New York Proposes Cannabis Packaging, Marketing, and Testing Rules

The New York State Office of Cannabis Management on Tuesday proposed regulations for product packaging, labeling, marketing, advertising, and laboratory testing to be considered by the Cannabis Control Board during its June 1 meeting. The proposals include child-resistant packaging, limiting marketing to adult audiences, and warning labels.

The proposed regulations for packaging and labeling include ensuring that cannabis packaging is child-resistant, tamper-evident, and non-toxic, and requires detailed labeling that includes relevant warnings and serving size details, potency, ingredients, and use and storage instructions. The proposals would also prohibit any packaging that is attractive to young people or that includes false or misleading statements. If approved by the board, the proposals would be subject to a 60-day public comment period.

The packaging labels proposed by regulators include a yellow caution sign with a cannabis leaf and “THC!,” a red circle with “21+” inside, and the New York State logo.

Office of Cannabis Management Executive Director Chris Alexander said in a press release that the proposed regulations mark “another big step forward for the industry” and “set the rules to help keep products away from children and ensure they’re of the highest quality and safe to consume.”

Cannabis Control Board Chair Tremaine Wright said the rules set “high standards for protecting children and keeping products safe and sustainable.”

New York regulators have not yet announced when legal sales will commence but have recently approved 146 conditional cultivation licenses and are reviewing as many as 200 additional applications.