According to a press release sent out last week, Liberty Health Sciences announced that the British Standards Institution (BSI) awarded the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification for a facility located in Gainesville, Florida. The certification covers their 10,000 square foot medical cannabis manufacturing facility, where much of their extraction and processing takes place. Liberty also operates a large cultivation space at the same campus.

“it demonstrates our commitment to producing the highest quality and safest products possible for our customers throughout the state of Florida”According to Jessica Engle, director of regulatory compliance for Liberty, they actually did much more than just a GMP certification, including designing a HACCP plan. “In addition to GMP compliance, Liberty has gone above and beyond the DOH requirements to create a fully operational HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) plan that helps ensure the products we produce are safe for consumers,” says Engle. “The basis for HACCP is a scientific approach to preventative risk analysis. Every time a process changes, equipment changes, or raw material changes, our HACCP team meets to identify potential physical, chemical, and microbiological risks. Preventative measures are then put into place to help reduce the likelihood of the contamination hazard from ever occurring.”

Florida’s regulations on medical cannabis producers and processors actually require a form of certification demonstrating proper food safety protocols. “Within 12 months after licensure, a medical marijuana treatment center must demonstrate to the department that all of its processing facilities have passed a Food Safety Good Manufacturing Practices, such as Global Food Safety Initiative or equivalent, inspection by a nationally accredited certifying body,” reads Rule 9 in the 2017 Florida Statute. Edibles producers in Florida “must hold a permit to operate as a food establishment pursuant to chapter 500, the Florida Food Safety Act, and must comply with all the requirements for food establishments pursuant to chapter 500 and any rules adopted thereunder.” The rules also lay out requirements for packaging, dosage and sanitation rules for storage, display and dispensing of edible products.

Also according to the press release, the company is expecting to grow immensely, saying they will add an additional 160,000 square feet of cultivation space at their Gainesville campus. George Scorsis, CEO of Liberty Health Sciences, says this GMP certification is an important landmark for them. “Receiving GMP certification at an additional facility is a major milestone for Liberty Health Sciences and it demonstrates our commitment to producing the highest quality and safest products possible for our customers throughout the state of Florida,” says Scorsis. “This achievement reflects the incredibly high standards we expect of ourselves and that our clients expect as a patient provider. We will continue to produce the highest quality products and exceed production standards that surpass even the most stringent regulatory requirements.”

Liberty has dispensaries, manufacturing facilities and cannabis education centers all over Florida. They have plans to launch a large number of locations in 2019, including ones in Boca Raton, Ft. Myers, Miami, Orlando and more.