As some of you reading this might know, Plexpack will be exhibiting at the Cannabis Business Summit and Expo in San Jose on the 26th and 27th. Our impending trip to California had us feeling inspired so we decided to write an updated piece on Cannabis packaging. Here’s all you need to know:
Bags & Retail Regulations Across the Board: 
Most businesses in the cannabis industry use either Single Use bags or Resealable bags for vacuum sealing. Single-use bags are tamper-evident, use food grade compound films to ensure freshness, and most importantly, are child-resistant. They can also be produced with zippers for re-sealing, although single–usebags are only considered child-resistant when heat sealed. Resealable bags are smell-proof, can be heat sealed, and work great for high-THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) edibles that are typically consumed over a long period of time.
According to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, “child-resistant packaging is designed to be significantly difficult for children under 5 years old to open or consume a harmful amount of the substance inside.” Product packaging is thoroughly tested and must meet performance specifications outlined by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Cannabis packaging must also be opaque, closable if not intended for single use, and it must be properly labelled according to the Retail Code. Proper labelling is important when learning how to package cannabis, as it includes specific warning statements alongside Colorado’s Universal Symbol indicating the container holds a cannabis product. According to the Colorado Department of Revenue, Marijuana Enforcement Division, the label must include all nonorganic pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides, as well as solvents and chemicals, used to create the product.
Product Preservation and Packaging Machinery:
For cannabis producers, Plexpack encourages MAP (modified atmosphere packaging) for two reasons:
- Reduce risk of oxidation with vacuum packaging
- Vacuum packing any fresh product will greatly it’s extend shelf. Air oxidizes harvested buds, acting as a a catalyst for decomposition. When air and oxygen are excluded, the buds will maintain their fragrance and quality. Higher-end vacuum packaging machinery allows you to adjust the amount of vacuum strength, helping to protect the buds from being crushed during the vacuum process. All Plexpack modified atmosphere machinery has adjustable vacuum settings.
- Reduce the risk of mold growth with nitrogen gas flushing
- The interior of the package should also be as dry as possible before packaging. Excess moisture can enable the growth of bacteria, ruining the product and costing producers great amounts of money over time. At Plexpack, we recommend producers flush their bag with nitrogen in succession to vacuuming the bag to further prevent mold growth. Nitrogen flushing decreases the amount of residual oxygen in the packaging, and since food-spoiling bacteria are typically aerobes (require oxygen to grow), nitrogen flushing protects against mold growth.
Whether it’s sealing bags or bundling bongs, Plexpack has a “high” quality solution for your business:
With over 30 years of packaging experience, Plexpack can offer you dependable solutions with a wide range of products like…
- Vacuum-gas flushing machines;
- Excellent for keeping products fresh and extending shelf life
- Uses a nitrogen flushing system to halt product ageing and help prevent mould growth.
- Table-top bag sealing machines;
- Excellent for small businesses, affordable and perfect for sealing small bags.
- Like all of our bag sealers, our tabletop line comes in validatable configurations, which is of great value to medical companies.
- Shrink wrappers and bulls-eye bundlers;
- Excellent for bundling large quantities of products, whether it be weed tins, vaporizers, bottles, machine parts, bongs or boxes of brownies.
All of our machines are customizable, made-to-order and come with PLC HMI systems to optimize your production process and reduce labour costs
We are featuring one of our most recommended products for cannabis producers at the Cannabis Business Summit and Expo (booth 320) in San Jose on the 26th and 27th—VACPACK, come to see it in action!
Plexpack’s VacPack impulse vacuum sealers set the standard for food, protein, electronics and medical packagers that require a heavy–duty, washdown vacuum and gas flush sealer at a moderate investment. Plexpack’s VacPack Series are robust, stainless steel food grade sealers that create vacuum and gas flushed sealed bags for a wide range of package sizes, including extra wide and heavy products. VacPack sealers employ an ejector style vacuum pump and produce hermetically sealed packages on any heat sealable bag up to 12 mil/300 micron in thickness (6 mil/150 micron maximum when gusseted).
The VacPack Series includes the VP2400, VP3000, and VP3600 floor stand models tabletop models—VP2440, VP3040 andVP3640 are also available. All models include the same washdown, vacuum, gas flush capabilities. Vacuum, gas flush and sealing processes on the VacPack can be adjusted to accommodate variations in product and bag material, ensuring reliable seal integrity on every bag.
The VP Series employs an easy-to-clean modular design. The extra wide seal section is easy to access and clean. Additional sanitary design features reduce product contamination of the sealer’s pneumatic system. The VacPack comes standard with a 5.7 inch color touchscreen controller that simplifies operation and package customization.
So, to conclude:
Each state has its own laws regarding the legality of cannabis and requirements on how to package marijuana. Education is key for anyone getting into this booming industry, whether it’s for medicinal products, snacks, or beverages. We recommend everyone do their due diligence in familiarizing themselves with the laws in their state or province. However, when it comes to packaging, we encourage you to bring us your questions! Please either give us a call at 1-855-635-9238 or email us at info@plexpack.com