PORTLAND (WGME) — A new safety measure is now available for people who keep cannabis products at home.

The state is rolling out lockable storage bags to help prevent kids and pets from accidentally getting into edibles.

Local Leaf on Washington Avenue in Portland is one of more than 100 retailers around the state that will be distributing the bags.

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In total, the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy will be distributing 12,000 of them to help keep cannabis products secure.

They can be used for both recreational and medical cannabis.

The plan is part of the state’s Safe Storage for Maine program, which aims to keep marijuana products out of the hands of children and away from pets.

All of this comes after a pilot program two years ago that distributed 5,000 lockable bags.

The Maine Office of Cannabis Policy says following that success, this year, the bags will be sent out again, this time to 140 retailers, including 13 in Portland.

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They say the bags are free with a purchase of a cannabis product.

“Of the people who had never heard of safe storage before, two-thirds of them have children in the house, so this is a really good opportunity to make sure that our young ones and that our pets are safe from these products,” Maine Office of Cannabis Policy Director John Hudak said.

Brightly colored edibles often look like candy or vitamin gummies, leading to accidental poisonings of young children and pets.

It can bring on vomiting, confusion, fever, and difficulty breathing.

“We have heard from emergency room doctors, we have heard from poison control centers that there are individuals and pets getting into cannabis products and having adverse reactions to it,” Maine Office of Cannabis Policy Director John Hudak said.

In 2023, the Northern New England Poison Center reported there were 41 calls for cannabis poisoning.

One dispensary says the bags provide an additional safeguard.

“We think it’s a really good idea for prevention for kids that can get into cannabis that parents could bring home or just throw away in their cars. Kids wont have access to it,” social media manager of Local Leaf Emma Davis said.

The bags are available on a rolling basis starting this month.