What Criteria Must Packaging Meet to Be Deemed Child Resistant?

Child resistant packaging has always been a hot topic in the cannabis industry but the temperature’s risen higher in recent months. Largely due to California’s gradual shift into recreational sales, demand for child resistant packaging wholesale has risen. You don’t have to be in the industry to recognize just how vital child safety is to the success of legitimizing cannabis sales on a federal level. But even with federal legalization at an undetermined point on the horizon, child resistant caps, bottles and more are garnering heightened attention and scrutiny. While the term “child resistant” may seem broad, specific tests are done to determine if packaging is officially worthy of the title. So what criteria does your packaging have to meet to pass the test?

What Actually Defines Child Resistance?

You already know that child resistant packaging is designed to safeguard against young children gaining access to the contents. More specifically, child resistance is meant to pose a significant challenge to children 5-years-of-age or younger. While it is acknowledged that a determined child may eventually gain entry, child resistance is supposed to delay that point of entry long enough for a supervising adult to intervene. However, child resistant packaging must not be too difficult for adults to access easily. Working with child resistant packaging wholesale purchases, we’ve seen a vast variety of different mechanisms make their way into the market. The trick is to offer the heightened security of certified child resistance which adheres to state-specific cannabis regulations while also offering packaging that is attractive to adults. It’s a unique balance to say the least. Child resistant bottles and other types of compliant packaging have been on the market for decades, used for everything from pharmaceuticals to mouthwash.

How Child Resistant Packaging is Tested for Certification

Federal guidelines for child resistance are well defined but receive an occasional update. It pays to doublecheck the federal regulations for child resistance before moving forward with any orders of child resistant packaging wholesale. But those regulations apply to federally legal products so you’ll also need to familiarize yourself with your state’s most up to date cannabis packaging regulations. New packaging designs seeking child resistance certification must pass a test so simple in approach that it almost seems like fiction. A panel of children are collected together to test the packaging. The children are given a 10-minute window to do their best at attempting to open the subject packaging. The first 5 minutes constitutes one level of child resistance while the remaining 5 minutes makes up another. At least 80% of the children must be unable to infiltrate the packaging for it to be certified child resistant. But that’s just a portion of the test. Adults must also attempt to open the packaging. They are given 6 minutes with the first 5 minutes comprising one phase and the last minute constituting another. 90% of adults must be able to open the packaging within the allotted time. This is not to be confused with testing to make sure a packaging design is senior-friendly. In order to be certified as senior-friendly, a group of senior citizens between the ages of 50 and 70 are given 5 minutes to open and reseal (if applicable) the subject packaging.

Other Points to Note Before Placing Your Child Resistant Packaging Wholesale Order

It’s often assumed that child resistant packaging must only consider the entry point of the bag or bottle. But aside from the mechanism that safeguards the point of entry, the packaging itself must be protected against force-related impact that could permit entry beyond the sanctioned opening. Young children are prone to bite or tear and child resistant bottles and other forms of packaging must be able to withstand this sort of abuse without compromise. Mylar bags are fairly popular in child resistant packaging wholesale markets because standard plastic won’t cut it. Likewise flimsy plastic bottles aren’t likely to pass muster, regardless of whether they’re sporting child resistant caps. In order to pass regulations, the entire package must be child resistant. In most cases, buying child resistant packaging wholesale is a safe bet but you still need to do your homework to make sure you’re meeting your state’s specific guidelines for cannabis sales. Child resistance has always been an important factor in the cannabis industry and scrutiny over this safeguard is expected to continue to grow as more states legalize. California legalization was a big step but it wasn’t the last step. Stay informed and vigilantly aware of updates to ensure that your product’s packaging continues to meet compliance.