Medical Cannabis Product Quality Webinar
Part Two – A Global Overview

DATE:
June 22, 2023

WATCH ON DEMAND

 

About the Event
National regulations for cannabis-based product manufacture, quality control, and medical use vary widely across the globe by nation, and even within countries by states or territories. Similarly, requirements for importation for prescribing and dispensing of cannabis-based products differ. Industry and regulators in these jurisdictions face common challenges resulting from inaccurate test methodologies that may not have been properly validated, inaccurate label claims for cannabinoid content (e.g., CBD and THC), and varying limits for microbial load, pesticide residues, and heavy metal contamination.

Likewise, emerging concerns related to synthetic minor cannabinoids (i.e., Δ-8-THC) and impurities demand attention. Public standards that set forth specifications for identity, cannabinoid content, limits for contaminants and other quality attributes are fundamental to meet the above challenges and to conduct the necessary tests for quality attributes.

In December 2022, ASTM International and USP co-sponsored a workshop on cannabis quality with inputs from regulators, standards groups, industry, and testing labs from Americas and Europe. About 500 global delegates discussed standards and guidelines from the major pharmacopeias and standards organizations as well as regulatory bodies and industry to help address the challenges related to cannabis quality. Major topics included: a science-based approach to harmonization of the requirements for cannabis quality; guidelines for appropriate sample preparation; and risk-based testing and validation.

To continue the conversation, we've organized this free interactive webinar to share the findings of our December workshop. 

We're excited to broaden the conversation on cannabis quality by including voices from sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, and Southeast Asia, ensuring a truly global and collaborative approach to addressing the challenges and opportunities in harmonizing standards for international trade. This webinar is expected to improve our understanding of the impact and purpose of harmonization of specifications on the industry, regulatory, and laboratory aspects of cannabis quality.

Workshop Objectives

  • Discuss the findings of previous workshop and understand the impact at the global level
  • Facilitate discussions between global organizations and national stakeholders to identify needs and challenges related to cannabis quality
  • Identify areas of global data gaps to inform future research needs and the scientific basis for standards to explore potential harmonization amongst the standards groups across the globe

Who Should Attend

All cannabis industry stakeholders, professionals, and regulators will benefit from this webinar. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • quality control and quality assurance professionals
  • scientists
  • researchers
  • laboratory personnel
  • regulators who wish to gain invaluable insight on cannabis quality and standards

Learn more about our event from Speaker Martin Woodbridge, as he discusses in depth why ASTM International Committee D37 on Cannabis and USP are working together to facilitate discussions between global organizations and national stakeholders to identify needs and challenges related to cannabis quality.

Webinar Speakers

Jenny Burnett
Assistant Secretary of the Manufacturing Quality Branch (MQB), Australia Therapeutic Goods Administration

Somsak Sunthornphanich
Director, Bureau of Drug and Narcotic, Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand

David Katerere, Ph.D.
Professor, Pharmaceutical Science, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa

Charles Wu, Ph.D.
Vice Chair, WHO International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicine (IRCH)

Moderated by:

Nandu Sarma, Ph.D.
Director, Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines, USP

David Vaillencourt, MS
CEO, The GMP Collective, and Vice Chair, ASTM Committee D37 on Cannabis

Co-hosted by ASTM International and USP

ASTM International is a leading international standards development organization with more than 12,900 standards operating globally. ASTM formed Committee D37 on Cannabis in 2017 to develop and maintain standards and guidance materials for cannabis products and processes. Today, Committee D37 has over 50 published standards thanks to its 1,200+ members across 30+ countries.

The US Pharmacopeia (USP) is an independent, scientific organization focused on building trust in the supply of safe, quality medicines by setting public quality standards and publishing a pharmacopeia. USP formed an Expert Panel for Medical Cannabis in 2016 to develop quality standards for cannabis used for medical purposes.