There’s no denying that the counterfeit cannabis market is one of the most detrimental inhibitors of the legal weed industry. Dubious distributors rob legitimate cannabis businesses of customers by undercutting prices using fake cannabis packaging, labels, and products. At the same time, they put the health of numerous marijuana consumers at risk by introducing unregulated products that could be unsafe.
Quite frankly, the ease at which fake dispensary bags and goods are available in the market is very unfortunate. Counterfeit products distributed in fake weed bags of top cannabis brands like Jungle Boys and Packwoods are incredibly easy to acquire online. As a result, unsuspecting customers can purchase such products thinking they are buying legitimate goods.
For this reason, learning to identify counterfeit cannabis packaging can help you avoid consuming anything other than cannabis and its concentrates. This article highlights how to tell if cannabis packaging is real to help you make calculated decisions when purchasing marijuana products.
How To Tell The Difference Between Authentic and Fake Cannabis Packaging
Given how realistic fake cannabis packaging has become, it can be hard to decipher whether you’re getting legitimate products. However, you can employ a few techniques to determine whether weed packaging products are authentic. In turn, this will help steer you away from counterfeit goods.
Pay Attention To The Packaging Details
Most times, the best thing to do when fishing out fake cannabis products is to pay close attention to the cannabis packaging designs. Quite often, the devil is in the details. Moreover, knock-off packaging is much easier to spot than counterfeit products like fake carts. This is because there are plenty of details to try and forge when counterfeiting weed packaging, which presents plenty of room for error.
Observing the packaging designs of your favorite brands can be the difference between getting authentic or fake cannabis products. Some top brands that get counterfeited, like Cookies, Runtz, and Back Pack Boyz, have complex designs on weed bags that are hard to forge perfectly. Thus, paying attention to the details can help you determine which ones are not authentic.
Consider The Price
Another technique to help you determine whether particular cannabis products are fake is checking the price. If you see marijuana products from a top brand going for a fraction of their usual cost, someone is likely trying to scam you using fake cannabis packaging.
In such cases, the products are usually of lower quality than the ones advertised on the containers. Fake edibles packaging could contain products that are disproportionate to what is listed on the bags, posing a health risk for consumers. Similarly, cannabis flower strains can have THC percentages different from what is advertised on their packaging.
Check For Compliant Cannabis Labels
The purpose of cannabis labels is for brands to communicate the contents of the package clearly and protect public safety. Although cannabis labeling guidelines change from state to state, a few general rules apply to all weed markets. You can use these universal compliance laws to make out the legitimacy of the packaging and products.
You can root out fake dispensary labels by inspecting the information inscribed on them. Counterfeit labels often lack vital information about the products inside the packaging, including cannabinoid content, batch or number, and THC or CBD percentage.
Another thing to look out for when rooting out fake cannabis labels is the government-issued exercise stamp. This is an official stamp that authorities provide to people starting a legitimate cannabis brand for medical use. Essentially, they indicate that the FDA has inspected the products and that the retailers are licensed to sell them. The stamp is almost impossible to fake, meaning only packaging from authentic brands have them.
How Counterfeiters Make Fake Cannabis Packaging
Learning how to package cannabis is essential for all marijuana brands. Even so, some people misuse this information to create counterfeit cannabis packaging from authentic brands. Numerous online vendors replicate the custom packaging of top marijuana companies using various methods.
One of the most popular ways to make fake cannabis packaging is through print shops. Such establishments can take any design and print labels perfectly sized for cannabis bags. Vendors or distributors can use such print shops to create illegitimate weed packaging and sell products without the consent of the original brand.
Similarly, counterfeiters can create fake weed bags on a smaller scale using home printers and mylar bags, which are very easy to source. Since the technique is relatively straightforward, they replicate custom packaging designs using programs like Photoshop and print them on vinyl using home printers. With the right tools, they can create fake cannabis packaging and distribute products while falsely using the name of already established brands.
The Bottom Line
Due to the widespread availability of fake cannabis packaging, finding authentic cannabis products can be challenging, especially for new weed consumers. Nevertheless, the tips provided here can help you identify fake packaging and avoid counterfeit products. Consumers should only acquire marijuana products from licensed dispensaries to ensure they get authentic goods.
