Out of the Box: A Comparison of Child-Resistant Cannabis Boxes
A few companies are “thinking outside of the box” and have come to market with child-resistant cannabis box offerings.
Close federal and media attention, alongside evolving state regulations, have made child-resistant packaging the focus of every forward-thinking cannabis producer. Cannabis brands understand that their product is being held up to a higher level of scrutiny. In order to legitimize and normalize their brand it is important that they be associated with legal and safe consumption. There are many lawmakers still looking for any reason to further regulate the industry, so prudent Cannabis companies should be taking every precaution, whether in compliance with or in anticipation of regulations, to protect against accidental ingestion and to keep Cannabis out of the hands of children.
That being said, Cannabis, Oil and Edible producers cannot afford to miss an opportunity to properly brand within their space. The Cannabis packaging industry is already flooded with child-resistant bags and jars and given the ever-widening variety of products available, the industry has begun to call for more variety in child-resistant packaging options.
Enter; The Child-Resistant Cannabis Box, perfect for edible companies and cartridge producers, but seeing interest from other sectors. A few companies are ahead of the curve and have come to market with child-resistant cannabis box offerings; Green Rush Packaging with the GRIP ‘N LOCK, LeafLocker with the SlideLockerCR, and Ecobliss with the Locked4Kids carton.
SlideLockerCR by LeafLocker
Based in Aurora, Colorado, LeafLocker has been producing packaging for the Cannabis Industry since its inception last year. Their product, The LeafLocker SlideBoxCR, is a line of senior friendly and child-resistant cannabis boxes, per the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 16, Part 1700.
LeafLocker utilizes an interior sliding and locking tray and an exterior sleeve. Consumers must insert a finger to press against an interior flap against the wall of the sliding tray, releasing the tray so that it may be pulled out by the tab at the end of the box. The SlideBoxCR currently comes in six standard sizes with inserts to house most product types, including cartomizers, concentrate jars, pre-rolled joints, and edibles.
While the SlideBoxCR does not offer a custom box size just yet, it does offer both full custom and semi-custom printing capabilities. Stock units are not available, so brands looking at LeafLocker as an option will be committing to the cost of a custom product for a minimum order quantity of 5,000 units. Additionally, the SlideBoxCR only comes partially assembled – they do include an instructional video on their website which times the secondary assembly steps at 1-2 minutes per box, not including inserting the product itself.
Locked4Kids
Locked4Kids is an award-winning child-resistant carton for blister packs developed by the Dutch supplier, Ecobliss Group. Originally intended for normalized medicine, the manufacturer saw the additional applications in the Cannabis market as the two industries share a goal: protecting children from accidentally ingesting the contents.
Much like the LeafLocker, the locking mechanism of Locked4Kids is based around the interior tray, or in this case the blister pack tray. By pressing on the exterior tabs of the blister pack at two key points, the tray is released and can be pulled out from the end of the box. The Locked4Kids carton, as it was initially intended for the traditional medicinal market, is well sized for syringes, vials, ampules, and tablets, and available in a variety of custom sizes from 2.00”-3.25” in width and 5.00”-8.00” in length.
Ecobliss has licensed its design to the NC-based company, Atlantic Packaging. In addition to offering design and customization services, Atlantic offers packing services. As each carton requires a blister pack, Cannabis brands must decide between the cost of having custom blisters made for their product, or using one of six standard box styles for their product. Pricing is strictly on a job-by-job basis.
GRIP ‘N LOCK by Green Rush Packaging
Coming Soon to www.GreenRushPackaging.com
The patent pending GRIP ‘N LOCK Box from Green Rush Packaging is the newest entry to the child-safe box market. After the success of their GRIP ‘N RIP child-resistant bags, this company sought to continue to bring innovation to the child-resistant Cannabis packaging. Green Rush benefits from years of experience in the food and coffee packaging industry, and in addition to researching and developing new products, is a wholesaler of hundreds of marijuana packaging products ideal for growers and dispensaries alike.
The GRIP ‘N LOCK box is completely unique in function; as opposed to relying on a secondary interior tray to provide the locking mechanism, this mechanism is built into the closure of the box. The specially designed tab/flap system has two steps. First, pull the tab out halfway, then lift the flap halfway. Next, pull the tab out the rest of the way and lift the flap to open the box. The GRIP ‘N LOCK will be available in the summer of 2018, featuring several standard sizes and the option for full custom sizes. Because blister packs and interior trays are not integral to the function, they are optional.
This product will be available to Cannabis brands in a range of standard sizes, including two vape cartridge sizes and three larger edible sizes. Custom boxes can be made to suit any size product. Additionally, the GRIP ‘N LOCK will be the lowest cost child-resistant cannabis boxes on the market at about 50% less than the competition.
Blank boxes will also be available, with Green Rush offering in house label-application and hot stamping services, in addition to full custom printing. Full custom runs start with an MOQ of only 250 units, giving Cannabis brands big and small the incredible opportunity to customize their packaging and enhance their product offering at an affordable price point.