Oregon State Standards for Packaging and Labeling Cannabis Consumer Products
Posted by Custom Cones USA on Oct 24th 2022
Originally Published 10-9-2020, updated 10-24-22
Oregon legalized recreational cannabis in 2014 and quickly became a hub for those choosing to partake in all cannabis has to offer. As of 2018, Portland, Oregon has nearly twice as many marijuana dispensaries than liquor stores!
What guidelines does the OLCC have in place for cannabis packaging?
- Protect the cannabis product from contamination from outside sources
- Meet the full and complete standards for child-resistance
- Labels should not mislead consumers as to what the product can do
- Labels should follow all the labeling rules (explained below)
How to label cannabis packaging to OLCC standards?
If you’re starting or growing a pre-roll brand in Oregon, you might be wondering how to label tubes to OLCC guidelines. The OLCC provides a detailed breakdown of labeling requirements for all types of marijuana products sanctioned for sale in Oregon, from plants, to seeds, to topicals, and more right here.
The requirements for labeling flower and pre-rolls are basically the same under OLCC standards, with the addition that pre-roll packaging should specify the weight of usable cannabis in grams on the label.
-Producer’s business / trade name
□ Producer’s OLCC license number
□ Business/trade name of business that packaged the product, if different than the producer
□ UID number
□ Harvest date
□ Strain name
□ Concentration of THC and CBD (%)
□ Name of lab that performed any test
□ All test analysis dates
□ Required Warnings: “For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children. Do not drive a motor vehicle while under the influence of marijuana.”
□ Product Identity
□ Universal symbol
□ Net weight in grams and ounces
□ For prerolls only: weight of usable marijuana in grams
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) maintains a list of approved packaging options that OLCC recognizes, but also offers a Pre-approval Process for ensuring a packaging type not on the list can be used. The fee for approval is $100 per package. Any package on the OLCC approved list may be used without any additional approval needed. Business owners can also opt to pair the sale of products with a Child Resistant Mylar bag at the Point of Sale to make an item CR.
For those who wish to obtain CR certification for packaging, the OLCC points to the CPSC’s maintained list of firms that conduct child-resistant testing. Business owners should note that CR certification testing can be a costly and time-consuming process, and that none of the firms listed are endorsed or certified by the CPSC. We highly recommend business owners interested in selling pre-rolls in Oregon state check out Custom Cones USA’s collection of certified Child Resistant packaging options. For any of our standard size joint tubes, Custom Cones USA can even apply OLCC-approved labels to the tubes for you, our automated labeling machine ensuring a perfect application every time!
What does the OLCC not allow on cannabis packaging in Oregon
The OLCC prohibits business owners from packaging marijuana and hemp items in any manner that is attractive to minors.
For example, any of the following items would be prohibited by the OLCC:
(1) Cartoons;
(2) Designs, brands, or names that resemble a non-cannabis product that is typically marketed to minors;
(3) Symbols or celebrities that are commonly used to market products to minors would be considered “attractive to minors;”
(4) Images of minors; and
(5) Words that refer to products that are commonly associated with minors or marketed by minors.
A "cartoon” is defined in rule as any drawing or depiction of an object, person, animal, creature or any similar caricature that:
(1) Uses comically-exaggerated features;
(2) Attributes human characteristics to animals, plants or other objects; or
(3) Attributes unnatural or extra-human abilities, such as imperviousness to pain or injury, X-ray vision, tunneling at very high speeds, or transformation (i.e. Superheroes)
Additionally, cannabis packages cannot appear similar to any consumer product that would typically marketed toward children. The OLCC also restricts using the same types of symbols, designs, or motifs that are used to market products to minors.
- Name of the product
- Net weight of the product in metric units
- Universal symbol