Colorado is rolling out new regulations for retail marijuana packaging sold within the state.
Starting on October 1, all marijuana edibles sold at dispensaries will be marked with a new "universal symbol" warning buyers that the edibles contain THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, reports The Cannabist.
Edible manufacturers will also be banned from using the word "candy" on their packaging. Kid-friendly shapes, like gummy bears and worms, will also be banned.
The new rules were created as a reaction to the increase in the number of children admitted to Colorado hospitals for consuming marijuana edibles.
Only 8 children were admitted to the Children’s Hospital Colorado emergency department for marijuana consumption between 2005 and 2013, prior to recreational sales beginning in the state, Michael DiStefano, the hospital's medical director, told The Denver Post.
In the first half of 2016, 9 children between the ages of 3 and 7 were admitted to the hospital for marijuana consumption, The Denver Post reported in June.
The new regulations also set up equivalency standards for the amount of THC between raw marijuana in "flower" form and retail marijuana products, of which which dispensaries are limited by a Colorado House bill to sell customers up to an ounce.
Though the new rules were drafted after a year of discussion between industry stakeholders and state officials, some edible manufacturers have said that adapting will be costly.
Dan Anglin, the owner Americanna, an edible manufacturer in Colorado, told Forbes that his company spent $100,000 and seven months preparing new candy molds and new packaging. Anglin, however, also said that he's a "firm believer in regulations and safe products."
Jim Burack, the director of the Colorado Department of Revenue's Marijuana Enforcement Division assures the regulations aren't about making selling edibles harder for retailers.
"The No. 1 goal here: It’s about public safety, it’s about public health, and, above all, it’s sensitive to the risk this poses to children," he told The Cannabist.
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