Application of GMP in the Cannabis Industry

Abtract: Many European Union (EU) countries have legalized or decriminalized the medical use of cannabis to some degree. The advent of broad acceptance of medical cannabis as public opinion shifts in the EU is driving the need for the cannabis industry to implement strict regulatory controls on the production of cannabis products. There is therefore a shift to implementation of GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) in the cannabis space, most notably in Canada, where medical cannabis production has been legal since 2001 but regulated to a lesser extent than the GMP standard. Due to the lack of regulatory harmonization in the US, this shift to GMP standards for production is expected to impact the US market when medical cannabis laws become regulated federally. The interfaces of medical cannabis markets at the regulatory level is the subject of this article, as well as how GMP is being implemented in cannabis firms. The desire for global trade in cannabis will drive the regulatory compliance alignment to GMP in the future.

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