Missouri Enforces Plain Packaging Cannabis Rule
Starting Sept. 1, Missouri cannabis retailers are required by law to sell adult-use cannabis products in plain packaging only. Missouri joins only a small group of legal states that follow the very same practice. There were delays in implementing the plain packaging proposal, and fear among cannabis operators that they will experience a drop in profits. Missouri’s regulatory body says licensees had sufficient time to prepare.
Missouri joins a brief list of state markets that require plain packaging in recreational cannabis retail. It’s there along with Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
Operators had a year to prepare for the regulatory switch, with Sept. 1 being the hard deadline for all cannabis operators to comply.
With the new rules in place, packaging for cannabis products in Missouri dispensaries may only feature one main color. The packaging can also include up to two logos or symbols that can be a different color or several different colors.
What’s Behind Missouri’s Plain Packaging Cannabis Rule?
The Missouri’s Division of Cannabis Regulation is enacting the plain packaging rule for adult-use weed products in line with state law.
A constitutional amendment to legalize recreational cannabis was approved by Missouri voters in 2022, with the legal text containing a provision that says labels and packaging for weed products should not look attractive for children.
No cannabis retailer is allowed to sell infused edibles in packaging that children may find appealing, or that can be confused with regular candy. Anyone who breaches the regulation will need to pay a fine of up to $5,000 and could lose their work license.
Missouri’s plain packaging cannabis rule may further reduce sales of adult-use products among younger people. At least that’s what authorities are hoping for.
Missouri’s new law on plain packaging cannabis went into effect on July 30, 2023. The division’s early draft of the proposal outlined that companies may only keep one color on the label.
Subsequently, the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association reacted in a letter to lawmakers, saying that weed businesses had already spent huge amounts of money on packaging designs. Cannabis retailers further complained that plain packaging may affect their earnings adversely.
In the end, Missouri’s regulatory body altered the rule to accommodate “limited colors” on featured company logos or symbols. In addition, the agency permitted the use of QR codes on labels which send users online to find more information about the cannabis product.
Delay with the Plain Packaging Rule Implementation in Missouri
The initial deadline for Missouri’s cannabis operators to comply with the new packaging rule was May 1, 2024, but regulators stretched the hard deadline, giving businesses a few extra months to prepare the ground.
Operators reportedly complained that they may not be on time because of potential delays with global shipping and late arrival of new packaging.
However, there are no more excuses as of Sept. 1. From now on, manufacturers must package and label all pot products with designs approved by the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation, before dispatching them to retailers.
Retailers can keep products with non-compliant packaging until Nov. 1, and after that they are required to remove any remaining goods from the shelves.
Nick Rinella, CEO of Hippos Cannabis, said operators have been experiencing delays in getting their state-approved designs, Missouri Independent reported.
“The state just doesn’t have the manpower to go through and approve them. And until they’re approved, they can’t go onto the shelves in their new packaging,” Rinella said.
The ball started rolling September last year, and Missouri’s Division of Cannabis Regulation has reportedly received close to 150,000 design submissions.
More than half of those submissions were sent to the regulator in the last two months, according to a spokesperson.
“Licensees have had a year to submit applications for approval, and five months’ notice that they should not expect another extension,” the spokesperson said, according to Missouri Independent.
Plain packaging has more widely been utilized for tobacco. It’s considered that tobacco products with plain packaging or using a limited color options makes cigarettes less appealing to the youth. Following the same logic, cannabis products with plain packaging could make fewer young people purchase weed.
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- Cannabis Becomes Legal for Missouri Foster Parents
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Stephen Andrews
