Cannabis device stirs controversy at CES awards

Keep Labs is a small Canadian company designed explicitly for cannabis, and this is the first time that a cannabis-focused company has won a CES award.

Keep is a storage device with a digital interface that keeps cannabis fresh and safe. It looks like a smart speaker with a clock, but if you enter the biometric password, the top opens, revealing different containers for cannabis products.

With the mobile app, an integrated scale and an airtight seal, the device is specially designed to be an ideal place to store and protect your cannabis.

Hemp.im is a mobile application that is exclusively dedicated to medical cannabis, hemp, and marijuana news. The application provides you with the latest news from top cannabis sources.

Cannabis innovation catches the eyes of CES award judges

The company was founded by two Canadian fathers, Philip Wilkins and Ben Gliksman, looking for a safe way to store food.

A friend had unwittingly consumed cannabis gum from an unmarked container. This led the founders trying to find a safe place to store cannabis items.

Available in chalk white and slate black, the device with its modern and elegant design is perfect for its purpose. It is a container that would look good anywhere, at home on a bedside table, in a luxurious office, or in a stylish living room.

Facial recognition keeps the device locked. If someone tries to force Keep, the owner receives a notification on their smartphone. The CES award-winning product has an airtight seal that keeps things cool and contains odors.

It charges via USB and there is also a removable tray inside as well as space for accessories. This is Keep Labs’ first product and Keep is available for pre-order for $153 (CA$199).

Canadian company paves the way for cannabis products at the CES awards

Cannabis and electronic cigarette products are historically banned at the CES awards. As such, some important manufacturers of vaporizers, such as Pax, Puffco and Juul, have not been able to exhibit.

However, with Keep Labs, it seems that the CES awards has softened its position. After all, Keep Laps does not produce a consumer product but rather a storage product. The distinction is clear.

Exposure to the CES awards, as well as winning one of its prizes, can lead to significant growth for companies like Keep Labs.

Over 180,000 people attended last year’s event, including buyers, distributors, bankers and stakeholders. For companies dealing with cannabis, there are few legal venues where they can exhibit their products.

Cannabis legalization opens doors for the industry

Having the opportunity to curb the system can make a substantial difference. The cannabis market is increasingly growing.

In the U.S., cannabis is legal in 11 states, with Illinois becoming the latest to allow the sale and consumption of cannabis for recreational use.

More than 30 states have legalized cannabis (to some extent) and other countries will follow. In Canada, where Keep Labs is based, cannabis for medical and recreational purposes is also legal.

Keep Labs has one of the highest honors from the CES awards, and celebrates the responsible use of cannabis. As such, by asking the company to hide the purpose of the Keep product, it shows that it does not want to expose itself.

CES awarded Keep Labs with the Innovations Award on Oct. 15, but the CES exhibition was scheduled in later months. In December, Keep Labs was uncertain whether to accept the restrictions on not showcasing cannabis.

Keep Laps fights the stigma on cannabis with the 2020 CES Awards

“Without being able to mention or talk about cannabis, it wouldn’t do the brand justice. Keep is not a home food storage solution, that’s not why they won the award,” said co-founder of Keeps Lab, Philip Wilkins.

Banning a cannabis company is the least of the problems for Keep Labs. Through a crowdfunding campaign, they had reached 805 pre-orders for the device.

Due to strict guidelines, Keep Labs decided that it was not in its interest to perform at the CES awards, despite winning one of its most important titles.

The company is currently featured on the CES awards website, among other “Innovation Awards” winners, where the word “cannabis” is widely used in the description.

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(Featured image by Product School via Unsplash)

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