We have seen the fancy mock-ups of potential cannabis-infused beverages in Canada. While they look great, actually launching a cannabis-infused beverage in Canada requires a thorough understanding of the regulations and manufacturing best practices needed to deliver safe and compliant products at scale.
Challenging the creative output and designs are restrictions on how cannabis products must be packaged and labelled. These regulations impact the logos, colours, and branding that designers are allowed to use. They also require specific information in the final designs such as specific product information display formats, rotating health warning messages and the standardized cannabis symbol that must appear on labels.
The intent of these regulations is understandable: they are designed to reduce the attractiveness and appeal of cannabis products (particularly to young people), provide consumers with accurate information about the use of cannabis products and to make health warnings more prominent.
So to get these products to market, here some elements we consider when creating cannabis-infused beverages:
1. Completely homogeneous and shelf-stable (no refrigeration required)
2. Childproof Lid
3. Tamper Evident Seal
4. Brand Logo may not exceed the size of the THC caution
5. No health claims or marketing messages included on the pack
6. Rotation between 8 different standardized caution statements
7. Not to exceed 10mg THC potency
8. Translucent Bottle