International Cannabis Standards Committee Launched by ASTM and APHA

Americans for Safe Access’s Patient Focused Certification standards for medical marijuana accepted as foundational recommendations

Last week, global standards organization ASTM International and the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) announced that they will develop standards for the cannabis industry. Under the agreement, ASTM International will coordinate standards development activities for the cannabis industry, while AHPA will gain recognition for its technical contributions and regulatory recommendations. The AHPA standards are the basis of the Patient Focused Certification (PFC) program that is used internationally to assess regulatory compliance at medical cannabis operations, and to educate the medical cannabis industry and program administrators.

This news comes in advance of ASTM International's first ever cannabis committee happening June 11th and 12th. The event is part of a larger "committee week" event with about 25 committees and 1,500 attendees at the Sheraton Centre Toronto in Ontario, Canada.

“The ASTM International and AHPA partnership is a groundbreaking development for cannabis industry professionals and patients everywhere,” said Dr. Jahan Marcu Chief Science Officer of ASA and SubCommittee Chairman of the ASTM D37 Cannabis Committee. “This is great news for our Patient Focused Certification (PFC) clients, as the PFC program is fueled by the AHPA guidance documents, which are being used as the foundational documents for these international standards. PFC certified organizations are on the right track to meet international regulations. Further, the development and maintenance of international standards and guidance for the knowledge and skill requirements for the education, training, assessment and credentialing of personnel is an urgent, priority for patients, and the cannabis industry.

In addition, through a license agreement, the new committee's standards will note when AHPA contributed technical expertise or content from one of its "Recommendations for Regulators”