Denver to Pass Marijuana Packaging Bill

While recreational marijuana is now legal in Denver, there will likely be many discussions, rules, regulations and laws regarding the same over the next few years. One of the first affects the packaging of edible marijuana products.  The Denver governor will today sign a bill requiring marijuana edibles to be sold in child-resistant, opaque and re-sealable packages.

 

Though marijuana may be a controversial product, when it comes to packaging, it is likely to be treated like any other similar product.  But what product is similar?  The argument can be made that tobacco is a similar product, though as noted above, marijuana can be included in edible products.  More likely, the product will initially be treated similar to medications, as can be seen from the requirement of child-resistant packaging.  Indeed, one of the major aims of the bill is to stop children from accidentally ingesting the drug.

 

Given that these edible products can differ (marijuana is basically an ingredient in most of these products) from baked goods to beverages, do not be surprised to see more regulations regarding packaging in the future.  As for sellers and the manufacturers of packaging machinery, the two must work together to find the best solution based on the product and regulations currently in place.  

 

From filling machines to sealing and labeling equipment, packaging machinery must be able to handle the package, closure and production demand required.  In addition, flexibility is a key component of packaging machinery when the future of the industry as to rules and regulations is young, and vague at best.  Machinery must be able to adapt during this initial period of change for a new industry.  Patience will continue to be a virtue for those supporting or doing business in this industry for the next few years to come, as there is simply little example to follow when being one of the few to lead the way.

 

See Sam Baranowski's report on the bill at fox21news.com