The effort was passed through a partnership between the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Marijuana Enforcement Division, and are a result of an update to House Bill 1261.
“It’s about public health, and, above all, it’s sensitive to the risk this poses to children,” Marijuana Enforcement Division Director Jim Burack told The Cannabist.
The state is not expecting a backlash or complaint from edible marijuana product manufacturers or distributors.
Manufacturers of edible products that contain marijuana, or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the plant’s psychoactive ingredient, have had months to prepare for the upcoming changes, though they have come at a cost.
“It was a bit of a financial cost for us,” Andrew Schrot, chief executive officer at edibles producer BlueKadu, told The Cannabist. “We had to buy all new molds. Fortunately, for chocolate bars, this is something that we’re relatively used to.”
Schrot explained that, between purchasing new molds and pulling products that are no longer compliant, it will likely cost the company some $80,000.
Other states, including Alaska and California, have laws in place to help prevent children from consuming edible THC-laden products.
In Alaska, all THC edibles must be sold in childproof packaging, and California requires tamper-evident packaging, and a long list of warning labels, the International Business Times reports.
