Clean Green Packaging for Medical Marijuana

The cannabis industry has a plastic crisis that is in dire need of attention. In the last few years, several states have decriminalized or legalized cannabis consumption for either medical or adult use. This, of course, brings new challenges in creating fair, equal and accessible legislation in every state. However, an unforeseen and unique new challenge has come to the forefront. Regulations regarding medical cannabis packaging are creating a plastic waste problem that grows larger every day.  We need to bring change to containers for medical marijuana. 

Importance of reliable packaging for medical marijuana

When it comes to medical marijuana containers, one thing has been made very clear by legislators. Medical cannabis packaging needs to be reliably child-proof. There are specific laws (see more here) that dictate the testing process a manufacturer must put its packaging through before it is deemed safe and child-resistant. These strict guidelines ensure that children under the age of 5 cannot open the packaging within a reasonable amount of time – likely to ensure that an adult can step in to thwart any attempts at accessing the goods. For many brands, this has meant expensive investments in new packaging. But does child-resistant packaging have to mean pricey, wasteful and eco-unfriendly plastics? 

How are the regulations making the problem worse?  

Legislators can help to reduce the wasteful packaging problem by halting conversations around dose limits. By requiring low dose and individually packaged doses, this creates a need for more and more packaging. What was once a single package 200mg edible chocolate bar, can become 20 individually packaged portions of 10mg pieces. This can be a very expensive change for brands that already had their products packaged at higher doses. Similarly, people have complained that buying just a single gram of cannabis flower can produce up to 70 grams of packaging. That’s an excessive amount of unnecessary waste. Now that people are catching on to the damaging outcomes of legislation around cannabis packaging, many are demanding a change.  

How do we make medical marijuana containers safe without creating so much plastic waste? 

The answer to this question is not a simple one and it involves many different topics. One way HISIERRA®’s product packaging is fighting the plastic problem is by creating bio-based containers for marijuana. HISIERRA®’s line of sustainable plastic exit bags are made from non-GMO sugarcane sourced from farms using renewable practices. Additionally, the HISIERRA® wide-mouth flower jars are made with recycled German glass and ocean-based plastic lids manufactured right here in the USA. To top it off, all the HISIERRA® products have been tested and certified to Child Safety Standard ASTM D3475 and conform to protocol 16 CFR 1700.20 for child safety and cannabis compliance everywhere. This means you can sustainably source eco-conscious child-proof bags without contributing to plastic pollution that is plaguing the cannabis industry. 

How can brands participate in a clean green approach?

Making an environmentally friendly product starts long before the product itself is made. HISIERRA® takes green initiatives seriously by paving the way with a clean green approach to manufacturing and has implemented several practices to reduce carbon emissions and pollution from start to finish.  

First, HISIERRA® harnesses clean wind-power to completely operate their manufacturing site. Their LEED-certified factory conserves water and energy due to its state-of-the-art equipment.  Because HISIERRA® products are made in the USA, they eliminate the costs and harmful implications of shipping from overseas. These approaches reduce the overall carbon footprint in the production process and contribute to the green movement, inspiring other brands to take the leap into sustainable, earth-conscious manufacturing. 

What are the benefits of clean eco-packaging for medical patients?

It’s no question that consumers have moved away from thoughtless consumption habits of days gone by. Today, consumers care deeply about the amount of plastic waste that comes from their choices and are changing their habits to buy from eco-friendly brands or ones that have plant-based packaging. Aside from the obvious waste-saving benefits to consumers, thoughtful packaging has the potential to preserve the quality of the product for longer. For patients who micro dose, this can mean the difference in saving hundreds of dollars and can extend the shelf-life of the product. Small changes like amber-colored glass and opaque zip-lock exit bags help to filter terpene-degrading UV rays. It’s just one more way consumers benefit from thoughtful packaging choices.  

Last, but not least, consumers, brands and retailers can feel a sense of solidarity by using their purchasing power to influence change in the world with medical cannabis packaging. They say “put your money where your mouth is” because we tell manufacturers what we care about when we make a purchase. If we continue down the path of utilizing single-use coal-based plastics, companies who profit off of those purchases won’t be incentivized to make any adjustments to their harmful methods and climate change will continue to loom over us with yearly hurricanes, forest fires and melting glaciers. Although we may feel small in the grand scheme of things, each individual contributes to the movement and we need every single bit of effort.