US Pharmacopeia Releases Cannabis Tool Kits To Help Industry Develop Medical Marijuana Consistency

The US Pharmacopeia (USP) released free its Cannabis Tool Kits resource guides and standards to help regulators, industry and researchers develop a robust framework for the consistent characterization of medical cannabis. The USP is an independent, scientific nonprofit organization focused on building trust in the supply of safe, quality medicines.

Taking Care Of Cannabis Patients

“These resources support the critical need for standardizing the definitions and testing of quality attributes for cannabis and related products to protect patients and consumers from harm,” according to a USP press release shared with Benzinga.

“With each passing election, like our most recent one, more states continue to enter the cannabis space and we want manufacturers, regulators, and researchers to know that there are resources available to help them determine how to best serve their communities with science-backed research,” said John Giannone, USP’s VP of Industry Programs.

Giannone added that the USP is committed to supporting stakeholders in the development of appropriate quality specifications for marijuana, cannabis-derived products, and related weed compounds to help address potential harm to the public.

Standardized Test Methods Are Needed

“While state regulations generally require cannabis products to be tested for identity, purity, and contaminants, there are no consistent standardized test methods or specifications across states,” per the news release.

In California, for example, the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is seeking changes to regulations that would adopt a standardized cannabinoid testing method for use by all licensed laboratories. Precisely, Senate Bill 544 requires the DCC to establish standardized test methods by Jan. 1, 2023.

Free Cannabis Tool Kits: What Do They Include?

According to the press release, the four “Tool Kits USP include information on multiple aspects of product quality to assist in ensuring product quality.”

Moreover, USP’s Tool Kits include links to information on:

• Identity and Nomenclature
• Composition
• Limits for Contaminants
• Validation of Analytical Testing Methods
• Reference Standards to identify Constituents
• Sampling Considerations
• Labeling & Packaging

The tool kits also reference “USP-published standards, guidance, and commentaries on a number of topics including CBD as a Drug Substance, Delta-8 THC and Impurities, Cannabis for Medical Use and Cannabis Derived Compounds, Hemp Aerial Parts and Extracts, and Hemp Seed as Food Products,” reads the news release.

“With the large number of cannabis products sold and consumed by the public, there is a substantial increase in the potential for risk to public health, including risks related to the quality of these products. The guidelines laid out in these resources could be used as the basis for public quality specifications for manufacturing quality control, laboratory testing, research, and public health policies,” Giannone concluded.

USP’s Cannabis Tool Kits can be downloaded HERE.

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