Printers are always looking for new markets. Two markets showing tremendous growth in the next few years are the CBD market, which is expected to reach $20 billion by 2024, and the legal cannabis market expected to reach $41 billion by 2025. These markets need printed products such as promotional materials, outdoor advertising, and labels and packaging. Both of these markets provide opportunities and challenges for printers.
Challenges for printers in these markets include understanding the difference between CBD (Cannabidiol) and THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) products and understanding the legal requirements in labeling both materials. While it is not the printer’s responsibility to understand all of the legal requirements surrounding the packaging of these two products, it is advantageous to be aware of these laws to help the client make the best choices and create a legal printed product. After all, it is a tremendous “value add” for a printing company to have a specialist that can help clients create printed products that meet government standards so the job will be printed correctly the first time.
Understanding the Differences Between CBD and the Legal Cannabis Market
The passage of the Farm Bill in 2018, set the ball rolling for the growth of CBD products in the U.S. market. This bill removed hemp (Cannabis sativa L) and certain derivatives of cannabis with no more than 0.3% THC concentration from the definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act. So, does this mean all cannabis is legal? No, because not all cannabis is the same.
CBD products must contain no more than 0.3% THC. Legal cannabis products contain a much higher percentage of THC. Promoters of both products say they provide healthy alternatives to traditional medicine. While both CBD and THC have the same chemical makeup, they do not have the same chemical arrangement, which means the body receives them differently. Both of these compounds affect people’s mood, pain, sleep, and memory in different ways. THC elicits a psychoactive response, and CBD does not. Thus, using CBD does not give you the “high” you get with THC.
