ASTM Issues International Symbol For Cannabis Products

Cannabis packaging is a sector of the emerging international cannabis industry that a lot of consumers and patients likely don’t think about even though it plays a very important role in many ways.

I often point out to people that cannabis packaging is largely where cannabis policy and industry collide. Lawmakers and regulators seem to focus more on packaging than almost any other area of cannabis commerce, and to some degree that is understandable.

Childproofing, testing data, etc. Cannabis companies all have to adhere to specific packaging standards in jurisdictions where cannabis is legal, and it’s not a coincidence that many cannabis products are encased in packaging that often seems to be overkill, including from a sustainability standpoint.

Meanwhile, cannabis companies also have their own standard packaging concerns related to branding and marketing. The cannabis industry is crowded and getting more crowded by the day, and unique and creative packaging helps cannabis products stand out.

However, packaging strategies obviously have to be balanced against packaging requirements and policies. It’s one of the many examples of additional hurdles that members of the cannabis industry have to overcome that other industries do not, at least not to the same degree compared to the cannabis industry.

One component of cannabis packaging requirements that is here to stay is a symbol indicating that a product contains cannabis. Right now there are varying types of symbols in use, differing from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, which can cause confusion among patients and consumers.

The whole point of having a symbol on the package is to let people know the product contains cannabis, and with so many different symbols in circulation, it can be hard for patients and consumers to know what is the real deal and what is a bootleg.

ASTM International recently launched a symbol that it hopes will become the international standard and eliminate the confusion that arises from so many different symbols being in circulation. Below is the symbol they created, via Cannabis Industry Journal:

ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is an ‘international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services.’

The cannabis product symbol created by ASTM International has not been mandated by any jurisdiction as of right now from what I can tell, however, it’s something that folks should keep an eye on. There’s definitely a need for a uniform international symbol, whatever it ends up looking like if/when it’s adopted by the global community.

To learn more about why the symbol was created and what the creators intend it to apply to, check out the scope points provided by ASTM on the organization’s website.