As rising tariffs and supply chain disruptions continue to squeeze cannabis businesses across the country, one independently owned brand based in Harlem, New York, is making moves that could reshape how the industry approaches production and packaging. Silly Nice, a Black and Veteran-Owned company, has partnered with Sana Packaging—a Colorado-based leader in sustainable, circular packaging—to protect profits and the planet.
With tariff hikes on imported packaging components making headlines and inflating operational costs, many cannabis brands are finding themselves stuck between shrinking margins and unreliable foreign suppliers. For Silly Nice, the answer wasn't overseas. It was finding a like-minded domestic partner focused on sustainability, efficiency, and transparency.
Founded in March 2024, Silly Nice set out to provide New Yorkers with high-quality weed while staying true to core values: environmental responsibility, transparency, and community-driven growth. Within its first year in New York's adult-use market, the brand sold over 40,000 units—and now, it's using that momentum to push for change in how cannabis brands package their products.
Partnering with Sana Packaging, Silly Nice shifted away from international suppliers toward reclaimed ocean plastic lids, 100% recycled glass jars, and renewable hemp-based boxes. The impact is real: over 694 pounds of ocean-bound plastic have already been recovered and repurposed into Silly Nice packaging.
"Sustainability isn't just a buzzword—it's a responsibility," says LeVar Thomas, Co-Founder of Silly Nice. "We knew we had to find a solution that didn't just respond to the tariffs—but moved us forward in a better direction. Ron and the Sana team have been instrumental in making that possible."
Ron Basak-Smith, founder of Sana Packaging, built his company around the idea that regenerative design and closed-loop systems can—and should—define the cannabis industry's future. By offering American-made, waste-reducing materials, Sana Packaging helps brands like Silly Nice sidestep international shipping delays and volatile import fees.
The shift has proven not just sustainable, but strategic. With shorter lead times, predictable costs, and no freight containers stuck in customs, Silly Nice has improved fulfillment, reduced inventory stress, and reclaimed pricing power. That means customers get better value without sacrificing the premium, small-batch quality the brand is known for.
This collaboration comes at a time when most of the cannabis industry is facing difficult choices. Between oversaturation, price compression, and increasingly burdensome costs, few brands have managed to maintain both quality and profitability. Silly Nice's strategy offers a blueprint for how independent operators can compete—and even thrive—by investing in domestic infrastructure and environmentally conscious design.
"Silly Nice didn't just pivot to survive—they leveled up," says Basak-Smith. "They saw tariffs as a trigger to do something smarter. What we've built together is a model that proves sustainability and profitability can go hand-in-hand."
For more information:
Silly Nice
sillynice.com/