Corporate Social Responsibility Starts at Home.

As responsible parents we try to do what is right. By living with intention and setting a good example, our kids learn from us how to navigate the world.

When my kids were born, I baby-proofed the house drawers, stairs, oven and the bottom kitchen cabinets, mostly for protection against sharp objects and dangerous house cleaners. Fortunately I never had to take a child to the emergency room for ingesting chemicals.

And… since beer was kept cold, it was up in the refrigerator high from the reach of my young kids. As the kids grew, the conversations focused on the dangers of alcohol and they knew they were not allowed to drink it. The same conversations and precautions go for guns, pills and many household chemical cleaners.

As my kids got older, so did the mainstream acceptance of cannabis. A few years back, there was a big push for child-resistant packaging on exit bags, and a lot of PR went into public awareness campaigns for keeping your cannabis locked up and away from your children. This was especially important when weed gummies became popular.

Today, more than ever, it is extremely important for child-resistant packaging and containers to be provided. If you are a manufacturer, I encourage you to understand your specific state’s guidelines. Every state has their own set of rules to follow in regard to marijuana packaging laws.

Companies manufacturing marijuana must use packaging that is tamper proof, childproof and follows all state and local laws. Most states have regulations in place, and some have adopted guidelines from others. Since the marijuana packaging laws are always changing, to stay in compliance and maintain safety, make sure you keep up to date on the latest guidelines. You can find more information for Colorado and California at the bottom of this article.

Now, what does child-resistant packaging have to do with Corporate Social Responsibility?

CSR is mostly a private self-regulation business policy that many entities take on to support ethically-oriented practices. Herein lies the problem. Even though it is widely acknowledged that cannabis, alcohol and other related products SHOULD be child-resistant and locked up, many companies won’t unless it is mandated.

Yesterday I was talking to a colleague in Napa who is a wine industry veteran about placing child-resistant tops on canned wines, beers, and cannabis infused beverages. I am working with a product that shows tremendous promise.

My colleague seemed to negate the idea before I finished telling him about it, saying it was added cost, extra labor, it’s not mandatory yet, you would need new machines to place the tops on, etc.– and all of this is true, but…

At what point does a company say yes, we will lead the way before we are required–and, it is the right thing to do… not only for the company, but for the protection and safety of our children.

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Shoot me a message if you want to learn more about the child-resistant beverage tops, or see childresistantcustompackaging.com

For more information on laws, see both the Colorado Retail Marijuana Code, which includes additional guidelines for shipping containers, contaminant and potency testing, and more, as well as Colorado’s Packaging & Labeling Requirements For Retail Marijuana for Consumer Protection and Child Safety

For more information on California’s regulations, see the Guidelines for the Security and Non-Diversion of Marijuana Grown for Medical Use, and the SF Medical Cannabis Dispensary Regulations.