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ASTM Call for Presentations Issued for 2023 Cannabis and Hemp Industry Events

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PENNSYLVANIA: ASTM International has issued calls for presentations for two upcoming events organized by its cannabis committee (D37). 

The first of these, the Workshop on the Analytical Methods for Hemp Products as Animal Feed; How to Overcome Gaps in Matrices, Detectors and Quantifiable Limits for Regulators and Laboratories, will be held virtually from April 24 – 25, 2023.

The purpose of the workshop is to bring analytical chemists and regulators together to understand what analytes and levels of quantification are currently achievable for multiple matrices. Hemp as an animal feed is highly desirable by hemp producers and the pet and livestock industries. However, there are a limited number of methods approved to quantify trace amounts of cannabinoids in grain products. New methods and standards are needed as well as methods developed that can analyze the trace amounts of cannabinoids that may be transferred into animal tissues and animal by-products intended for human consumption, like meat, milk, and eggs.

For more on the workshop, including technical chair information, visit https://go.astm.org/animal-feed-workshop.

The second of these events, the Symposium on Contaminants in the Cannabis and Hemp Industry and Their Impact on Consumer Safety will be held virtually Oct. 10 – 12, 2023.

This symposium will provide a forum for evaluating the current evidence and gaps regarding the presence and measurements of contaminants that pose a risk to consumer health and safety in cannabis and hemp products with a focus on evaluating the sources of contamination (including cultivation, plant uptake, extraction, processing, manufacturing, packaging, and delivery, etc.) and how they can be mitigated.

For more on the symposium, including symposium chair information visit https://go.astm.org/D37-contaminants-symposium.

To participate in the workshop or the symposium, authors must submit a 2 to 3-page extended abstract using an appropriate template available from the Abstract Submission Portal. The deadline for the April workshop is Feb. 28, 2023, and for the October symposium, it is March 31, 2023. To ensure your abstract was received into the ASTM database, please email symposia@astm.org and let us know that you have submitted an abstract.

About ASTM International

Committed to serving global societal needs, ASTM International positively impacts public health and safety, consumer confidence, and overall quality of life. We integrate consensus standards – developed with our international membership of volunteer technical experts – and innovate services to improve lives… Helping our world work better.

Symposia Operations Contact: Tammy Schane, tel+1.610.832.9522, symposia@astm.org

New Cannabis Standard Supports Supplier Management

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PENNSYLVANIA: ASTM International’s cannabis committee (D37) has developed a new practice for supplier lifecycle management.

The new standard (D8477) provides cannabis and hemp operations with the definitive steps covering seven key supplier lifecycle activities. According to ASTM member Ed Nodland of Jet Stream Innovations, supplier management is critical to ensure the safety of consumable cannabis products, the components that go into the products, and the consistent quality and availability of medicinal products.

“Medicinal and adult-use consumers expect products that they can trust are safe, perform as advertised, and are readily available,” says Nodland. “Supply chain disruptions can result in costly safety issues, rework, delays, recalls, and impact to company reputation.”

This new standard includes the steps for preparing and conducting efficient supplier audits along with an appendix of audit questions that can be adjusted to meet a cannabis operation’s specific needs.

The committee’s quality management systems subcommittee is developing a complete set of quality management practices and guides to support good agriculture, manufacturing, and laboratory practices known as GAP, GMP, and GLP that are increasingly being required by local and national regulations around the world.

This effort directly relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #3 on good health and well-being.

ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member at www.astm.org/JOIN. The next meeting of ASTM’s cannabis committee is Jan. 22-24, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas, USA.

To purchase standards, contact ASTM International customer relations (tel +1.877.909.ASTM; sales@astm.org).

To learn more about cannabis committee participation and membership, visit www.astmcannabis.org.

ASTM International is a not-for-profit nongovernmental organization that develops voluntary consensus standards and defers to appropriate government authorities to determine the legal and regulatory framework regarding the control and use of cannabis.

New ASTM International Standard Supports Cannabis Safety

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PENNSYLVANIA: ASTM International’s cannabis committee (D37) has developed a new standard on medicinal-use cannabis inflorescence.

The standard, soon to be published as D8439, provides specifications for cannabis flower that can be used to support sound and reproducible research. According to ASTM International member David Vaillencourt, this standard will help consumers, labs, regulators, and manufacturers of cannabis products by establishing consistent testing for quality and safety.

“With a fragmented cannabis industry marketplace, there is no common set of requirements around reporting cannabinoids and terpenes, which are the primary constituents that are linked to therapeutic benefits,” says Vaillencourt. “This lack of consistency harms public health and prevents evaluation of product safety and efficacy across jurisdictions. This standard provides a solution to this problem.”

Vaillencourt further notes that with the rapid pace of innovation in the cannabis industry, it must take more steps, like creating D8439, to standardize internationally and ensure patient welfare.

This effort directly relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #3 on health.

To purchase standards, contact ASTM International customer relations (tel +1.877.909.ASTM; sales@astm.org).

To learn more about cannabis committee participation and membership, visit www.astmcannabis.org.

ASTM International is a not-for-profit nongovernmental organization that develops voluntary consensus standards and defers to appropriate government authorities to determine the legal and regulatory framework regarding the control and use of cannabis.

 

ASTM International’s Cannabis Committee Approves Four New Standards

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PENNSYLVANIA:  ASTM International’s cannabis committee (D37) has approved four new standards that will benefit those working within the cannabis industry, as well as regulators and consumers of cannabis and cannabis-related products.

The first standard (D8375) will provide a method to establish cannabinoid content in cannabis and hemp samples.

ASTM member Garnet McRae notes that laboratories, producers, and researchers will find the standard useful. He adds that regulatory bodies and consumers will also benefit as the standard will help ensure products are labeled properly in jurisdictions where they are legally produced and sold.

The standard may also be used in forensics labs for analysis of illegal samples to confirm cannabinoid content and to support further cannabinoid research.

A second standard (D8399) will aid laboratories in analyzing cannabis and hemp samples to establish pesticide concentration levels – or lack thereof – to ensure products meet regulatory requirements within appropriate jurisdictions.

Regulatory requirements typically include minimum concentration performance limits which pesticide methods must achieve. The standard will help to address health and safety concerns as well as labelling and regulatory requirements for consumable cannabis products.

McRae adds that cannabis testing laboratories, producers, regulatory bodies, and consumers, will all benefit from the new standard.

The third standard (D8442) will provide a method to test for terpenes and cannabinoids in cannabis using gas chromatography.

According to ASTM International member Randall Shearer, this standard will assist in quality control for cannabis, allowing cultivators, extractors, producers, and regulatory bodies to ensure safety and consistency of cannabis and hemp products. Shearer notes it will be most useful to manufacturers, regulatory bodies, and labs to address consumer needs.

The final standard (D8469) will aid manufacturers, regulatory bodies, and other cannabis industry stakeholders by providing a new test method for metals in cannabis.

The standard provides a method through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) that will be used for detecting dangerous metals such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in cannabis.

ASTM International and United States Pharmacopeia to Hold Cannabis Quality Workshop

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PENNSYLVANIA & MARYLAND: ASTM International and U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) will hold a virtual global workshop on cannabis quality on Dec. 7-8, 2022., from 8:00 a.m. – 12:15 ET (2:00 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. CET) each day. Interested participants must register for the free event. 

The workshop will feature standards and guidelines from ASTM International, USP, PhEur, and other relevant organizations and discuss how these resources can help address challenges specific to cannabis quality. Participants will explore science-based resources from these organizations and opportunities to harmonize the varying national requirements for cannabis quality for products intended for medical use and scientific research.

The objectives of the cannabis quality workshop are:

  • provide awareness of the existing data, regulatory framework and public policy for cannabis quality, public quality standards, and policy guidance documents on defining cannabis product quality attributes globally – initially from an American and European perspective.
  • help participants understand the basis for standards to explore potential harmonization among standards groups.
  • facilitate discussions between stakeholders to identify needs and challenges related to cannabis quality.
  • discover global data gaps to inform and research needs.

The workshop will feature four panel sessions over the course of the two day event.

December 7

  • regulatory panel with representatives from Health Canada, CANNRA, and Europe.
  • standards panel featuring representatives from USP, ASTM, and EDQM.

December 8

  • industry panel featuring representatives from Indena, Jazz Pharma, and more.
  • closing session on perspectives from academia, healthcare practitioners, and consultants.

Click here to learn more about the panel session topics or to register for the free cannabis quality workshop visit.

ASTM International is a not-for-profit nongovernmental organization that develops voluntary consensus standards and defers to appropriate government authorities to determine the legal and regulatory framework regarding the control and use of cannabis.

ASTM International Approves Suite of Cannabis Standards

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PENNSYLVANIA: ASTM International’s cannabis committee (D37) recently approved a suite of three new standards related to environmental conditions during packaging, transit, and storage of cannabis and hemp flower.

“These standards are designed to support the safety and quality of packaged cannabis and hemp flower as it moves through the supply chain,” notes ASTM member Jonathan DeVries. “This includes the activities following curing and drying, namely packaging, transit, and storage, until it reaches the final end user.”

Included in the suite of standards developed by the committee’s processing and handling subcommittee are:

  • Standard Specification for Environmental Conditions for Post Packaged Storage and Retail Merchandising of Cannabis/Hemp Flower (soon to be published as D8423);
  • Standard Specification for Environmental Conditions While In-Transit for Packaged Cannabis/Hemp Flower (soon to be published as D8432); and
  • Standard Specification for Environmental Conditions While Packaging Cannabis/Hemp Flower (D8450).

DeVries notes that the suite of standards will be useful to a variety of stakeholders throughout the entire supply chain including manufacturers, transportation and storage companies, retailer purveyors, laboratories, regulators, and ultimately consumers.

There are a number of related proposed standards under development and DeVries notes that anyone with an interest in cannabis/hemp flower safety and quality during packaging, transit, and storage is welcome to share feedback.

ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member at www.astm.org/JOIN. To purchase standards, contact ASTM International customer relations (tel +1.877.909.ASTM; sales@astm.org).

Visit www.astmcannabis.org to learn more about ASTM’s cannabis committee, existing cannabis standards and publications, relevant proficiency testing programs and certification, training, news and events, and much more.

ASTM International is a not-for-profit nongovernmental organization that develops voluntary consensus standards and defers to appropriate government authorities to determine the legal and regulatory framework regarding the control and use of cannabis.

ASTM International and Colombia Standards Organization Sign Licensing Agreement for Cannabis Certification

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PENNSYLVANIA: On May 17, ASTM International and the Colombian Institute of Technical Standards and Certificationsigned a licensing agreement related to certifications for the cannabis industry.

Per the new agreement, ASTM International will allow use of its CANNQ/HEMPQ certification program for cultivators, as well as ASTM’s Certification Mark, while ICONTEC will allow use of its Certification Good Agricultural Practices in Cannabis.

ICONTEC is the Colombian national standards body and also oversees the compliance of national and international standards in Colombia. ICONTEC and ASTM International signed a memorandum of understanding in 2001, making their partnership the oldest in ASTM’s MoU program.

ASTM and ICONTEC have been collaborating on cannabis work since 2020. ICONTEC has adopted several standards developed by ASTM’s cannabis committee (D37) or has used D37 standards as the basis for their own national standards. ASTM and ICONTEC co-hosted a successful cannabis webinar for Latin America in April 2021 with 100 participants from 14 countries.

“The Safety Equipment Institute (SEI), an affiliate of ASTM International, is excited to partner with ICONTEC to provide the cannabis industry with a global certification program using the ASTM certification mark,” says Tricia Hock, director of certification operations at SEI. “Bringing aspects of ICONTEC’s cannabis program under the ASTM CANNQ/HEMPQ program will help harmonize the industry and provide global recognition with the ASTM brand.”

Roberto Montoya, executive director, ICONTEC, said, “Since last year we identified a new opportunity for expanding our cooperation, formerly focused on standards, to the field of certification, integrating the Safety Equipment Institute, ASTM’s ally in conformity assessment issues, to the work team. Together we recognize the great growth and dynamism of the cannabis industry, and we see that we can contribute to this growth the concepts of quality, safety, and sustainability.”

ASTM International Releases Technical Paper on Delta-8-THC in Cannabis Products

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PENNSYLVANIA:  Global standards organization ASTM International released a technical white paper titled “Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol and the Need to Develop Standards to Protect Safety of Consumers.” This free technical paper identifies the current landscape of hemp-based products that contain the psychotropic cannabinoid, delta-8-THC, which is derived from the non-psychotropic cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD). The United States Pharmacopeia (USP), working in tandem with ASTM International, also debuted a technical white paper on delta-8-THC. 

Included in the ASTM white paper are detailed technical information on what delta-8-THC is, how it is made, the emergence of delta-8-THC in the hemp-based products marketplace, and the need for safety and performance standards.

“Products containing delta-8-THC are widely available to consumers despite the known and unknown risks to consumer health and safety,” says David Vaillencourt, CEO of GMP collective and ASTM International member. “The topic is much deeper than simply the presence of delta-8-THC. Rather it is about defining how to label products containing potentially intoxicating cannabinoids and identifying what safeguards need to be in place to minimize the risk of impurities that can further impact consumer health.”

Vaillencourt notes that these efforts are all being addressed through the development of consensus standards by ASTM’s cannabis committee (D37), which includes experts from industry, academia, government, and critical service organizations such as USP. Together they work to provide needed guidance, that when followed, increases consumer confidence by mitigating risk to consumer health.

The report also evaluates and provides insight on the:

  • rise of synthetic cannabinoids in the marketplace,
  • risk to public health,
  • regulatory landscape, and
  • state of the CBD industry.

 Retailers, producers, and manufacturers of CBD products might find this report useful in understanding the risk of delta-8 THC in their business.

To access the technical white paper, click here.

The USP technical paper, It’s time to hold cannabinoid products to the highest standard: USP Cannabis Panel statement on Delta8-THC, also identifies the chemical process that creates delta-8-THC, identifies the unregulated market, and provides insights on how to regulate Delta-8-THC including labeling and testing requirements.

Representatives from ASTM and USP will provide a presentation on the two technical papers as part of ASTM’s upcoming 2nd Global Workshop on Advancing the Field of Cannabis through Standardization, to be held virtually, Dec. 14, 2021. Click here for more information or to register.

ASTM International and USP have worked closely together in the past on consumer safety in the cannabis industry, including on a proposed product quality standard. 

To learn more about ASTM International’s efforts in the cannabis industry including committee activities, certification, testing, and more, visit www.astmcannabis.org 

ASTM International is a not-for-profit nongovernmental organization that develops voluntary consensus standards and defers to appropriate government authorities to determine the legal and regulatory framework regarding the control and use of cannabis.

New ASTM International Standard Aids Hempseed Quality and Freshness for Food

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PENNSYLVANIA: ASTM International’s cannabis committee (D37) has approved a new standard that will provide a method for rapid, visual, on-site assessment of hemp seed spoilage. The new standard (D8400) will assist in managing food quality and productivity while maintaining consumer safety.

ASTM International member Terry Grajczyk, Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance, says that the new standard is geared toward those who store hempseed for later processing into food or food ingredients.

“We want farmers, food companies, consumers, and all the links in between to know that this guide is supported by their sector as an achievable and credible way to assess potential spoiling and help their business deliver acceptable products,” says Grajczyk.

Grajczyk notes that the new standard outlines procedures to prepare hempseed for visual color comparison to a color chart and to adapt if needed to each company’s or farmer’s quality management of stored hempseed. Companies can add their decision trees on what to do if hempseed is close to spoiling and look for alternative uses if needed.

“Avoiding spoilage of hempseed and eventual throwaway of product can be proactive way to responsibly avoid wastage of would-be food products,” says Grajczyk. “The establishment of clear standards creates common terms of trade in domestic and international markets.”

This effort directly relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #12 on responsible consumption and production, among others.

ASTM International Cannabis Committee Launches New Subcommittee, Responds to U.S. Senate Request

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PENNSYLVANIA: ASTM International’s cannabis committee (D37) has launched a new subcommittee aimed at supporting the exchange of cannabis information and knowledge between global policymakers, regulators, scientists, and the general public.

“With a patchwork of regulations across state, federal, and international levels, this subcommittee will be valuable to industry and government stakeholders as a means to collaborate,” notes David Vaillencourt, current chair of the new government liaison subcommittee (D37.92). “It’s really going to facilitate dialogue that will be key as we look ahead to a global marketplace in the coming years.”

Recently, at the request of the U.S. Senate, the cannabis committee’s executive subcommittee provided public comment on the proposed Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act. The subcommittee shared key information on ASTM International’s cannabis efforts, including:

    • the history and scope of the cannabis committee,
    • committee organization and subcommittee structure,
    • broad membership information,
    • definitions of cannabis terms,
    • published standards related to cannabis facilities, consumer safety, and more.

The committee invites participation in the development of its standards. To learn more about cannabis committee participation and membership, visit www.astmcannabis.org.

ASTM International is a not-for-profit nongovernmental organization that develops voluntary consensus standards and defers to appropriate government authorities to determine the legal and regulatory framework regarding the control and use of cannabis.