A new study on cannabis packaging in Canada and the United States has found cannabis health labels on products increased the perceived risk of harm and reduced product appeal.
To find out how health labels and restricted brand imagery, researchers from the University of Waterloo gathered data from over 45,000 randomized participants in both Canada and the US who viewed packaging for three cannabis brands in 2019. The study found overall fully branded products were rated as the most appealing, while products with plain packaging were seen as the least appealing. Products were also seen as significantly less harmful when labels had a white background with limited or no branding versus labels with a colored background.
The researchers looked at four different branding conditions, ranging from no brand imagery and uniform colors to full brand imagery. Researchers tested differences between conditions on product appeal, perceived harm and recall of warning messages.
Overall, researchers found reducing brand imagery decreased product appeal and “plain packaging” with health warnings increased perceived risk of harm and reduced overall appeal. Because message recall was greater for products with plain packaging versus fully branded, researchers suggest jurisdictions consider rules on health warnings and brand restrictions in their rules.
Canada requires plain packaging and health labels for all cannabis products, with restrictions on labels, colors, branding, logos and specific display formats. Cannabis products must also come in child-resistant containers, be labeled with the standardized cannabis symbol, display the mandatory health warning message and include specific product information.
“Plain packaging and labelling applies to all surfaces, including labels and the various types and parts of the package such as containers, wrappers, and coverings,” the government notes.
At the beginning of the year, California began requiring health warning labels on all cannabis products. All cannabis products that create smoke or contain delta-9 THC will be required to have a Proposition 65 label on the packaging. The labels are designed to let consumers know the health risks associated with cannabis smoke and THC.
Proposition 65, passed by California in 1986, requires the states to publish a list of chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects and call for the placement of consumer warnings on all product labels that contain any of the chemicals on the list. California added cannabis smoke to its list of carcinogens in 2009 and added THC to the list in 2018.
New Mexico also requires all THC products to be labeled with health warnings amidst an increase of cannabis vape-related lung injuries. Cannabis products in the state are required to be labeled with “WARNING: Vaping cannabis-derived products containing THC has been associated with cases of severe lung injury, leading to difficulty breathing, hospitalization, and even death.” Health officials also released an updated advisory regarding vaping incidents.
Because of the amount of packaging that goes into cannabis products, the cannabis industry has a waste disposal problem. Things like child-resistant and tamper-proof packaging often require extra materials, like plastic, increasing the amount of waste. In addition to companies looking into sustainable packaging, some dispensaries are offering discounts for bringing back cannabis packaging so it can be recycled.
“Unfortunately, many state packaging requirements lead to a lot of single-use plastics within the industry. For example, many states require child-resistant packaging, which requires an additional layer of plastic packaging across the supply chain,” Jed McWhorter, director of purchasing at Curaleaf, said.
The cannabis packaging market was valued at $101.48 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow to $297.51 billion by 2026. The increasing legalization of cannabis in various countries, as well as the rising demand for both recreational and medical cannabis products, is expected to drive the future market.
