More and more states are moving to legalize cannabis for either medical use or recreational use. Certainly, this has been good news for the most part. However, while legal in many states, federally, cannabis is still listed as a schedule 1 drug. Therefore, like laundry detergent pods and prescription medications, cannabis products require legally approved child-resistant packaging. So what is the big deal about child-resistant packaging? Why is it important to stay compliant with the law on this?
Right now, the cannabis industry has a target on its back. Every little misstep gets blown up into the mainstream spotlight and purported as another reason as to why cannabis should not be legal. With the political state of affairs the US right now the way they are, the issue of child safety is more important than ever.
Not only that, but whenever businesses don’t comply with laws and regulations, they end up hurting the cannabis industry as a whole. They make it difficult for the industry to be taken serious and recognized on equal footing with any other industry. They also make it difficult for those who work so hard to follow the law and stay compliant. Therefore, it’s imperative that everyone in the cannabis business community work to stay compliant with all the laws and regulations. Child-resistant packaging is one of those areas that requires a tight focus and a keen eye.
Back in 1970, the Poison Prevention Packaging Act or PPPA was created to help prevent children from accidentally ingesting toxic household items. With child-resistant packaging, it is difficult for children under the age of five to open the package, but not difficult enough for an average adult to open it within a reasonable amount of time. The packaging has to be tested and approved first according to the guidelines set forth by the PPPA.
Testing is performed through third-party labs, in order to determine if the product is compliant and suitable enough to be approved for child-resistant and senior-friendly packaging. The first part of the child-resistant packaging test consists of 200 children testing to see if they can open the package. The tests are done in groups of 2. If the product packaging passes that phase, it moves on to the second phase. This is where 100 seniors test to attempt to open the package. If the product passes both tests, it then receives approval to be a child-resistant specialty package in accord with the standards set forth by PPPA.
At this time, there are a variety of companies that present new and improved child-resistant packaging. However, the knowledge of how to get this packaging tested and approved may not always be accessible. You can protect yourself and avoid trouble by always requesting certificates to prove that your product was tested and approved by third-party testing labs for child-resistant packaging standards. Cutting corners on this can lead to a lot of trouble. This includes the risk of lawsuits and hurting a child. Not only that, but it can also hurt the entire cannabis industry.
