A simple scan engages consumers, supports compliance, and helps manage the supply chain
Quick Response (QR) codes are everywhere and can be scanned by the latest smartphones without downloading a third-party app. These robust, two-dimensional barcodes can address the needs of many segments of the cannabis industry – consumer, processor, wholesaler, retailer, and regulator, by providing a link via a smartphone scan to the information needed by that stakeholder. A simple camera click scans the code and sends the user to a website, often a custom landing page displaying specific product or promotional information.
For the consumer, the code can provide instant access to product information far beyond what will fit on the label. This can include details about strain, THC level, test results, ingredients, expiration date, use instructions, product effects, and confirmation that the product has passed state-required regulatory testing, and the supplier is a legal seller. The code also can offer an opportunity for feedback about the product.
For the processor, wholesaler, or retailer, a QR code can help enhance transparency and consumer engagement, address needs for geolocation and tracking, discourage counterfeiting, protect brands, provide analytics and meet regulatory requirements. For Veritas, a Denver-based wholesale cannabis company, the QR-code scans yield consumer data indicating the general area and timeframe of the scan and the product being scanned. This information helps the company monitor and project sales more accurately among the approximately 100 strains in flower and pre-roll forms it sells. With the QR codes, Veritas provides a link to its website and detailed information about the specific cannabis strain in each product. The code also delivers information sought by new and returning customers, such as where the product can be purchased and details beyond what is listed on the package itself, such as lab test results, terpenes present, and data on the most prevalent cannabinoids in the strain (Mohan, Anne Marie. “Veritas Uses On-Pack QR Codes for its Cannabis to Provide Product Transparency,” Packaging World, May 25, 2022).
Some states like Utah, Indiana, and Oregon mandate the codes so consumers can access strain and ingredient information. New Mexico also has established QR code requirements, which vary depending on the product and size of the package.
In California, the Bureau of Cannabis Control requires retailers to display a QR code in their windows so consumers can easily confirm they are licensed purveyors. Licensed distributor and delivery employees of licensed retailers must also carry a copy of the QR Code to assist law enforcement in distinguishing between legal and illegal transportation of cannabis goods. The QR code automatically links to the Bureau’s Cannabis Unified License Search. “We believe licensed retailers will benefit from a recognizable emblem distinguishing them as a licensed business in the community,” says Bureau Chief Lori Ajax. “We also want to provide consumers with the best information possible so they can determine which licensed California cannabis retailers carry products that are tracked, tested, and legal.”
For regulators, a QR code can confirm compliance with regulatory requirements.
“QR codes can help bring credibility to the product and process,” says Atiyyah Ferouz, executive director of the International Cannabis Quality Standards Association (ICQSA), a new organization dedicated to helping the global cannabis industry standardize practices. “Patients need more information than labels can provide. QR codes enable them to obtain the information they need in an easily accessible format. This gives them more control over their experience with the product.”
As a result, ICQSA will include QR codes in the packaging and labeling guide it is developing, which is scheduled to be released toward the end of 2024 or early in 2025.
“Greater transparency about the product generates trust in the brand,” Ferouz says. “Producers who add QR codes voluntarily will stand out as champions of quality.”
ICQSA is also working on global best practices guides for other aspects of the industry, including cannabis grading, patient education, and facility design.
Cannabis processors, wholesalers, and retailers can observe QR codes in action and discover the latest solutions to packaging and processing challenges at PACK EXPO International (Nov. 3–6, 2024, McCormick Place, Chicago), along with other beverage processing and packaging innovations. Ranking as the biggest packaging and processing event on the planet in 2024, the show will present 2,500 exhibitors spread across 1.3 million net square feet of floor space and foster idea-sharing among 40+ vertical industries. Highlights include free educational sessions, a myriad of networking opportunities, and solutions to address automation, production efficiency, sustainability, flexibility, and e-commerce needs, as well as other hot topics and trends. For more information, visit packexpointernational.com.