State Compliance Guide
New York
Cannabis Packaging Requirements
New York cannabis packaging is regulated by the New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). The market is adult-use & medical. Packaging must be child-resistant, must carry the state universal symbol, and must print 10 required warning statements. No pre-approval of artwork is required. Royal Supply last reviewed this guide against the regulation on September 1, 2026.
10Required Warnings
YesChild-Resistant
NoPre-Approval Needed
September 1, 2026Last Reviewed
Official artwork
01 — The Mark
Universal Symbol Requirements
Symbol Specifications
SymbolNew York OCM Universal Symbol
Minimum SizeMinimums, not fixed dimensions — larger is allowed.
- Square: 1.25 in tall.
- Vertical: 0.5 in wide.
- Horizontal: 0.5 in tall.
- Each format sets a floor in one dimension. Scale proportionally, never stretch.
ColorsAs issued by OCM. No color changes.
PlacementPrincipal display panel.
- Make it conspicuous with a contrasting color or outline.
- No upper-left or top-25% rule in New York.
How To ObtainDownload from cannabis.ny.gov/part-128-guidance
State-issued symbol, used exactly as issued.
- Print in, or outline with, a contrasting color.
- Do not alter the artwork or its colors without Board approval.
Official Files & Links
⬇NY OCM Symbol Files (ZIP)Design & Print Specs
FontsTimes New Roman, Calibri, Arial, Helvetica
Font Minimum6 pt min
Symbol ColorsAs issued by OCM
CMYK / PMSAs issued by OCM
PlacementPrincipal display panel; conspicuous via contrasting color or outline
Bold RequiredNo
Symbol cannot be altered or recolored. Square: 1.25"×1.25". Vertical: 0.5" wide. Horizontal: 0.5" tall.
02 — Say It Exactly
Warning Statements (10)
These must appear verbatim. Use the copy buttons to pull exact text into your artwork files. Anything marked otherwise is our recommendation and is not required by New York.
Product
Market
Adult-use and medical carry the same warning statements in this state.
Format
Options
Your warning block
—
See every statement individually, with citations10
On every package4
All four go on the retail package or, if one is used, the marketing layer — 9 NYCRR 128.5(f). At least 6-point, English, in Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial or Helvetica (128.5(h)). Space saver: if the word "warning" appears as a header clearly associated with all of them, the individual statements marked with it do not have to repeat it. Two of these four are also barred from moving onto a booklet or peel-and-reseal label — see the labeling section.
Exact text required
New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
This product contains cannabis and THC
Exact text required
New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN AND PETS. For use only by persons 21 years of age and older
Exact text required
New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Warning: Do not use if pregnant or nursing
Exact text required
New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Poison Center 1-800-222-1222
Rotating health warning — use one3
One of three rotating health warnings, and the office determines which one a package carries — 9 NYCRR 128.5(g). Confirm the current assignment with OCM before committing a run, because the choice is not the licensee's. The rule also reserves the right to set other warnings at (g)(4). Unlike the four universal statements, this one may sit on a booklet or peel-and-reseal label.
Option A
Exact text requiredNew York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Cannabis can be addictive.
Option B
Exact text requiredNew York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Cannabis can impair concentration and coordination. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of cannabis.
Option C
Exact text requiredNew York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product.
Add by product type3
Add whichever applies to the product inside — 9 NYCRR 128.5(f)(5) through (7). A product with more than one route of use takes more than one of these.
Smoked, inhaled or vaporized
Exact text requiredNew York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Warning: Smoking or vaping is hazardous to health
Orally ingested
Exact text requiredNew York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Warning: Effects of this product may be delayed by 4 or more hours
Topical
Exact text requiredNew York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Warning: For topical use only. Do not eat or smoke
03 — The Fine Print
Packaging & Labeling Rules
Child-ResistantEvery package must be child-resistant and tamper-evident, and stay that way for the life of the product.
- Child-resistant for the life of the product.
- Tamper-evident, with the label still readable after opening.
- Resealable if the package holds more than one serving.
- Fully enclose the product and minimize oxygen exposure.
- No materials that can leach into the product.
- The innermost layer holding the product must be child-resistant. An outer carton does not discharge it.
- Keep your 16 CFR 1700.15 / 1700.20 test documentation on file.
- Exit packaging is optional. Where a dispensary uses it, it carries only the retailer name, logo and approved branding.
Notes on this section — 1
- Tamper-evidence has a design constraint attached: the mechanism must not obstruct any required labeling, and it must not carry required labeling away with it when the package is opened. That rules out putting required copy on a tear-off band or a strip that leaves with the seal.
9 NYCRR 128.2(a)(1)-(5); 128.6(a)(12); exit packaging 9 NYCRR 128.2(c)
LabelingEverything printed has to be legible, in English, against a contrasting background.
- Type: 6 point minimum on all label copy.
- Warning text only in Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial or Helvetica.
- Ingredients in descending order by weight.
- Allergens called out separately.
- Processor name, city and ZIP, license number and a direct contact.
- Universal symbol on the principal display panel.
- Use instructions and a lot code.
- QR code linking to the lab COA.
- Edibles: add a nutrition panel.
- Supplements: add a supplement facts panel.
- A date of expiration for the unopened product, and a use-by date for the opened one.
- The total number of servings, displayed — every product except flower.
- Principal display panel, separately: net quantity and the brand name.
- Tight on space? Booklet, accordion, dry-release, expandable, extendable and peel-and-reseal labels are allowed, within limits.
Notes on this section — 4
- The small-package label allowance has three carve-outs. It does not cover the principal display panel content, the universal symbol, or two of the warnings — "This product contains cannabis and THC" and the KEEP OUT OF REACH one. Those five things stay on the package.
- Total THC is calculated, not measured: THC + (THCA x 0.877). Total CBD is CBD + (CBDA x 0.877). Any other phytocannabinoid you market has to be disclosed the same way.
- The printed figures have to hold within 85% to 115% of the certificate of analysis.
- A recyclable or recycled-content claim on the pack has to satisfy the FTC Green Guides at 16 CFR Part 260.
9 NYCRR 128.5(a)-(e), (h)-(i); 9 NYCRR 128.4(d); 9 NYCRR 123.6(f)(2), (f)(6), (f)(7)
THC SymbolThe universal symbol goes on the principal display panel, in one of three formats.
- Square format: 1.25 inches tall minimum.
- Vertical format: 0.5 inches wide minimum.
- Horizontal format: 0.5 inches tall minimum.
- These are floors, not fixed sizes. Larger is fine.
- Each format sets a floor in one dimension only. Scale proportionally, never stretch to hit a size.
- Print in, or outline with, a contrasting color.
- Artwork and colors may not be altered without Board approval.
- No upper-left or top-25% placement rule in New York.
9 NYCRR 128.5(b)(6)
Health WarningsFour statements on every package, one rotating health warning, and one more for the product type.
- Warning type: 6 point minimum, English, in Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial or Helvetica.
- The rotating health warning is one of three, and the office determines which.
- Add the product-type warning: smoked or vaped, orally ingested, or topical.
- Set "Warning" once as a header covering all of them and the individual statements need not repeat the word.
- No cartoons or mascots.
- Nothing that imitates food, candy, soda, drinks, cookies or cereal.
- 'Candy' and 'candies' are prohibited words, including spelling variants like 'kandy'.
- Both of those bans carve out cultivar names, so a strain name that reads like a sweet is allowed.
- No imagery of anyone who could reasonably appear under 21 — unless the person is actually 25 or older.
- No toys, games, public figures or phrases used to market to under-21s. No children's or cartoon voices in audio.
- No health claims.
- 'Organic', 'craft', 'vegan', 'gluten-free' and 'kosher' claims only if you actually meet the stated conditions.
- Nothing that promotes overconsumption, is false or misleading, or presents the product as authorized under the medical or cannabinoid-hemp articles.
Notes on this section — 3
- 'Organic' has a hard threshold: at least 70 percent certified organic ingredients, excluding salt and water, per 7 CFR 205.600 to 205.607.
- 'Craft' requires an office designation under Part 118. It is not a self-declared term.
- Special branding materials need office authorization before use.
9 NYCRR 128.1(c); 128.3(a)(1); 128.5(f)-(i); 128.6(a)
Serving SizeNew York caps THC in orally ingested products and requires the amounts on the label.
- Orally ingested: 10 mg total THC per serving, 100 mg per package.
- Tinctures: 10 mg total THC per serving, 1,000 mg per package.
- Beverages: one serving per package. Sell a multipack if you need more.
- Edibles and other non-inhalables: print total THC and CBD, per serving and per package, plus any other phytocannabinoid you market.
- Inhalables: print total THC and CBD as a percentage of weight or volume.
- List servings per package and the recommended serving size.
- Keep all of it unobstructed and readable on the package.
- Multi-serving solids must be scored or otherwise delineated into single servings.
- Multi-serving non-solids must make one serving identifiable or easily measurable, and the package must reseal.
- A multi-serving product whose servings are not individually wrapped, premeasured, separated or delineated ships with a measuring device — a cap, cup or dropper.
Notes on this section — 3
- That measuring device is a component to source, not a print decision. Hash marks on the package do not satisfy it.
- Part 128 governs only how these figures are disclosed on the label. The caps and the format rules sit in the Part 123 processor rules.
- The Part 123 figures here are taken from OCM's own Adult-Use Processor Compliance Welcome Packet, which quotes the subsections. A codified Part 123 text was not retrievable from cannabis.ny.gov this cycle.
9 NYCRR 123.6(f)(1), (f)(7), (f)(8) (limits and formats); 9 NYCRR 128.5(a) (disclosure)
Opaque PackagingNo opacity rule — clear packaging is fine as long as it protects the product.
- Fully enclose the product and minimize oxygen exposure.
- Prevent contamination and degradation across the product's shelf life.
- Clear flower and pre-roll containers are a permitted example.
- Exit packaging carries no opacity or concealment requirement.
- Mail advertising must travel in a plain opaque envelope. That is a marketing rule, not a package spec.
Notes on this section — 3
- Transparency rests on OCM's Part 128 guidance, not codified rule.
- That guidance also tells dispensaries not to store product in direct sunlight or near contaminants — a storage point, not a container spec.
- Buyers coming from other states often assume New York imposes exit-package opacity. It does not.
9 NYCRR 128.2(a)(4); exit packaging 128.2(c); transparency permitted per OCM Part 128 guidance (guidance, not rule); 9 NYCRR 129.2(p) is a marketing rule, not a container spec
ResealableResealable is required whenever the package holds more than one serving.
- Multi-serving packages: must reseal.
- Must stay child-resistant after opening and reclosing.
- Single-serving packages are exempt.
9 NYCRR 128.2(a)(3)
Notable RulesTwo things catch most brands out: recycled content minimums, and how net weight is calculated.
- Plastic packaging: 25% post-consumer recycled content minimum.
- Exception one: plastic that is needed to meet child resistance — a push button on a cardboard box, or a similar mechanism — is outside the 25% rule.
- Exception two: a component for which no post-consumer-recycled option exists is outside it too, provided you keep the due-diligence record showing you looked.
- New licensees get 12 months to comply, and must evidence it at first renewal.
- Retail packages may be reused after sanitation, if inspection shows they are not brittle, chipped or cracked.
- Vape net weight is the oil measured before it goes into the cartridge or pod.
- Pre-roll net weight includes added concentrate, but not paper, filter or tip.
- Special branding materials need office approval.
- A sustainability program is required at application and a plastics-reduction plan at renewal.
- Enforcement is live: the packaging and labeling transition period closed in June 2026.
Notes on this section — 2
- Keep the no-alternative record where you can produce it. The exception is written as conditional on documentation, and the office can ask for it at any time.
- Packagers report annually on tonnage, reusable-package counts, packaging cost and, from the reporting that follows December 31 2025, material composition.
9 NYCRR 128.1, 128.3(a)(2), 128.4, 128.10
04 — Quick Answers
New York Packaging FAQ
What universal symbol is required on cannabis packaging in New York?
New York requires the New York OCM Universal Symbol. Minimum size: Minimums, not fixed dimensions — larger is allowed. Square: 1.25 in tall. Vertical: 0.5 in wide. Horizontal: 0.5 in tall. Each format sets a floor in one dimension. Scale proportionally, never stretch.. Placement: Principal display panel. Make it conspicuous with a contrasting color or outline. No upper-left or top-25% rule in New York..
Is child-resistant packaging required in New York?
Every package must be child-resistant and tamper-evident, and stay that way for the life of the product. Child-resistant for the life of the product. Tamper-evident, with the label still readable after opening. Resealable if the package holds more than one serving. Fully enclose the product and minimize oxygen exposure. No materials that can leach into the product. The innermost layer holding the product must be child-resistant. An outer carton does not discharge it. Keep your 16 CFR 1700.15 / 1700.20 test documentation on file. Exit packaging is optional. Where a dispensary uses it, it carries only the retailer name, logo and approved branding.
What warning statements are required on New York cannabis packaging?
New York prescribes exact wording for 10 warning statement(s). The verbatim text is listed on this page.
05 — Receipts
Sources & Citations
- New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) — cannabis.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2025/12/part-128-part
- 9 NYCRR Part 128 / Part 129 — Packaging, Labeling, Marketing and Advertising (OCM)
- New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) — cannabis.ny.gov/part-128-guidance
- Part 128 Adult-Use Packaging and Labeling Guidance
- 9 NYCRR Part 123 — processor requirements, including THC per-serving and per-package limits at 123.6(f)(1)
- New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) — cannabis.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2025/01/au-processor-
- OCM adopted PLMA regulations, filed for publication in the State Register December 2025 (use this text, not Cornell LII, which still renders the March 22, 2023 original)
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Reference material only — not legal advice. Verify all
requirements with New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and your compliance / legal team before production.