New York Regulators Approve Restrictions On Cannabis Packaging: No Cartoons, No Neon, No Candy

New York’s Office of Cannabis Management approved regulations late Wednesday on the packaging and labeling of marijuana products, with strict stipulations that they are not to be attractive to children. That is, no cartoons, no neon colors and no names that are any variation of the word "candy."

The packaging must be child-resistant, tamper-evident, and non-toxic.

Each package of marijuana, edibles or concentrates will have the universal state symbol of approval containing a yellow THC flower in a triangle, with 21+ a symbol in a red circle atop the New York State logo. The state label confirms that the product is licensed and legitimate after undergoing lab testing.

“Protecting public health, reducing harm and promoting sustainable industry practices are key components of legalizing cannabis for adult-use and I look forward to considering these regulations as we develop the industry,” said Cannabis Control Board Chair Tremaine Wright. “We are committed to building a New York cannabis industry that sets high standards for protecting children and keeping products sale and sustainable,” reported various news outlets.

Licensed cannabis sellers also are prohibited from claiming any therapeutic or health benefits from smoking or ingesting weed and they're forbidden from using words such as “organic” and “craft.”

In fact, sellers will be required to have a number of health warning labels, including ones that must be affixed to the package and read “KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN AND PETS.”

Labeling will also warn that consumers must be 21 years and older and that women who are pregnant or nursing should not consume cannabis.

The commission set up rules for the labs that will test the plants. It also approved several new farms to grow, including two more in Western New York.