Cannabis Product Labeling: State-to-state Differences Persist

Companies entering the potential-laden field of legal cannabis have a few complex regulatory hoops to jump through. For instance, the roll-out of relevant laws is handled on a state-by-state basis. Without one set of labeling rules, businesses will have to ensure their products meet the particular restrictions.

Creating a different set of labels for each region – and changing packaging when laws change – could be difficult if companies lack control over the production of labels. That’s where in-house label printers come in. These devices grant the kind of efficiency and independence that small companies need when taking on a young industry, especially one within an evolving regulatory environment.

Laws Still Inconsistent

The Portland Press Herald recently pointed out that lawmakers on Capitol Hill are set to debate a bill that would loosen federal cannabis restrictions. While this could make it easier for states to legalize and legislate the substance, the source reported that even such a nationwide rule would not allow the transport of marijuana between states where it is legal and those that don’t allow it.

Since the new law is framed as a play for increased rights for the states rather than federal legalization, it appears the current patchwork of different rules divided by region will remain for the foreseeable future. This holds true even if this or another effort succeeds in releasing cannabis from its current legal limbo at the federal level.

States with legalized recreational marijuana – or that will offer it soon – are each handling the legalization process in unique ways. The Worcester Business Journal noted the progress of the rules in Massachusetts, with a committee of lawmakers set to meet and debate changes to the laws. Advocates claim that tweaks to the voter-approved rule aren’t needed, pointing out that labeling, safety and more critical matters will be handled by a regulatory body once the law takes effect.

What happens next in this and other cases is impossible to predict for sure, so organizations must be ready to adjust their labeling to fit the compromises devised by lawmakers and industry groups.

Printers Equal Independence

Businesses with their own label printers sidestep the major inconveniences of dealing with inconsistent labeling laws. Instead of contracting orders of labels from suppliers that may have high minimum order amounts or take time to deliver updated label shipments, companies can create labels in-house.

Check out DuraFast’s range of label printers in our U.S. web store or on our Canadian page.