Cannabis Packaging Has an Accessibility Problem

Published

Legal cannabis is pretty great. It makes it easier and safer for folks to partake, whether for therapeutic reasons or to unwind and get the giggles while watching Adult Swim. 

But in other ways, cannabis has remained difficult to access, literally, for many, especially those with disabilities. For the sake of legalization, states insisted on extensive regulatory frameworks that, in large part, covered how the industry packages cannabis. Gone are the days of illicit weed sold in sandwich baggies by your friendly neighborhood dealer or, more recently, simple unsealed canisters hand-filled by dispensaries, which were common during the medical marijuana days in California.

Cannabis must come in sealed packages, usually tamper-evident, and almost universally child-resistant. Lawmakers, with presumably good intentions, want to make sure minors don’t get into a grown-up’s stash and get high.