Cannabis' wide spread legalization and acceptance across north America has created problems around child safety and proper storage. Edibles are/will be much more prevalent in the home as they currently make up over 30% of marijuana sales. Prior to legalization, people wouldn't go through the lengthy process of creating these consumables but now can easily purchase them. With this dramatic increase in cannabis products that look identical to candy, many children are at risk of accidental consumption. As seen in Colorado, where there was a 34% increase in children being hospitalized by accidental cannabis consumption. This product solves this issue by providing a safe place to store cannabis.

Other problems solved are preventing mold growth on and maintaining CBD/THC levels. UV and humidity levels determine these factors and are important for both medical and recreational users.

What purpose does this design serve?

This project started out with exploring emerging problems among households. After looking through a variety of topics the legalization of cannabis presented multiple problems that could be solved through thoughtful product design.

Cannabis and its wide spread legalization and acceptance as a valid medical solution across north America has created problems around child safety and proper storage. Edibles are/will be much more prevalent in the home, they currently make up over 30% of marijuana sales. Prior to legalization, people wouldn't go through the lengthy process of creating these consumables at home. With this dramatic increase in cannabis products that look identical to candy, many children are at risk of accidental consumption. As seen in Colorado, where there was a 34% increase in children being hospitalized by accidental cannabis consumption. This product solves this issue by providing a safe place store cannabis.

Other problems solved are preventing mold growth and maintaining CBD/THC levels. UV and humidity levels determine these factors and are important for both medical and recreational users.

How does it solve these problems?

To make the product child proof, the product has been designed with a programmable lock. There is also a tongue and groove running around the product that helps with sealing but also prevents anyone from being able to pry open the container.

The overall aesthetics of the product are also much more subtle and unassuming compared to other cannabis accessories and can sit quietly in the home environment without attracting any unwanted attention.

The humidity is controlled by an integrated ceramic and silica bead system. Within the container, the ceramic piece is used to increase the level of humidity and the silica beads are used to decrease the level of humidity. The humidity is controlled by an adjustable dial that incrementally exposes either the ceramic (to increase humidity) or incrementally exposes the silica beads (to decrease humidity). The adjust-ability of the dial that exposes the cavities where the ceramic or silica beads are held, allows for precise control over the humidity levels.

This product has been proven to work with a functional prototype. It’s also proven to work because it’s using existing technology found to be successful in the market, albeit for different applications. The locks, airtight seals, and hinge are fairly simple and have been tested positively with a model. The ceramic humidity system has been proven to work with a functional prototype (see pdf booklet). It was inspired by using ceramics to gradually add humidity to guitar and other wood instrument cases. The ceramic that subtracts humidity from the container’s environment is filled with silica gel beads. This technology has been proven useful in a functional model as well as in the market (small room dehumidifiers).

What research was undertaken to inform your design decisions?

Problems where identified by online research (reading about children ingesting edibles, people having dry cannabis buds or overly wet and in turn moldy marijuana)

I also gave functional models to multiple cannabis users and asked their opinion on factors such as the size of the container, how many divisions the storage should have and accessory storage.

The class that this project was for, also had midway reviews where I had the opportunity to get the collective opinion of other designers on what direction the project should head when given multiple concepts to decide from.

I tested my rough models with people for ergonomic problems and also identify any other features that could be included to enhance their cannabis experience.

I attended the Marijuana Expo in Ottawa Canada to research current solutions and see what type of products are in existence. This gave me insight into the latest trends and an idea of where this industry is heading.

Boveda beads were on sale at many vendors proving humidity control is something that cannabis users are concerned about and was worth developing a solution to solve this problem.

What were the results of market research?

This product is unique because it takes a holistic approach to cannabis storage and provides a convenient solution to many parts of cannabis usage and storage. It is a move convenient and environmentally friendly solution to humidity control. It allows for the safe storage of buds and edibles, where the competition focuses on only buds. Botany also incorporates preparation and portability.

The product also takes a unique aesthetic approach. The marijuana market is vast, and the current style of products creates a large opportunity to take a more sophisticated approach to cannabis accessories.

Who is the user?

The target user is 25 and over adult that may have children in their household. This person uses cannabis for recreational or medical purposes. The main purpose of this design is child safety. Other safety factors that have been considered are: a hinge that has low risk of pinching, the materials are food safe, and assembly is simple/not tedious for the factory workers. I believe products should be designed with the larger context and environment in mind, and this product considers this by using materials that are under the same recycle category.

Symbols and numbers were used on the lock, ceramic pieces, and hygrometer. These symbols transcend language and most cultures, making this intuitive for the largest audience possible.

What are the Manufacturing details?

Injection molded food-safe abs plastic

Overmolded TPC for the hinge/gasket

Snap fit assembly

A modified off the shelf lock and modified hygrometer