PORTLAND (WGME) — In an effort to keep Maine children and pets safe from accidental exposure to cannabis edibles, the state is rolling out a new way to store them.

New lockable bags are now available for cannabis products.

Little 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 lockable bags.

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.

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