Why Are Cannabis Products “Challenging” to Package?
The many diverse cannabis product forms now on the market all have different functional needs along with the same one mandate—regulatory compliance.
Because of their distinct and often fragile properties, not all cannabis products and derivatives can fit neatly into standard containers. Concentrates, for example, can be sticky and sensitive to light and temperature. Oversized pre-rolls, like cannagars, are more susceptible to being crushed or losing their aroma without airtight protection. Cannabis syringes and applicators need packaging that protects from tampering and ensures dose accuracy.
Beyond just accounting for the unique physical characteristics of various cannabis products, compliance adds another layer of complexity for tamper-evident or child-resistant packaging requirements, sufficient surface area for detailed regulatory labeling, and more. Canadian products with bilingual requirements or elaborate state laws like California’s Prop 65, create an added challenge to incorporate even more labeling text without cluttering design or making text illegible.
RXDco’s expertise in label printing and design plays a pivotal role here, helping brands remain compliant without sacrificing visual appeal.
Real-World Examples of Custom Cannabis Packaging at Work
The many diverse cannabis product forms now on the market all have different functional needs along with the same one mandate—regulatory compliance.
For oversized pre-rolls or cannagars, standard pre-roll tubes don’t suffice. Custom pre-roll tubes and alternatives are necessary to accommodate their uncommon size and shape in crush-resistant and aroma-controlled packaging solutions.
RXDco’s Bi-Tri Tubes, PearlLoc slides and boxes, Pop Tops, and Pre-Roll Tins are fully customizable solutions to this problem, designed to maintain product integrity and enhance shelf presence.
Similarly, cannabis syringes or applicators need secure, protective cases that prevent leakage and maintain hygiene. Specialized cannabis syringe packaging, tincture bottles, and Droploc containers all address these challenges while offering a streamlined, professional presentation.
For different reasons, infused edibles and specialty confections often benefit from custom tins or paper-based solutions like ATID containers. With so many products competing for your customer’s attention on the shelf, these custom packaging options deliver both safety and sustainability, providing a memorable unboxing experience while meeting child-resistance requirements.
Compliance Considerations That Drive Customization
To successfully navigate the complex regulatory mandates for cannabis compliance, custom packaging becomes especially mission critical.
Custom packaging can solve for a variety of complex compliance regulations including the need for specific child-resistant mechanisms, adequate display surfaces for warning language, expiration labels, and multilingual regulatory content, and more.
To house smaller or irregularly shaped products in compliant cannabis packaging, customization is often essential. Cannabis products often struggle to meet labeling requirements with standard size/shape packaging. Customized die lines and expanded display areas are often the only viable options to present all required multilingual warnings or extensive state-mandated product information.
And with packaging laws that vary by state and specific child-resistant packaging rules that are continually evolving in each market across the country, it is essential to know how to design your packaging to comply. Visit our blog to learn more about the history of legalization and evolving regulations in your state.
Custom Packaging as a Branding Opportunity
To successfully navigate the complex regulatory mandates for cannabis compliance, custom packaging becomes especially mission critical.
Custom cannabis packaging design and print techniques like embossing, foil finishes, and custom-cut windows enhance shelf appeal while creating a tactile experience for consumers that is memorable and appreciated.
Though they may seem like a negligible consideration, thoughtfully engineered die lines and unique structural designs reflect a brand’s creativity and attention to detail that consumers unconsciously associate with product quality. This perception of a lux product or even just a good one helps your brand stand out and be chosen, even at a higher price point.
For many cannabis consumers, use of your products is ritualistic and that ritual begins with unboxing. Packaging that feels intentional, from choice materials to thoughtful opening mechanisms, elevates this interaction—turning packaging design into a storytelling mechanism. Let us know how our product development and branding expertise can help you configure truly custom solutions for your brand.
The Importance of Customizing the Full Packaging Journey
The best custom packaging partners can ensure the entire process is seamless from concept to completion.
At RXDco, we believe that the best custom packaging solutions are a result of the support we provide throughout the process. Our collaborative design-to-production approach eliminates the guesswork in custom solutions.
From collaborative design workshops to fast prototyping and compliance testing, our team is committed to every aspect and action taken between concept and reality. This not only limits time delays, it protects our brands from communication missteps that arise from transferring the job at critical stages of production. With the capacity to support each part of the sourcing and manufacturing, labeling and design, storage and delivery process, we save our clients time and money.
We approach each request with the intent to deliver on the whole job, not just a portion of it so we have accountability for every element. Because our focus is on solutions—not just containers—RXDco is a trusted partner in solving unique packaging challenges. Whether the goal is to contain an irregular shaped product, offer increased durability, sustainability, or visual impact—we can ensure that form and function work together to deliver the best solution.
With a range of sustainable materials and USA-made options throughout our product catalog, RXDco custom packaging helps brands align with eco-conscious values to deliver premium custom experiences without the premium price tag. We are pushing sustainable materials to their limit, innovating high-quality eco-conscious custom packaging solutions to meet the unique demands of the cannabis industry.
Learn more about our many sustainable cannabis packaging options and the RXDco sustainability commitment.
Conclusion
Innovation is key in our fast-moving and crowded marketplace. To remain competitive and compliant, cannabis brands cannot treat packaging as an afterthought—especially for non-standard products. For the complex legal requirements, irregular shaped, and fragile contents of cannabis products, custom packaging solutions not only satisfy functional needs, and compliance standards, but create lasting impressions that convert first-time buyers into repeat customers.
We believe that when your product doesn’t fit the standard mold, your packaging shouldn’t either. Because our tailored solutions support bold innovation without sacrificing regulatory compliance or consumer experience, RXDco is recognized as an industry-leading strategic partner.
