Washington
Cannabis Packaging Requirements
Washington cannabis packaging is regulated by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB). The market is adult-use & medical. Packaging must be child-resistant, must carry the state universal symbol, and must print 12 required warning statements. Artwork must be approved by the state before printing. Royal Supply last reviewed this guide against the regulation on September 1, 2026.
Universal Symbol Requirements
Symbol Specifications
- Universal symbol: 0.75 in by 0.75 in (19.05 mm square).
- "Not for Kids": 0.75 in tall by 0.50 in wide minimum.
- Royal Supply house standard — our production file is 0.75 in tall by 0.60 in wide (19.05 by 15.24 mm). That clears the "Not for Kids" floor of 0.75 by 0.50 in with room to spare. It does NOT meet the universal symbol, which WAC 314-55-106 sets at 0.75 in tall by 0.75 in wide — set that one square or larger.
Notes on this section — 1
- Do not squeeze the file to a 0.50 in width. The rule bars altering the artwork except to adjust sizing for placement.
- Universal symbol: red, black and white, as issued by the LCB.
- "Not for Kids": as issued by the Washington Poison Center.
- On white stock, add a black border around the mark's white background.
Notes on this section — 1
- The rule prescribes no colors — red, black and white describes the LCB file. Do not recolor it.
- Universal symbol: principal display panel or front of package.
- Universal symbol: on all cannabis products sold at retail.
- "Not for Kids": on cannabis-infused products for oral ingestion sold at retail.
- Universal symbol: LCB labeling resources, lcb.wa.gov/laws/labeling-resources.
- "Not for Kids": Washington Poison Center.
- Link to the agencies' own downloads rather than reproducing redrawn artwork.
Notes on this section — 1
- The image assets themselves were not retrieved — pull them from the agency pages before artwork.
Two marks, two different scopes.
- Universal symbol: every cannabis product sold at retail.
- "Not for Kids": cannabis-infused products for oral ingestion only.
- Not for Kids is not required on topicals or flower.
- Never alter or crop either mark — resize for placement only.
- White stock: add a black border around the white background of the Not for Kids image.
Notes on this section — 1
- Publishing Not for Kids as universal fails a topical or flower label review for no reason.
Official Files & Links
🖼WA Universal Symbol (PNG)🖼WA Not for Kids Symbol (JPG)🖼WA Combined Symbol (JPG)Design & Print Specs
Symbol cannot be altered except sizing. Two symbols required: Universal + 'Not for Kids' (edibles). 'Not for Kids' from WA Poison Center. Warning lists differ per product type, including a hyphen/en-dash split on the habit-forming statement.
Warning Statements (12)
Statements marked Exact text required must be reproduced character for character — use the copy buttons. Those marked Required content are mandated by Washington in substance only; you write the sentence.
—
See every statement individually, with citations12
Concentrates and solid edibles1
Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Liquid edibles, useable cannabis, cannabis mix1
Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Every product type1
Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Concentrates1
Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Edibles, useable cannabis, cannabis mix1
Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Concentrates, useable cannabis, cannabis mix1
Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Edibles1
Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Topicals1
Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Compliant products carrying a claim2
Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Edibles1
Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) requires this information but does not fix the sentence. Write your own copy; the agency approves it.
DOH compliant products1
Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) prescribes this wording. Reproduce it character for character, including capitalization and punctuation.
Packaging & Labeling Rules
- Applies to: cannabis concentrates, edibles in solid form, edibles in liquid form.
- Route one: child-resistant packaging consistent with 16 C.F.R. Part 1700.
- Route two: plastic two mil or greater, heat sealed, with no easy-open tab, dimple, corner or flap.
- The two routes are alternatives. Meeting either satisfies the rule.
- Capsules, lozenges and similar solid edibles approved case by case may sit loosely inside a resealing outer package that is child-resistant to 16 C.F.R. 1700.
- Liquid edibles over one serving: resealable closure or cap, plus a measuring device.
- Useable cannabis, cannabis mix and topicals carry no child-resistance requirement in WAC 314-55-105.
- Every category must protect the product from contamination and impart no toxic or harmful substance.
- Before dropping child-resistance from a live flower, cannabis-mix or topical specification, check your own local ordinance and any medically endorsed or DOH-compliant product line you sell into. Nothing in chapter 314-55 WAC, chapter 246-70 WAC or RCW 69.50 requires it for those three, but a spec change is worth a note to file.
Notes on this section — 2
- The heat-sealed two-mil route is the cheaper one and it is a full alternative, not a fallback. A buyer specifying certified child-resistant closures for a concentrate or edible pouch may not need them.
- The absence of a child-resistance requirement for flower, cannabis mix and topicals held up when it was tested wider this cycle. "Child-resistant" appears in chapter 314-55 WAC only inside WAC 314-55-105, and only for concentrates and for edibles in solid and liquid form. It appears nowhere in RCW 69.50 and nowhere in chapter 246-70 WAC, the Department of Health compliance rules. All three were searched in full.
- Core elements: business or trade name plus the nine-digit Washington UBI number, the lot number matching the transport manifest, net weight in ounces and grams or volume, total THC and total CBD.
- Total THC is calculated individually for each tetrahydrocannabinol compound present above 0.2 mg/g, using the WAC 314-55-102 formula.
- Every category: medically and scientifically accurate and reliable information about the health and safety risks posed by cannabis use.
- The lot number has to be the same number on the transport manifest — it is not a free choice at artwork.
- Add the warning list for that product type.
- Follow NIST Handbook 130 as adopted in chapter 16-662 WAC.
- That means an identity statement, a net-quantity statement and a responsibility statement.
- Solvent-extracted products: disclose the extraction method.
- Edibles: ingredient list in descending order of predominance.
- Edibles: declare major food allergens.
- Every label: an internet link, QR code or web address disclosing pesticides applied and chemicals added.
- Reserve that footprint at layout — it is easy to lose on a small panel.
- Concentrates and inhalable extracts: do not print an ingredient panel.
- The chemical, additive, preservative, thickener and terpene disclosure for inhalables goes to the board on a board-provided form kept at the premises, not on the label.
- Royal Supply option, not required: a plain "contains cannabis" line on the front.
Notes on this section — 4
- No Washington rule lists a standalone "contains cannabis" statement — the universal symbol does that job. The line reads well at retail and costs nothing, but omit it and you are still compliant.
- No category may be labeled organic unless the USDA permits it under the Organic Foods Production Act.
- Topical labels may not represent that cannabis has curative or therapeutic effects, and may not promote over consumption.
- The ingredient-disclosure section for inhalables is a board-disclosure and recordkeeping duty, not a label-print duty. Do not read it as authority for an ingredient panel.
- Universal symbol: 0.75 in by 0.75 in minimum.
- Universal symbol: principal display panel or front of package.
- Universal symbol goes on all cannabis products sold at retail.
- "Not for Kids" symbol: only on cannabis-infused products for oral ingestion.
- No "Not for Kids" symbol on topicals or flower.
- Never alter or crop either symbol — resize for placement only.
- White label or package stock: add a black border around the white background of the "Not for Kids" image.
- Non-white stock: use the standard symbol as issued.
- Universal symbol prints red, black and white as the LCB issues it.
Notes on this section — 1
- The symbol rule prescribes no colors. Red, black and white describes the LCB file itself, so use it as issued rather than recoloring it.
- Concentrates, solid edibles, liquid edibles, useable cannabis and cannabis mix each carry a five-item list. Topicals carry three.
- Items one to three close with a semicolon inside the quotation marks. Item five closes with a full stop.
- The habit-forming line uses a hyphen for concentrates and solid edibles, an en dash for liquid edibles, useable cannabis and cannabis mix.
- The concentrate impaired-driving line includes "while"; the other four omit it.
- Item five is the smoking warning for concentrates, useable cannabis and cannabis mix — and the delayed-effects caution for solid and liquid edibles.
- Concentrates do carry the smoking warning. It is the last item in their list and easy to miss.
- Never run one shared warning plate across concentrates and the other product families.
- Topicals: out-of-state statement, universal symbol, and DO NOT EAT in bold capitals. Nothing else.
- Topicals carry no habit-forming, impaired-driving, smoking or delayed-effects warning — but they do carry the out-of-state statement.
- No pregnancy or breastfeeding warning exists in Washington — do not carry that line over from another state.
- A structure or function claim, or a description of psychoactive effects, triggers a disclaimer naming the State of Washington rather than the FDA.
- The separate FDA "not approved to treat, cure, or prevent any disease" sentence belongs only to Department of Health compliant products bearing the compliant logo. Keep it off general adult-use artwork.
Notes on this section — 4
- Item (iv) in each five-item list is the cross-reference to the symbol rule, not a pregnancy statement — this is a common misread.
- The dash split was carried as unresolved for several cycles. It is settled: the official WAC PDF certified 1/8/2025 shows a hyphen at (2)(g)(i) and (3)(h)(i) and an en dash at (4)(g)(i), (5)(f)(i) and (6)(f)(i).
- Washington's structure-and-function disclaimer says "the State of Washington", not "the Food and Drug Administration". Substituting the familiar federal sentence produces a non-compliant disclaimer.
- The disclaimer trigger is wider than a health claim: a warning describing the product's psychoactive effects sets it off on its own.
- 10 mg active delta-9 THC maximum per serving.
- 100 mg total THC maximum per package, for edible and ingested products.
- 1 gram maximum per concentrate unit.
- Delineate servings clearly on the package.
Notes on this section — 1
- Ingredient lists and major food allergens are a labeling requirement, not a serving-size one — see the labeling block.
- Window bags, clear pre-roll tubes and clear concentrate jars all pass.
- The real restriction is youth appeal: no cartoons and no cartoon-style fonts.
- No imitation of products marketed to youth.
- No youth symbols and no celebrities.
- No images of persons under 21.
Notes on this section — 2
- Nothing in the packaging rule requires a package to hide its contents. Do not pay for opaque film or give up window bags on the strength of a rule that does not exist.
- The false, misleading and especially-appealing-to-children bar sits at RCW 69.50.346(3)(a)-(b), not in the subsection (1) list.
- Liquid edibles holding more than one serving: a resealable closure or cap is required.
- Every liquid edible, single or multi-serving, must include a measuring device — a measuring cup or dropper.
- Hash marks on the package or on the package cap do qualify as the measuring device.
- Capsules, lozenges and similar approved solid edibles may use a resealing child-resistant outer package.
- No other product type carries a resealing requirement in the packaging rule.
Notes on this section — 2
- Washington is the opposite of several other states on hash marks: here they satisfy the measuring-device requirement, so a moulded or printed scale on the bottle avoids buying a separate cup or dropper.
- The measuring-device sentence is not conditioned on serving count. Read literally it reaches single-serving liquid edibles too.
- Packaging and labeling rules in force as of January 7, 2025.
- Scope that currency stamp to packaging and labeling, not to the whole chapter.
- Processor label and packaging approval is required before sale.
- Infused-product recipes clear the Department of Agriculture before LCB submission.
- The LCB governs chapter 314-55; the Department of Health governs chapter 246-70 — do not apply a DOH compliant-product rule to an adult-use SKU.
- Vapor products: batteries must be designed to be removable for recycling or disposal.
- Retailers may accept open packages of used vapor devices and batteries for recycling, in a secure container not accessible to the public.
- The 2026 retail advertising amendment governs advertising and signage, not container labels.
- Core packaging rules are unchanged; the LCB denied the petitions to amend them.
- Harvest-date labeling is still at preproposal — nothing to print yet.
Notes on this section — 3
- The advertising amendment was adopted at WSR 26-12-082, filed 6/3/26, effective July 4, 2026. The LCB summary page gives July 3; the codified history note governs and is what this page follows.
- Re-verify the currency stamp each publication cycle against the codified history notes on WAC 314-55-105 and -106, not the LCB summary page.
- The symbol section was created at WSR 16-23-089 (effective 2/14/17) and amended, not created, by WSR 24-21-051. Do not restate its provenance as 2024.
Washington Packaging FAQ
What universal symbol is required on cannabis packaging in Washington?
Is child-resistant packaging required in Washington?
What warning statements are required on Washington cannabis packaging?
Sources & Citations
- WAC 314-55-010 — Definitions (LCB), including the THC-compound definitions the labeling math depends on
- WAC 314-55-095 — Cannabis servings and transaction limitations (LCB)
- WAC 314-55-102 — Quality assurance and quality control testing (LCB)
- WAC 314-55-105 — Cannabis product packaging and labeling (LCB)
- WAC 314-55-106 — Cannabis warning symbol requirement (LCB); sole authority for both the universal symbol and the "Not for Kids" symbol. Created at WSR 16-23-089 (eff. 2/14/17), amended at WSR 18-11-005, WSR 22-14-111 and WSR 24-21-051
- WAC 314-55-109 — Cannabinoid additives (LCB)
- All six sections above were amended by WSR 24-21-051, filed 10/9/24, effective 1/7/25 — the LCB's CR-103 implementing E2SSB 5367 (ch. 365, Laws of 2023) and the transaction-limit changes in SHB 1249 (ch. 9, Laws of 2024). That rulemaking created no new sections
- WAC 314-55-1055 — Ingredient disclosure (LCB). A disclosure-to-the-board and recordkeeping duty on a board-provided form retained at the licensed premises, not a label-print duty. Adopted WSR 21-05-075 (eff. 3/20/21), amended WSR 22-14-111 (eff. 8/6/22). A distinct section from -105; the two must never be collapsed
- WAC 246-70-060 — Compliant product labeling, chapter 246-70 WAC "Marijuana Product Compliance" (Department of Health; WSR 16-20-022, filed 9/27/16, eff. 10/28/16). Governs the DOH compliant-product logo, the bar on medical and pharmaceutical imagery and language, and the FDA disclaimer sentence. Applies only to DOH-designated compliant products bearing the compliant logo
- RCW 69.50.346 — Labels on retail products; the statutory floor beneath WAC 314-55-105. The bar on false or misleading labels and labels especially appealing to children sits at (3)(a)-(b), not in the (1) list. The disclaimer at (1)(f) is conditional on the label carrying a structure/function statement permitted under (2)
- WAC 314-55-155 — Advertising (LCB). Amended by WSR 26-12-082, filed 6/3/26, effective 7/4/26, implementing ESB 5206 (2025 c 378). Advertising and signage only, not container labels. Cite the adopted WSR 26-12-082, never the CR-102 at WSR 26-06-092
- Chapter 16-662 WAC — NIST Handbook 130 as adopted in Washington (Department of Agriculture)
- Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) — app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx
- Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) — lcb.wa.gov/laws/labeling-resources — LCB labeling resou
- Washington Poison Center — "Not for Kids" symbol download, furnished free to licensees
- Currency: Washington packaging and labeling rules in force as of January 7, 2025 (WSR 24-21-051, filed 10/9/24). Re-verify each publication cycle against the codified history notes on WAC 314-55-105 and -106