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In an historic move, the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP) released the first installation of a two-part Cannabis monograph today that classifies cannabis (marijuana) as a botanical medicine, alongside many other widely accepted Complementary and Alternative Medicines. The monograph, entitled Standards of Identity, Quality, and Testing, will be followed late this spring by the Therapeutic Compendium. This is important for the patients, doctors, and researchers, all of whom will benefit from having proven testing standards that can quantify the key cannabinoids that affect therapeutic effects, as well as identify potentially harmful pesticides, metals, and microbes.

Members of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) helped get this monograph published because we want to see cannabis treated like other herbal medicines by doctors, researchers, and regulators. We look forward to a time when everyone who needs medical cannabis has safe and dignified access. The monograph is a big part of that effort.  

Our members have been the backbone behind the amazing work ASA has been able to accomplish, but we still have a long way to go. Please consider becoming a member of ASA today to help us do this kind of long-term, big picture work that will finally bring medical cannabis back into the mainstream of herbal medicine for everyone.  

Later this week, ASA will launch Patient Focused Certification (PFC), an innovative new program that will calibrate the medical cannabis industry for excellence.   As a third-party certification program for the medical cannabis industry, PFC is based on the AHP Cannabis monograph and new quality standards for medical cannabis products and businesses issued by the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA). Want to learn more about PFC and how the cannabis monograph will help ensure quality assurance for the future?

Join us for a live Google Hangout this Thursday, December 12th at 5:30pm PST/ 8:30pm EST to hear from a panel of experts  including AHP Executive Director  Roy Upton, RH, DAyu; Professor Lyle Craker, PhD, of University of Massachusetts Amherst; and Dr. Michelle Sexton, ND, and Dr. Jahan Marcu, PhD, of the Americans for Safe Access Multidisciplinary Scientific Advisory Board on the significance of the Cannabis monograph and the new PFC certification program.