By Grant Gilezan & Gerald Hincka In Part 2 we discussed envisioning the scope of your environmental, health and safety (EHS) compliance program so you can determine whether you want to pursue a “good enough” program or set yourself apart by pursuing a program that goes above and beyond to protect its employees and the […]
Compliance and Regulations
Using Quality as a Competitive Differentiator in the Cannabis Industry
In the aftermath of the recent vaping epidemic, cannabis consumers and businesses are paying more attention to quality than ever. For the sake of the industry’s long-term growth, let’s hope that concern translates into action with both time and monetary investments in improving and promoting high quality. Today’s savvy cannabis businesses should recognize that focusing […]
2020 Cannabis Industry Outlook
The New Year marks a noteworthy turning point in our country, economically, politically, and culturally. The decade ahead will likely include transformation and accelerate innovation within the cannabis industry, in continuation of previous years’ trends and with continued advancement towards legalization in some states and adoption of new rules in others. From where I sit […]
THCP: Newly Discovered Form of THC Could Help Explain Potency Variations in Cannabis Strains and May Lead to New Product Label Requirements
The pharmacological effects of most cannabinoids remain a mystery. Despite more than 120 identified cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, very few other than THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) have been isolated and characterized in terms of their pharmacological properties. The newest identified cannabinoid is THCP (tetrahydrocannabiphorol) and is many times more potent than THC. THC […]
Certification | The Latest Cannabis Buzz (word)
This is the first in a series of articles designed to educate and assist both the public and private sector understand the challenges related to producing safe, quality consistent cannabis products, and the role third-party certification plays in that process. Future articles will cover conformity assessments, the difference between certification and accreditation, combined with tips […]
Cannabis Regulations and EHS – An Overview
By Grant Gilzean & Gerald Hincka Congratulations! Your company has completed the permitting process for your cannabis business. You understand and have managed the operational and commercial risk in your particular state, and have likely immersed yourself in necessary zoning laws, tax abatement districts, occupant density within fire codes, and other regulations within the local […]
Cannabis Banking: The Prospects for Legal Protection
The trend of states legalizing cannabis – 33 Medical Marijuana states plus the District of Columbia and 10 Adult-Use states and counting – while it remains illegal under federal law poses a dilemma for U.S. financial institutions. While some banks and credit unions have chosen to serve cannabis businesses, most refuse to do so given […]
Security Master Planning in the Cannabis Industry – Part 3: The Security Management Plan
THE SECURITY MANAGEMENT PLAN PART 1in this series explained that to legally operate a cannabis business, whether medical or recreational, a license or permit to operate must be obtained. Every state has its own regulations and application process in place. They all require security measures to provide for the safety and security of the operation, […]
Proposed Standards Aim to Help with Cannabis Business Security Issues
PRESS RELEASE W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., March 27, 2019 – Three proposed ASTM International standards aim to support day-to-day security management of cannabis-related businesses. The standards are being developed by ASTM International’s cannabis committee (D37). According to committee member Erica Rigler, one standard aims to include recommendations on video surveillance systems (WK61980) which can provide forensic […]
Security Master Planning in the Cannabis Industry – Part 2: The Security Technology Plan
This article is the second in a series of four (4). PART 1 in this series explained that to legally operate a cannabis business, whether medical or recreational, a license or permit to operate must be obtained. Every state has its own regulations and application process in place. They all require security measures to provide […]
Security Master Planning in the Cannabis Industry
Part 1 of 4 In order to legally operate a cannabis business, whether medical or recreational, a license or permit to operate must be obtained. Every state has its own regulations and application process in place. They all require security measures to provide for the safety and security of the operation, its associates, and the […]
Will Hemp-Derived CBD Be Fully Legal with Passage of the 2018 Farm Bill? Not Quite…
By Ian Stewart, Wilson Elser Public interest in the potential health benefits of CBD (cannabidiol) is responsible for a whole new market segment of health and wellness foods and supplements that features CBD as an ingredient. CBD is one of more than 100 cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, but unlike THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD is not […]
Making Data Work: What You Need to Know
The cannabis industry is evolving rapidly and so is the usage of data in a business, particularly in this nascent industry. We all know that data’s importance to business strategy is unimaginably larger than a couple of decades ago, but what does it mean to have data that works for your business, in a secure, […]
What Cannabis Companies Should Know About Data Security and Breach Response Requirements
Cannabis companies should remain mindful of the importance of creating and maintaining a comprehensive written data security program. No cannabis company should aspire to being subject to response costs, regulatory fines, and potential lawsuits that follow the theft or inadvertent disclosures of legally protected or commercially sensitive data or, even worse, harming customers by enabling […]
Unique Program to Track and Trace Dollars in CA Could Pave the Way for a Banking Solution in the US
State and local governments vary greatly in their ability to attract and compensate regulatory personnel that bring institutional knowledge and experience to regulate the nascent Cannabis Industry in their respective spheres of influence. Think about it, the challenge for any state or local government is to find and afford people with the experience and the […]
Mandatory Testing Costly For Colorado Marijuana Growers
New mandatory marijuana pesticide testing in Colorado is putting a financial squeeze on local cultivators to the tune of thousands of dollars in increased costs. The added expense is the latest financial blow to hit the state’s cultivators, which are already struggling with falling wholesale prices and a glut of product. Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division […]
ASTM Announces New International Standard Projects to Help Reduce Hazards in Cannabis Processing and Cannabis Sampling Procedures
PRESS RELEASES Two Proposed ASTM International Standards Underway to Support Cannabis Sampling Procedures W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., August 23, 2018 – Members of the ASTM International cannabis committee (D37) are proposing two guides for cannabis sampling procedures in an effort to ultimately improve consumer safety. The guides cover concentrates, extracts, and other cannabis-infused products (WK64646) as […]
The Whole Gamet: Packaging Made Perfect
The big challenge for most companies in the emerging cannabis industry is how to package and label their product to be compliant with state regulations while still having it look great and carry the brand’s message to the end-user. Because of all the requirements, this is not an easy task. This article is not going to list […]
