Since legalization began in the state of Colorado there have definitely been a few changes – but none so drastic as those being taken in hopes of preventing the accidental ingestion of THC infused edibles. While there is no specific data on how many times someone has accidentally eaten a marijuana infused goodie, taking preventative measures is always a good idea. Unfortunately, due to the new labeling requirements certain items will likely be discontinued since they will not be able to comply with the new laws.
The new requirements include a “universal symbol” which will now be on all food items that have cannabis in them – the symbol is a diamond with the letters “THC” with an exclamation mark (!) – something that simply cannot be missed if you are trying to tell a marijuana goodie from its plain counterpart. Not only does this new symbol need to be on the packaging for the product, but it will also need to be on the food item itself – which resulted in an expensive shift for the edibles industry as everyone had to find the best way to comply with the new laws.
Things like the word “candy” and “candies” can no longer be used to describe marijuana edibles – even if that is exactly what they are. This is in hopes of preventing children from being curious enough to try the foods when a parent isn’t paying attention. The labels on cannabis infused edibles must also now include potency and contaminant testing results on the label – ensuring that there is no question on just how strong a particular edible happens to be.
“The No. 1 goal here: It’s about public safety, it’s about public health, and, above all, it’s sensitive to the risk this poses to children,” said Jim Burack, director of the Marijuana Enforcement Division.
Along with the new THC! symbol and the potency labeling requirements, edibles will now have to be sold in childproof containers and baggies. All of these efforts have been made in hopes that there will be a few less children who wind up in the emergency room because they ate an entire bag of THC candy or a big cannabis infused brownie or cookie – because we all know that even for the most responsible parents, mistakes can happen. There is no guarantee that all of these preventative measures will be effective – but it has to start somewhere.
These regulations go into effect today – after several months of preparation most major edible companies have done their best to comply, creating specific molds to accommodate the new logo of sorts and finding creative ways to keep certain products on the shelves. Only time will tell whether or not this new “universal symbol” is going to be useful in preventing accidental ingestion in children (and unsuspecting adults) and whether or not the trend will catch on in other states that allow the legal sale of cannabis products.
