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Q&A on Medical Marijuana: Key Opportunities for Flexible Packaging

The cannabis industry must project an image of accountability and responsibility. Packaging suppliers are helping the industry tackle that challenge with communication, safety features and more.

Packaging suppliers are helping the cannabis industry tackle that challenge with communication, safety features and more.
Packaging suppliers are helping the cannabis industry tackle that challenge with communication, safety features and more.

While medical marijuana is legal in 29 states and the District of Columbia, there is still much to be determined in the packaging realm. We talk with Todd Meussling, National Accounts Manager for Presto’s Fresh-Lock® Slider Zipper, about how flexible packaging is poised to benefit the industry.

HCP: What are you seeing in terms of the medical marijuana landscape? How is the medical community receptive to the topic?

Todd Meussling: What was once taboo has become accepted. Medical marijuana continues to gain public approval. A 2017 Yahoo/Marist poll found 83 percent of Americans believe medical cannabis should be legalized and 49 percent feel the same about recreational use.

The medical community is also getting behind the possible benefits. While talking with people in the cannabis industry, I’ve learned many of them came from the medical field, including areas such as oncology. Used as medication, cannabis has the potential to be prescribed for a variety of ailments, from pain relief and insomnia to epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.

Respected medical organizations in states where medical marijuana is legal are opening up to cannabis. For example, after Minnesota legalized non-smokable medical marijuana, the Mayo Clinic began allowing doctors to prescribe it for approved physical and mental health issues.

Medical marijuana is legal in 29 states as well as Washington, D.C., and eight states have legalized recreational use. From a federal perspective, the future of the medical and recreational marijuana industry is still being decided. However, legalization on the state level has created a market targeted to reach an estimated $17 billion per year by 2021.

HCP: What challenges are you seeing in the medical marijuana industry?

TM: As with any market experiencing rapid growth, there are challenges that come with scaling up. The flexible packaging industry is poised to support cannabis companies by providing valuable solutions, helping them comply with current and future regulations. The cannabis industry needs to project an image of accountability and responsibility, and packagers can help it do just that.

How specifically is flexible packaging going to play a role?

TM: Flexible packaging options, such as the standup pouch, offer the same advantages to medical marijuana as they do to other markets. Films provide an adequate barrier for retaining freshness and controlling odor. There are of course, significant source reduction benefits. We can eliminate the box, the canister, and the label, reducing waste and offering cost savings.

The billboarding benefits of flexible packaging provide a unique opportunity to communicate important information to the consumer. That includes dosing instructions, warning labels, information about the strain, and ingredients.

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