Marijuana companies must comply with Missouri’s new plain packaging rules by September 1, more than a year after the rule first went into effect.
For decades there has been a global movement It is pushing for “neutral packaging” for tobacco products – or packaging with little color and frills – after numerous studies found that this makes cigarettes less attractive to young people.
Missouri is now a Test site to see if plain packaging for recreational marijuana has the same effect.
When voters Constitutional amendment The bill called for the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in 2022 and included a provision that labels and packaging for marijuana-related products “shall not be designed to be attractive to children.”
According to the new government regulations, packaging may only have one basic color and may contain up to two logos or symbols, which may be one or more different colors.
“This packaging approach is familiar to all of us,” said Amy Moore, director of Missouri’s Division of Cannabis Regulation, during a hearing before a legislative committee last year. “Think of the cereal section versus tobacco packaging or over-the-counter medications.”
The original deadline for compliance was May 1, but regulators learned from licensees that potential delays in global shipping could impact their ability to receive the packages on time.
Starting September 1, marijuana manufacturers must package and label all products according to designs approved by the department before sending them to a dispensary.
Pharmacies can continue to sell non-compliant products they already have in store until November 1.
The new rules also require the department to pre-approve labels, a process that did not exist under medical marijuana rules.
Nick Rinella, CEO of Hippos Cannabissaid the companies had experienced delays in obtaining government approval for their submitted designs.
“The state just doesn’t have enough staff to go through them and approve them,” Rinella said. “And until they’re approved, they can’t hit the shelves in their new packaging.”
Since the approval process began on September 1, 2023, the department has received nearly 150,000 applications, said Lisa Cox, a spokeswoman for the department.
Half of them were submitted within the last 60 days.
“The licensees had one year to submit their permit applications,” Cox said, “and five months in advance that they would not have to expect another extension.”
Cox said all applications would be processed within 60 days.
The constitution states that no marijuana establishment may sell edible marijuana-infused candy in shapes or packaging that are attractive to children or that can easily be confused with commercially sold candy that does not contain marijuana. Penalties include fines of up to $5,000 and loss of business license.
The packaging regulations are part of the new Cannabis regulatory rules which came into force on 30 July 2023.
The department’s first draft of proposed rules last year required companies to use only one color on the label.
The caused an uproar from the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, which argued in a letter to lawmakers that marijuana companies have already invested “many millions” in packaging designs. And the companies did so, the trade association said, because “attractive, interesting and attention-grabbing packaging is essential to effectively advertise and promote the sale of marijuana products.”
After opposition from MoCann Trade and some lawmakers, the agency changed the rule to allow “limited colors.” Another compromise, Moore told lawmakers, was allowing QR codes on labels to direct consumers to the agency’s website for more information.
Missouri is one of the few states that requires plain packaging in the adult-use cannabis market. Network for Public Health LawThe others include Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey.
Moore said the rules are consistent with what voters asked for in the constitutional amendment. The child safety requirements are stricter than what is in the Constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana in 2018.
“We have to acknowledge that,” she said, “and say, ‘Obviously we need to do more, we need to do more for children and for health.'”
