Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Holiday festivities are in full swing and many Colorado families will be host to out-of-state visitors. While not everyone is interested, some family members might want to celebrate by partaking of Colorado's cannabis culture. To keep family members happy, healthy and safe, it is important to understand cannabis products, labeling and packaging.
Understanding Colorado Cannabis law is essential! Many state regulations focus on packaging and testing requirements that aim toward consumer safety. Just because something is legal in one place, it may be violating a county or city regulation in another. Many of these regulations have to do with packaging and testing, and aim to ensure the safety of both the individual consuming the cannabis and everyone around them.
Labeling and packaging guidelines in Colorado set out strict requirements for any product sold. In order for any cannabis product to be sold in a retail location, the packaging must:
Misleading or false claims include anything that cannot be medically proven to work for all consumers. These kinds of claims cannot be included or alluded to on packaging.
"You can't make wild claims," Thiessen says. "You can't say, 'This will cure your multiple sclerosis,' none of that. You can't even hint at, 'Oh, you know, this worked for somebody so it might work for you' so pretty vague when it comes down to [labeling] claims. Pretty much nobody has a claim on what their product can do. They can say things like relief, soothing, things of that nature," Thiessen said.
It is also important to notify your guests of Colorado's new universal THC - the psychoactive compound found in cannabis - symbol. This is especially important when it comes to edibles that may look like normal foods but are actually a cannabis product.
"[Packaging] now has to have THC with a red diamond, which lets [the consumer] know that that's an infused or is a THC product," Thiessen said.
Cannabis must go through product testing before it can be sold. This includes testing for contaminants such as mold, mildew and microbials, but also for cannabinoid content and potency.
"When [Choice Organics] send flower off for testing, we're testing it for a couple different things," Thiessen says. "For one thing, contaminants. You don't want to have anything that could potentially compromise the product."
"If it is a clean product and [Choice Organics] is okay to go ahead and turn it either into a concentrate or selling it as flower, the next phase is going to be to send it to a lab where they essentially burn a gram of [the cannabis]," Thiessen says. "The machine is going to give them a percentage of how much of that plant material is THC or the other compounds being tested."
The amount of THC or other cannabinoids in the product have to be visibly listed on the product container itself. These will appear as a percentage ranged from highest to lowest, and all relevant cannabinoids will be present - THC and CBD are required. The lower the percentage, the less THC or other compound is present. While every person reacts differently to cannabinoids, generally the lower the compounds percentage, the less dramatic the effects of the cannabis will be.
Choice Organics recommends that the customer go slowly and always follow the dosing instructions on the packaging. Especially for those who are inexperienced, ingesting only small amounts of cannabis at one time is strongly recommended. Again, everyone is different and cannabis products affect each person differently based on his or her metabolism .
Thiessen's advice for hosts and visitors who might want to partake in Colorado's cannabis is to "come early".
"For the state, this is one of the busiest times during the year. Most people start hitting [dispensaries] up now or the day before [a holiday] because once their families come into town, they can't get away. Or you have the opposite, where visiting families say 'Oh, we're in town so let's check out one of these cannabis stores.' Also, check [with the hotel where] you're staying to make sure it's cannabis friendly," Thiessen says. "Some of them aren't."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Translating Cannabis Packages And Labels
Author: Choice Organics
Contact: 970-493-6397
Photo Credit: Choice Organics
Website: Coloradoan
Understanding Colorado Cannabis law is essential! Many state regulations focus on packaging and testing requirements that aim toward consumer safety. Just because something is legal in one place, it may be violating a county or city regulation in another. Many of these regulations have to do with packaging and testing, and aim to ensure the safety of both the individual consuming the cannabis and everyone around them.
Labeling and packaging guidelines in Colorado set out strict requirements for any product sold. In order for any cannabis product to be sold in a retail location, the packaging must:
- be child-resistant;
- be opaque;
- be properly labeled pursuant to the Colorado Retail Marijuana Code;
- NOT appeal to children;
- NOT make false or misleading claims regarding health benefits;
- display batch number in case of recall;
- manufacturer information;
- list all non-organic pesticides used in production;
- include Colorado's Universal THC Symbol; and
- identify all ingredients, nutritional information and potential allergens used in edible cannabis products.
Misleading or false claims include anything that cannot be medically proven to work for all consumers. These kinds of claims cannot be included or alluded to on packaging.
"You can't make wild claims," Thiessen says. "You can't say, 'This will cure your multiple sclerosis,' none of that. You can't even hint at, 'Oh, you know, this worked for somebody so it might work for you' so pretty vague when it comes down to [labeling] claims. Pretty much nobody has a claim on what their product can do. They can say things like relief, soothing, things of that nature," Thiessen said.
It is also important to notify your guests of Colorado's new universal THC - the psychoactive compound found in cannabis - symbol. This is especially important when it comes to edibles that may look like normal foods but are actually a cannabis product.
"[Packaging] now has to have THC with a red diamond, which lets [the consumer] know that that's an infused or is a THC product," Thiessen said.
Cannabis must go through product testing before it can be sold. This includes testing for contaminants such as mold, mildew and microbials, but also for cannabinoid content and potency.
"When [Choice Organics] send flower off for testing, we're testing it for a couple different things," Thiessen says. "For one thing, contaminants. You don't want to have anything that could potentially compromise the product."
"If it is a clean product and [Choice Organics] is okay to go ahead and turn it either into a concentrate or selling it as flower, the next phase is going to be to send it to a lab where they essentially burn a gram of [the cannabis]," Thiessen says. "The machine is going to give them a percentage of how much of that plant material is THC or the other compounds being tested."
The amount of THC or other cannabinoids in the product have to be visibly listed on the product container itself. These will appear as a percentage ranged from highest to lowest, and all relevant cannabinoids will be present - THC and CBD are required. The lower the percentage, the less THC or other compound is present. While every person reacts differently to cannabinoids, generally the lower the compounds percentage, the less dramatic the effects of the cannabis will be.
Choice Organics recommends that the customer go slowly and always follow the dosing instructions on the packaging. Especially for those who are inexperienced, ingesting only small amounts of cannabis at one time is strongly recommended. Again, everyone is different and cannabis products affect each person differently based on his or her metabolism .
Thiessen's advice for hosts and visitors who might want to partake in Colorado's cannabis is to "come early".
"For the state, this is one of the busiest times during the year. Most people start hitting [dispensaries] up now or the day before [a holiday] because once their families come into town, they can't get away. Or you have the opposite, where visiting families say 'Oh, we're in town so let's check out one of these cannabis stores.' Also, check [with the hotel where] you're staying to make sure it's cannabis friendly," Thiessen says. "Some of them aren't."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Translating Cannabis Packages And Labels
Author: Choice Organics
Contact: 970-493-6397
Photo Credit: Choice Organics
Website: Coloradoan
