SAFETY FIRST

As of October 1, all cannabis edible products manufactured in Colorado must include labels to help keep cannabis away from children and to educate adults on what they’re ingesting.

A diamond-shaped symbol in red with a statement that reads, “Contains Marijuana. Keep out of the reach of children,” will be required to be visible on the front of all products that contain cannabis whether they are for medical or recreational use. The symbol for recreational cannabis has an open diamond shape with the letters “THC” and an exclamation point, while the symbol for medical cannabis is the same but also includes a capital letter “M.”

Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment alongside the Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division are the pair behind this new requirement. They shared in a release their plan to “educate Coloradans about the rules, designed to promote public health and safety, raise awareness and help people more accurately identify marijuana products.”

“We collaborated extensively with all stakeholders to develop sensible rules that will provide customers with more information about what they’re buying and to ensure marijuana stays out of the hands of children.”

Also, each serving size of edible cannabis must additionally be marked, stamped or imprinted with the new universal symbol. In cases where it is not possible or is impractical to mark the actual edible, the products need to be individually packages in child-resistant containers.

Additional packaging requirements that went into effect on October 1 also ensure that each product is labeled with testing results for contaminants, its serving size and potency. Labels will not be allowed to have the word “candy” or “candies” unless it is in the official name of the cannabis manufacturer. Claims of physical benefits or health benefits are also prohibited from being included on the label.

Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Public Health and Environment, Dr. Larry Wolk, stated that this universal symbol will make it easier for people to recognize cannabis products in addition to being able to eat a proper dosage of cannabis. “And by making marijuana labels less appealing to children, we hope to keep them from accidentally eating THC and suffering the consequences,” Dr. Wolk stated.

“And by making marijuana labels less appealing to children, we hope to keep them from accidentally eating THC and suffering the consequences.”

Barbara Brohl is the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Revenue, and she shared the role of cannabis-related businesses in keeping children and adults safe. “Our priority is the public health and safety of all Coloradans,” Brohl said, “We collaborated extensively with all stakeholders to develop sensible rules that will provide customers with more information about what they’re buying and to ensure marijuana stays out of the hands of children. It is critical for retail and medical marijuana businesses licensed by the Department of Revenue to understand their role in implementing these new rules on time.”

Medical dispensaries and retail stores will be required to have these warning symbols and labels on their cannabis products by December 1. Cannabis businesses and the government are working together to make sure that unintentional ingestion occurs, which ultimately furthers the cannabis industry toward safety and consistency.