In this edition of our NCIA Committee Insights series originally aired on Wednesday, July 22, 2020 we were joined by members of NCIA’s Scientific Advisory Committee as well as representatives from ASTM International, AOAC, and USP for a discussion on standard development organizations as they relate to cannabis policy.

Download the .PDF of the presentation here: http://bit.ly/2XtL95d

Up until 1942, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) published a monograph (a standard specification) for cannabis which was used by physicians across America. The USP is a nonprofit organization that develops compendial quality standards for medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements and is recognized by the under law as an official source for standards of drugs. The USP formed a Cannabis Expert Panel in 2016 and they recently published recommendations for quality attributes for cannabis flower. ASTM International and AOAC International have also formed volunteer committees to develop consensus quality standards for cannabis for several years. Certain USP standards are recognized under the Federal Food Drug & Cosmetic Act.  Additionally, in accordance with OMB Circular A-119, under certain circumstances the federal government must use voluntary consensus standards, such as those developed by AOAC and ASTM, in lieu of government-unique standards. Therefore, depending on the legal landscape for cannabis, regulators may rely on these standards-development organizations for quality standards for the cannabis industry. In this panel, leaders from relevant standards-development organizations will give updates on the work being done in their cannabis working groups. They will also explain how their work compliments and how you can get involved.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand what standards-development organizations are, and who are the key players in creating quality standards for cannabis.
• Learn about the cannabis standards that have been published or are in production.
• Learn how to contribute to a standard organization, and what is involved.
• Understand the work being done by NCIA, USP, ASTM, AOAC, and other similar groups.

Panelists:

Alena Rodriguez
Managing Director
RM3 Labs

Robert Morgan
Director of Technical Committee Operations
ASTM International

Scott Coates
Senior Director of AOAC Research Institute
Project Lead for AOAC’s CASP Program

Dr. Nandu (Nandakumara) Sarma
Director of Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines
USP