by Kary Radestock, Hippo Premium Packaging
20 April 2022
Happy 420 y’all!! One of our favorite things about this industry is that we have our very own international holiday!
Folks will be celebrating in a myriad of ways; retail promotions, product and brand launches, festivals and special events!
But, we thought it would be fun to reflect on how cannabis packaging has changed through the years. Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, cannabis was sold legally in the United States for medical purposes, and the packaging was usually medicinal-looking dark amber bottles. But the good times couldn’t last forever, and in 1907, California led the way by classifying cannabis as a poison.
For years, cannabis was demonized and there was no real packaging to speak of.
Then an exciting thing happened in Canada in 1950 – the plastic bag was invented! It took until 1957 until the plastic sandwich bag was brought to market, and the rest, as they say, is history! Soon, the plastic sandwich bag became the go-to packaging system for cannabis. How many of us can say they remember buying pot in a nickel or dime/1-finger or 2-finger plastic sandwich bag – full of seeds, stems, leaves, and few, if any, flowers?
Fast forward to 1996, and California had a change of heart and became the first to legalize medical marijuana. But it wasn’t until 22 years later that the state implemented meaningful regulations, so for many years the market was a free-for-all, and so was cannabis packaging.
The cannabis market and related packaging really started to advance in 2012 when Washington and Colorado become the first U.S. states to legalize recreational cannabis. Packaging requirements became more regulated, requiring features like child-resistance, opacity, resealability, and tamper-evident seals. As other states passed legalization programs, packaging regulations continued to refine and expand.
Today, packaging is not just about meeting regulations, it’s about building a brand. With a plethora of specialty papers, exciting shapes, and interesting coatings, cannabis packaging has come into its own and now represents some of the best consumer products packaging design.