The efforts of patient advocates organized the creation and release of the American Herbal Pharmacopeia (AHP) Cannabis monograph and additional standards or best practices for cannabis operations. The AHP cannabis monograph eliminates any concern that Cannabis lacks the standards for identifying the quality, purity and potency of the plant that would qualify it as a botanical medicine. The initiative to produce the AHP monograph was, in part, due to the need for Cannabis quality assurance standards across States that have implemented medical access laws, and because Cannabis is widely accessed for medicinal purposes, necessitating accurate information regarding such standards for both product safety evidence-based use. There has been an unmet need for validated analytical standards to guide laboratory analysis for quality control of Cannabis and related products. This guidance will provide another level of confidence for patients, professionals and regulators in the products being accessed. Adherence to a monograph standard ensures that results are consistent and findings are accurate. The structure of the AHP monograph has been adopted by several states (e.g., MD, NV, NM, AZ, and CT) and is cited as the standards of quality control in pending legislation (PA). National standards for the cannabis industry have been created and are being adopted thanks to the work of activists and patient advocates. Patient Focused Certification (PFC) is an oversight and compliance programs for cannabis operators. In every state with a cannabis program, operators are PFC and AHP standards to reach compliance. The need to meet these industry standards has created a number new jobs including vocational and specialized work. These opportunities include quality control and quality assurance jobs in manufacturing, agriculture, food processing, auditing/compliance checks, and laboratory analysis.

Patient advocacy for cannabis standards creates jobs in industry

251st National Meeting (2016)

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