Oregon legalized the recreational use of marijuana back in 2014 but the Oregon marijuana laws are still being updated regularly to better suit an industry in constant flux. The Oregon marijuana rules for packaging stipulated below have been updated as recently as March 2018 and offer you a great starting point to get familiar with the intricate guidelines without getting bogged down by legal language. While this guide is ideal for an overview, it always pays to double check with the official Oregon marijuana guidelines for packaging and labeling (which will be linked below) prior to making any solid decisions on how to proceed with the packaging of your cannabis product.
When selecting the right container for your product, you should do a thorough read-through of all the stipulations stated in OAR 845-025-7000 through 845-025-7060 to find the answers that best suit your specific scenario. However, there are two universal guidelines you should note before you take care of your homework.
Once you’ve got your packaging picked out, you’ll need to run through the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) pre-approval process before actually attempting the sale of your product. Wholesalers and retailers alike are held responsible for reporting any perceived violations of the Oregon marijuana packaging rules. There is a detailed tracking system in place for such a scenario. If you discover packaging that does not adhere to the compliance guidelines, make sure to review Oregon’s specific guidelines for reporting and returning these items properly.
Child resistant packaging is just as vital to the success of Oregon marijuana laws as it is in any of the other cannabis legal states. A third party testing facility will be responsible for certifying new packaging as child resistant. To meet the Oregon weed laws and stipulations for child resistant packaging, your product must:
Whether you can rely on single-use child resistant packaging or require multiple use, resealable child proof containers depends on the type of cannabis product you’re selling, so be sure to carefully research the Oregon marijuana packaging requirements for your specific product type. If you’re simply selling cannabis seeds or immature plants, they do not need to be placed in child resistant packaging. In the event that you’re working in a dispensary that sells a product that is not in child resistant packaging, you can simply place the product in resealable child resistant exit packaging prior to sale to satisfy Oregon marijuana laws. Any exit packaging is required to present a label that reads “Keep out of the reach of children.” Cannabis containers that are not child resistant must include the statement: “This package is not child resistant.”
Both your product’s cannabis container and any outer container are required to feature various specific Oregon marijuana labels that will be determined by the product type as well as container size. Since there is such a wide variety of product types, you should start by consulting OAR 333-007-0010 through 333- 007-0100 to determine which type of marijuana stickers you need. If your product satisfies the description of two separate product types, then the required information for both types of products must feature on the weed labels.
Smaller container types are often permitted the use of smaller labels but they must still adhere to the Oregon marijuana laws as follows:
For containers that are deemed too small to accommodate all of the required information, the following information must still appear on a clearly visible outer label:
These small container permissions do not excuse you from clearly presenting the additional information required by Oregon laws on marijuana. Any additional information would need to be included on some form of outer packaging, container, or an accompanying leaflet/tag. If you choose to cover the additional information by including outer packaging, all of the required information that appears on the small container within must also appear on the outer container or packaging. Accordion or peel-back labels can be used as long as it is clear that they contain important information that the customer or patient should be consulting.
Oregon marijuana labels must include the following:
Again, all required information must be no smaller than 1/16 of an inch and can only utilize fonts that are easy to read. Multiple labels can be attached to packaging as long as they are clearly visible. You can even print the required information directly onto the packaging as long as it follows all of the above stated guidelines. Oregon cannabis labeling cannot:
In most cases, the principal display panel will be the most prominently displayed area on your packaging. The majority of cannabis product types will require the following information to be presented on the principal display panel:
The universal symbol for Oregon is required to measure a minimum of 0.48 inches wide and 0.35 inches tall. The colors must remain black, white and red and the design must precisely fit the example above. If the package contains an industrial hemp product, the authorized hemp symbol can be substituted.
In most cases, the net weight of your product will be displayed running parallel to your container’s base in the lower 30% of the principal display panel (the exception being cannabis plants). The net weight must be expressed in U.S. Customary Units (ounces for solid products, fluid ounces for liquid products) and International System of Units (grams or milligrams for solid products, milliliters for liquid products). Units should be expressed in numbers no less than 1 unit and no greater than 1000 units of measurement. Decimals should be rounded so as not to exceed 3 places. Mixing units of measurement to state the net weight is prohibited. The net quantity will take into account the average net quantity of all of the packages in a single batch. Though it appears on the principal panel, this net weight/quantity area must be kept separated from other print by a space equal to the height of the font used in this section. Information in this area should appear in bold font.
It can be easy to confuse the product identity with a brand name but it is literally a descriptor of the product. For a non-cannabis-specific example, “Starbucks” is a brand whereas “coffee” is a product identity. It is vital to not confuse concentrates with extracts and vice versa when stating a product identity on your packaging. The product identity must be presented in a bold font with reasonable relation to the most prominent text on the principal display panel. This area must also clearly state whether the product was derived from marijuana or hemp. If an item is derived from both, it will be designated a marijuana item.
In some circumstances, the OLCC may provide you with a universal product code designed for retail sale. If such a number is provided to you by the OLCC, it must be prominently displayed on the exterior of your product’s container.
The UID number (a.k.a. the 24-digit Metrc tag number) is required to appear on all licensees’ products. This number is not to be confused with the test batch number.
When a lab tests a registrant’s product, it generates a test batch number that you will need to include on Oregon marijuana labels. Consult your lab test report to find your product’s test batch number. This number will not have a set number of digits since the format will vary between labs.
If your product exceeds the Oregon state limit for recreational cannabis, it must be sold as medical marijuana. This requires that you include an Oregon medical marijuana symbol, often referred to as the medical grade symbol, which is limited to use by those with an OLCC license. If you are selling a medical marijuana product, the medical grade symbol is required to be prominently featured on the principal display panel at a size no smaller than 0.35 inches in diameter. Oregon medical marijuana products must also display the statement “For use by OMMP patients only” as a substitute for the standard recreational warning “For use only by adults 21 and older.” In addition, Oregon medical marijuana products must include a registrant number as opposed to the OLCC license number. Lab information is also required including the name of the testing lab, the associated test batch number and the results of any lab findings provided.
Oregon state marijuana laws give you a lot of creative leeway when it comes to how you represent activation time on your cannabis packaging. While you can simply write out the approximate time it takes for your product to take effect, many companies are opting instead to include a pictogram. Some consumers feel a pictogram more efficiently communicates the information. It can also be argued that, if done well, a pictogram is more visually appealing than simply adding more text to your packaging.
As long as a vape cartridge includes a concentrate, extract or other cannabis-based product, it must be labeled in some way with the marijuana packaging Oregon universal symbol (or hemp symbol) with the standard measurement of 0.48 inches by 0.35 inches. Some companies opt to print the symbol directly onto the vape cart while others may choose to include the universal symbol as a label applied to the vaporizer cartridge. You are not required to include a small container label with your vape cartridges.
While a cannabis plant that has yet to reach maturity is not subject to the same packaging requirements as other Oregon marijuana products, immature plants must still include a label with the following information:
Cannabis seeds are slightly different, requiring a label that clearly provides the following details:
Oregon marijuana edibles have their own separate requirements for proper labeling. Your cannabis edibles packaging must include the following information:
Though inclusions of the term “gluten-free” are strictly voluntary, use of the term must be truthful or risk violating Oregon marijuana regulations forbidding false claims on packaging.
Each type of Oregon cannabis product tends to have its own combination of regulations when it comes to the type of information that needs to appear on their packaging labels. As a baseline, you can expect to include the following no matter if your product is a topical, concentrate, extract, tincture or other cannabis-based product:
Cannabinoid topicals as well as concentrates and extracts will also need to include:
Cannabinoid topicals, tinctures, and other similar products must include:
Cannabinoid concentrates, extracts, tinctures, and other similar products must include:
Cannabinoid concentrates, extracts, and other similar products must include:
Cannabinoid tinctures and other similar products must include:
Cannabinoid topicals must also include:
Cannabinoid tinctures must also include the following warning statements:
Like its fellow legal cannabis states, the Oregon drug law takes its marijuana regulations very seriously. It pays to familiarize yourself with the actual government-issued guidelines and follow them to a Tee. There are other points with which you may wish to familiarize yourself such as regulations for industrial hemp products or the pre-approval process for Oregon cannabis packaging. All of that information is provided in great detail at the official Oregon state government site.
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