This July, staff at Penobscot Bay Community Health Partnerships are gearing up to provide 200 free locking bags for safe storage of cannabis to retailers in Knox and Waldo counties. These smell-proof bags are made of activated carbon, equipped with a waterproof zipper, and have a combination lock for safety.

For cannabis or medication to be safely stored, it should be locked up and out of reach/sight of children or pets. This initiative is an effort to reduce the record number of accidental ingestions in 2023, including 41 poisoning calls placed to the Northern New England Poison Center.

These locking bags will be provided at no cost to the cannabis retailers to be given as freebies to their customers supporting responsible use in our communities. Included in the bags will be an informational card with a QR code to access an anonymous survey on knowledge and attitudes in the community about the importance of safe-storage of cannabis. The survey can be accessed here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeuYl4ACO0QGU-KP5QM64sJllRGoEZ3rUic6NPABy3ZbJcH_Q/viewform

Penobscot Bay Community Health Partnerships is the Community Health Promotion branch of the Penobscot Bay YMCA. 

For more information, please contact Amanda Phipps at www.pbchp.org.