MJBizMag October 2020 - 75

It's tricky to develop
attractive cannabis packaging that will keep children from opening it
while still enabling seniors seeking relief to access what's inside.
Many states that mandate child-resistant packaging for cannabis
require the containers to go through a rigorous-and expensive-testing
process. That's why it's important for packaging designers to be wellversed
in what works and what doesn't before sending finished items to
a testing laboratory.
Cypress, California-based KushCo Holdings provides packaging to many
cannabis businesses. Currently the company is working on a project for
a large U.S. marijuana business, and KushCo sent a team to the Chinese
factory where the packaging is being made to test the design.
" They said, 'This isn't going to pass. This isn't going to work,' " said Brian
Stewart, KushCo's senior vice president of sales and product development.
Stewart said states are " doing the right thing " by requiring childproof
testing, but the process is pricey. With a cost of nearly $8,000 to test a
product and the amount of time and money it takes to produce the
400 samples that are required for childproof testing, it pays to have a
solid understanding of what will pass.
" I understand why it's expensive: You're using children and seniors and
doing timed studies. That's not something that's easy to do. We couldn't
just bring a bunch of kids in here and test them. "
For the third-party
tests, labs invite panels
of 50 children and divide
them into three age
categories: 42-44 months,
45-48 months and 49-51
months. The children are
instructed on how to open
each package and given
permission to use their
teeth. Then, they're given
10 minutes to try to open
the package. If the results
are inconclusive,
additional testing is
required of one or more
groups of 50 children
each-up to a maximum
of 200 children.
KushCo sources its
packaging from China,
Germany, Mexico and
Taiwan. There is a good
packaging producer in
the United States, Stewart
said, but it won't work
with cannabis companies.
Child-resistant packaging must go
through a rigorous and expensive
testing process before cannabis
businesses can fill containers with
their products. Here are some tips for
packaging success:
* Have a solid understanding of what
will cause packaging to fail childproofing
tests.
* Weigh your options: Do you want
something designed specifically for
your product, or will packaging that's
already been approved suffice?
* In addition to finding a certified
packaging company, perform
internal tests to ensure the product
meets your company's standards.
* Start with a 3D-printed model to
get an idea of how the end product
will look and feel. Make sure your
packaging properly conveys your
brand's image.
* Ensure that your child-proofing
technology does not keep seniors
from being able to open the product.
Robbie Wroblewski, Seed & Smith's
director of community outreach,
advised other companies to practice
opening and closing packages several
times to make sure they do not break
down with repeated use. Courtesy Photo
October 2020 | mjbizdaily.com 75
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MJBizMag October 2020

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