Studies show about 20 million Americans have impaired vision, with about 1 million being legally blind.
Entrepreneur Lance Mathena, founder of the 2Blind Hippie brand of rolling papers, is one of these people. Mathena, a veteran who lost about 97% of his sight from a surgical mishap years ago, realized that cannabis products packaged with the visually impaired consumer in mind simply did not exist — and he learned that the hard way after being misled while shopping at a cannabis store one day.
Mathena set out to create relatively inexpensive braille label stickers for cannabis producers, the first packaging product of its kind in the United States, which will start hitting the market this spring.
Beyond making cannabis more inclusive and accessible to the visually impaired, Mathena says braille labels are a way cannabis brands can show “they actually give a shit about us.”
It’s also about normalizing the product and the culture. For both producers and retailers, these stickers can create loyal customers and a deeper connection with consumers.
“It’s about time the cannabis industry took another step forward,” he says. “The benefits to both the end user and to everyone from the grower to the dispensary owner are phenomenal.”
The label stickers measure ½ inch by 1 ¾ inch and can feature some of the basic information about the product, in abbreviated form, such as strain name, potency, etc.
“The braille is abbreviated but it gives the customer enough info to ask good questions at the counter,” says Mathena, adding that when the customer gets home, they can easily identify which product is which.
“For the dispensary, the benefits are far greater than just the good feeling you get from doing something good for somebody,” Mathena says. “The disabled are incredibly loyal customers when we feel seen and accommodated. We will drive past five other dispensaries to get to yours if we know you care.”
More information: 2blindhippie.com