A cannabis storage device by Keep Labs won an award at this year’s CES but trade show organizers blocked the company from using the word “cannabis” in any of its exhibition materials; the company ultimately declined to exhibit its product.
Tech Trade Show Censors Award-Winning Cannabis Device
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A smart storage device for cannabis designed by Keep Labs is the first cannabis-related company to ever win an award from CES; however, the firm was banned from using the word “cannabis” on the CES show floor and ultimately declined to exhibit the award-winning product, according to a Tech Crunch report.
Keep Labs’ KEEP device won an Innovation Award in the home appliances category during the CES Innovation Award; the device looks like an alarm clock but the smart storage device uses biometric authentication with WIFI and Bluetooth connectivity to allow cannabis users to lock and unlock the device through the KEEP app with a look or touch. The app sends a push to smartphones wherever the device is accessed.
However, the Consumer Technology Association, the group behind CES, told Keep Labs that the only way they could exhibit would be if the company’s signage, marketing materials, and products displayed are free from cannabis references, products, and paraphernalia.
The device remains on the CES website and the word “cannabis” is used in the product description.
The CTA told Tech Crunch that since the tradeshow does not have a “category pertaining to the market,” no cannabis or e-cigarette products are exhibited on the CES floor.
“Given cannabis is not a category at CES, the company was able to exhibit under the terms they’d showcase their product as a storage device. … Keeps Labs fit in the Home Appliances category for the Innovation Awards.” – CTA, in a statement to Tech Crunch
Keep Labs Co-founder Philip Wilkins told Tech Crunch that lumping the device with other storage solutions and home appliances without mentioning cannabis would not be doing the brand or product justice. The device was also previously banned from both Kickstarter and Indiegogo for its association with cannabis.
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