Children of the ’80s, rejoice. Scratch-and-sniff pot packaging could be a real thing in dispensaries very, very soon.
In early October, an application for a cannabis container that complies with state regulations while also indicating the content was published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The inventors, who are from Washington state, came up with regulatory-compliant secure packaging with an exterior scratch-and-sniff sticker, using non-THC chemicals to produce an unsmoked cannabis scent when scratched.
In essence, the proposed packaging has all the safety features and advantages of secure packaging required by cannabis laws but gives potential consumers a scented glimpse of the package contents — all while keeping things sealed and fresh.
The applicants, Random Vaughn and Jonathan Tanzer — who hail from Olympia — also tout other advantages to their packaging design, while acknowledging an existing patent application for scratch-and-sniff stickers. The canna-advantage is olfactory; the terpene-scented labels can help medical cannabis patients learn to identify medicinal properties, including quality, of different marijuana strains.
The existing patent application is real, too. While the other patent application applies to coffee, Vaughn and Tanzer argue that their product is entirely different. The other application sticker design mimics the smell of brewed coffee — and the duo says that their sticker imitates unsmoked cannabis and is, therefore, a completely different product.
Aligning with the wine industry, Vaughn and Tanzer use descriptive words to highlight aromas and flavor profiles, such as vanilla, cinnamon, the seaside, and Christmas tree flavor notes to describe product qualities and related sticker scents.
