The cannabis industry is no longer limited to using dime bags and cheap sandwich bags to package our products. Since the industry’s shifted into the legal space, the laws and regulations surrounding what retailers can sell in stores have clamped down. Why shouldn’t they? If we regard cannabis and hemp for what they are, a business should package products with the safety and assurance of each customer in mind.
In recent years, the cannabis industry’s packaging situation has become far more normalized. Abandoning the old ways of sandwich bags and tiny dime bags has opened the gates for better, more durable, and discrete packaging. In fact, it’s allowed cannabis to become far more normalized over the years. Cannabis packaging reflects that of other industries. Flower, edibles, concentrates, and other forms of marijuana look as if they could sit on shelves at your local pharmacy. The reason is that a lot of this packaging is multi-purpose. At the same time, they are also adequate for compliance standards. The introduction of compliant child-resistant packaging came long ago in the pharmaceutical field. Soon enough, it became widespread and became standard across the board.
Though the packaging styles might be similar between many industries, the approach to packaging might be different. State-to-state, market-to-market, there are clear guidelines that indicate how to approach marketing for cannabis as a means to encourage usage among minors. Then, you have CBD packaging for pets which often can look just as normal as any other product available in a pet shop.
So, if you’re looking to find the similarities between cannabis packaging and packaging from other industries, we will break down a few of them for you.
Mylar Bags
Mylar bags have undoubtedly replaced the dime sack in the cannabis industry, but their use before packaging weed ranged from food to cosmetics. You’ll find many businesses using mylar bags for their products. For example, the matte black Mylar bags are frequently used for snacks and cosmetics, usually to reflect a “healthy” or “natural” alternative — a prime example of the psychology of packaging. For the cannabis industry, it’s a perfect slate to provide custom-branded packaging, remain compliant, and find affordable packaging options.
Pop Top Bottles, Reverse Cap Vials
The concept of pop-top technology is far from new, but we’ve grown to associate the pop-top bottle with medication. Head to a pharmacy, and they’re probably placing pills in a pop-top bottle. This packaging concept evolved heavily over time, where pop-tops aren’t only containers for flower but pre-roll joints.
Jars
Jars come in many different sizes for a variety of purposes. In some cases, they can be larger, like wide-mouth jars holding up to 1 oz. of weed. However, grocery stores might use these for spices or other items. Then, there are the smaller glass jars for concentrates. However, you can also find these in the cosmetics industry.
How Does Cannabis Packaging Compare To Alcohol Packaging?
The difference between the cannabis industry and alcohol is quite evident, though we’re beginning to see THC products become as accepted as alcoholic beverages. Though in some instances, like Canada, there have been discussions surrounding the alcohol industry merging with the marijuana business, there hasn’t been much development in this area recently. However, socially, the two are becoming closer than ever. As we’ve seen in recent years, society treats marijuana products a bit more liberally than alcohol. The cannabis industry introduced products like THC-infused beer, which contains no alcohol.
Alcohol Packaging Vs. Cannabis Packaging
Since the cannabis industry is only getting out of the prohibition era, there are far more general concerns among lawmakers and citizens. Many fear that creating a legal market for marijuana will give minors better access, although that couldn’t be further from the truth. Regardless, the cannabis industry must follow rigid packaging guidelines that require tamper-evident and child-proof technology. Even though alcohol is far more detrimental to developing minds, the cannabis industry needs blatant signs to ensure it doesn’t appeal to minors.
This is where businesses must hone in on the impact of packaging for marketing. We’ve seen plenty of CBD packaging on the market that utilizes designs more fitting for the medical industry in the past. Given that marijuana is proven to have far more pharmaceutical benefits than alcohol, it isn’t surprising that more companies are leaning towards medical marketing than any other field.
Final Words
The cannabis industry is still in its early stages, but it’s pretty clear that it’s becoming far more common than it ever has been in the past. The destigmatization has undoubtedly played a significant role in how cannabis is packaged and vice versa. Though the cannabis industry requirements for bags and jars are rigid in every state, it’s quite clear that much of the packaging used is similar to other industries worldwide, whether it’s food or cosmetics.
