states across the nation, the organizations that handle manufacturing, packaging, and selling products are beginning to establish rules specifically governing its sale. In California, cannabis is now a fast-growing industry and an ever-increasing collection of startups and retail shops are getting involved. With both national and statewide regulators taking notice, child resistant packaging is becoming a major part of the cannabis industry.
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) gives all the information associated with child safety and product packaging. To put it simply, children five and under should not be able to access certain products whether they pull, hit, rip, bang, or even chew on the packaging. However, people over 50 should be able to get into the package easily enough to use it. These rules focus on over-the-counter and prescription medications. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) checks for compliance.
However, the CPSC has no control over the cannabis industry or how it packages related products. States can make their own rules and determinations about what is proper and what should not be allowed. Two organizations, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), inform in-state businesses about any requirements. These cover both packaging to stop kids from getting in and rules that indicate how to label the products appropriately.
The goal now has little to do with any federal CFR or CPSC regulations that could be put into place when the US government legalizes cannabis. Instead, they push for family-friendly packaging that keeps products away from kids who should not have access to the edibles and other products.
These guidelines developed by the CDPH and BCC indicate effective guidelines for product packaging. In order to be deemed child resistant the manufacturers and packagers of these cannabis products must have them tested with the under-fives and the over-fifties.
If you produce cannabis products in California, ask for this report and always check to see if the packaging meets these requirements. If you are responsible for creating the product packaging, get them tested. If you only sell products produced and packaged by the manufacturer, keep a copy of their child-resistant approval for your records. This will help keep your retail business from running afoul of audit regulations. By the end of 2019, every cannabis product in California will need this child resistant certificate to be made available to the public. Zenpack, as a packaging manufacturer, takes all that into consideration.
Child-resistant cannabis packaging designs come in many forms, but choosing the right one for your business takes more than ensuring child resistance. You need to pass the test, of course, but you also want packaging that shows off your brand in a unique and memorable way. Contact us, and talk with our design team who can help you find the perfect cannabis product packaging solution.
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