Missouri’s plain packaging requirements for recreational cannabis products take effect Sept. 1, more than a year after the rule was put in place.
But many marijuana operators say the state is lagging on approving their new designs, according to the Missouri Independent.
The deadline was pushed from May 1 to Sept. 1 after cannabis licensees told regulators that global shipping delays could prevent them from receiving the proper packaging in time.
Missouri’s Division of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) must approve the labels before the products can go on store shelves.
The agency has received nearly 150,000 submissions since the packaging approval process opened on Sept. 1, 2023. Half the submissions came in the past 60 days, spokesperson Lisa Cox said.
“Licensees have had a year to submit applications for approval and five months’ notice that they should not expect another extension,” Cox told the Independent, noting that all applications are processed within 60 days.
Under Missouri’s new rules, packaging can be in one primary color and have up to two logos or symbols in different colors.
Plainer designs for packaging are expected to be less enticing to children.
“This approach to packaging is familiar to all of us,” DCR Director Amy Moore told the Independent.
“You think about the cereal aisle versus tobacco packaging or over-the-counter medicines.”
Missouri joins Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey in requiring plain packaging for recreational marijuana products, the Independent noted, citing the Network for Public Health Law.
