Colorado State Attorney General Cynthia Coffman has approved new regulations aimed at avoiding accidental ingestion of marijuana edibles by children.
The state had passed a set of emergency rules in August 2014 to this effect that require edible manufacturers to use F-1 grade child-resistant pharmaceutical packaging. The rules also limit dosages; Colorado edibles can contain a maximum of 10 milligrams of THC per piece, and packages can contain no more than 100 mg total.
The new rules address a section of the August emergency rules that was postponed, which would have required manufacturers to “shape, stamp or otherwise mark products—when practicable” so as to be recognizable as containing cannabis once removed from their packaging. The requirement was postponed until a universal symbol could be agreed upon.
The new rules specify that the symbol will be a diamond with the letters THC and an exclamation mark. The symbol must be applied with molds, stencils, airbrushing, or frosting. Products that cannot be branded in this way, such as granola or liquids, will be limited to 10 mg per package, effectively banning certain products currently on the market.
The regulations also limit the amount of product customers can purchase at one time. Colorado residents can buy 80 “servings” (10 mg of THC) at once, while out-of-state consumers are limited to 20 servings—two 100 mg candy bars, for instance.
Cannabis business owners are largely displeased with the new rules, insisting that the previous rules were already effective at limiting accidental ingestion and over-consumption. The rate of calls to Rocky Mountain Poison Control regarding marijuana-infused products is significantly less than that for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, or household cleaning products. Others find the rules overly burdensome, particularly for producers of baked goods, which are often porous and difficult to label, and producers of liquid products.
Bob Eschino is the president of Medically Correct, the parent company of Incredibles, which produces more than 40,000 candy bars a month. Eschino takes issue with the rules that limit the total milligram dosage that consumers can purchase at once.
“Forty-eight 100 mg edibles would be equivalent to one ounce of flower, and they arbitrarily made it eight [100 mg edibles].” he said. “Forty percent of our recreational adult-use market consists of tourists, who are now limited to only buying two edibles. We think that’s ridiculous.”
Of course, the new rules don’t address homemade edibles: consumers can still bake themselves cakes and brownies without any dosage limits.
Source:
http://www.hightimes.com/read/new-regulations-shake-colorado-edibles-industry
Photo Credit: Rob Faulkner
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