| As we've been discussing in the newsletter recently, a California bill proposes a suite of new warning labels for all cannabis products. It also proposes a new way of thinking about how to design cannabis packaging—both for consumer safety and also pure marketing panache. Here are some examples of the warning label language: - “WARNING: Buy Legal! Illegally sold cannabis is more likely to contain unsafe additives or harmful contaminants such as mold or pesticides.”
- “WARNING: Do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding. Substances in cannabis are transferred from the mother to the child and may harm your baby’s health, including causing low birth weight.”
- “WARNING: Cannabis use may contribute to mental health problems, including psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Risk is greatest for frequent users and when using products with high THC levels.”
The content of each warning is its own matter of debate, but the broader concern for operators is in the actual label itself: Where is it supposed to go? According to the bill, “The warning shall cover at least one-third of the front or principal face of a product.” One-third of the front of a cannabis package is a lot of prime real estate. The bill is receiving plenty of backlash from industry stakeholders, but there’s still the off-chance that it could turn into law. What then? Increasingly, a cannabis product’s packaging is its first impression for consumers. We talk a lot about branding in the industry now (and at Cannabis Conference), but these proposed warning labels would alter, to a point, every existing piece of packaging on the market in California. The question for operators becomes: Is this restriction a helpful guardrail for marketing efforts or an overbearing hindrance? - Eric Sandy, Digital Editor | 
