How Compliant Is Your Cannabis?

The international cannabis scene is many things, but one thing is for sure as the industry heads into 2020 – regulation, inspection, and certification are in the room, and further in a way so far unseen in either Canada or Europe so far.

Why is this trend now clearly on the horizon for the next year, if not a few more beyond that?

Part of it has to do with cannabis as an industry and part of it has to do with much larger currents afoot in the form of global trade treaties. 

Europe Is More Highly Regulated

For those who have never visited the continent, and in particular for Americans, there are more regulations in the room in Europe compared to other parts of the world. These are designed to protect human health, no matter how frustrating the discussion about CBD and Novel Food is these days.

Further, this is not just a discussion about one certification or regulation, but many.

There are several big issues in the room beyond any one certification.

Harmonization Is Afoot Globally

In addition, the global discussion on “harmonization” is well underway. Basically, countries who trade food and medicine with each other want to know that their production, packaging and testing standards are more or less the same. 

This is absolutely true for any medical cannabis crossing the Atlantic or international border.

Bio and Organic Are In The Room

Bio means a great deal to Europeans – even if German farmers right now are peeved at the increasingly levels of regulations against certain kinds of pesticides, and bio is a watchword for the cannabis industry here.

However whose bio matches whose internationally is just as fraught a discussion as the one about GMP, and indeed frequently crosses over.

Cosmetics And Food Are In Some Ways Tougher Than Medical

No matter the difficulties on the GMP front, the recreational and lifestyle discussion remains a lot tougher. For one thing, authorities across Europe are playing semantics with cannabinoids. Namely in the more conservative parts of the continent (see Austria and Germany) authorities have gone so far as to say they do not see any positive effect of any part of the plant, or that cannabidiol, even when applied topically, is a strange new beast in the history of human consumed and applied products.

All of These Issues Will Still Be Here For Recreational Reform

None of these issues will disappear anytime soon. Food and medicine production is getting more regulated beyond cannabis. However, because the cannabis industry is the new kid on the block and because of the growing connection of the plant to health products if not a healthy lifestyle, expect this conversation to continue to shape and impact the industry. Everywhere.