Tag Archives: states

By Tyler Dautrich

I am excited to look at the amount of success the cannabis industry saw in 2015 and know that 2016 and the next five to eight years will see even more growth. With the upcoming presidential election and ten states that have either a medical or adult use legalization initiative on their ballot, the industry could rapidly accelerate.

Five of the states listed are located on the East Coast. The industry has, almost solely, existed in the West and it is relieving to see the East finally catch on. We saw the East grow more of a presence in 2015 than any other year. New Jersey is beginning to settle into it’s market, Delaware is getting off the ground slowly, Maryland began accepting license applications and New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island have initiated medical programs. Now, there are eight potential states in the Northeast that may vote on cannabis in 2016.

I predict that we will see the Northeast become very research focused. There are five ranked medical institutions in the North East Region alone.

Philadelphia in particular has an incredible opportunity to become a research hub in the industry. In Philadelphia, there are three medical schools ranked top 100 in the country, and one that is ranked in the top five. When colleges and universities with clout like this step out and back medical cannabis research, more are soon to follow suit.

Last year I spoke with Dr. Marcel Bonn-Miller, researcher and faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Bonn-Miller previously received two grants from Colorado to study the effects cannabis has on patients who suffer from PTSD.

While speaking with Dr. Bonn-Miller, we discussed how the University of Pennsylvania is involved with these studies. “Penn has always supported my work,“ he says. “They helped me all throughout the application process, making sure that I had everything I needed to receive the grants from Colorado.” Dr. Bonn-Miller also shared that he feels there are many opportunities for the other universities in Philadelphia to do the same.

When the industry loses the stigma people associate with cannabis, it will invite more professionals into the market, as well as top research programs. Currently not many top ranked organizations attempt to conduct research because of the difficulty to receive approval from the government.

“We’re only at the very beginning, essentially like being at the very beginning of Sir Alexander Fleming discovering penicillin as mold in a petri dish,” said Leslie Bocksor in an interview with CNBC. “That’s how it started, and now how broad are antibiotics as a category of medicine? In the same sense we’re just looking at the very beginning of cannabis.”

This industry is still relatively young. There is a tremendous amount that we have yet to learn until more research is done. When the barriers to research are removed, I believe we will see money put into research programs, helping to improve standards for quality and safety.

February 9, 2016

Quality From Canada

The Great Green North: Canada vs. US in Cannabis Regulations

By Tegan Adams

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A lot has been changing quickly in the world of cannabis across North America. While international drug treaties sit back and watch in horror, cannabis and cannabis-infused products have been popping up in households across Canada, on retail shelves and in private delivery services across the US. How each jurisdiction in North America accepts and regulates (or draws a blind eye) to the sale of cannabis is different depending on where you are located. Here are a few key distinctions between the current Canadian and US regulatory approaches to marijuana.

In Canada, cannabis is regulated at the federal level by Health Canada through the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, (MMPR). The MMPR allows persons to obtain dried cannabis for their own personal medical purposes or for another person for whom they are responsible. To obtain dried cannabis, a person must obtain a medical document from a physician, or nurse practitioner to register as a client with a licensed producer of their choosing. After registering as a client, they are able to order dried cannabis and possess up to a maximum of 150 grams at any one time, depending on the recommendation of their physician. More recently, in 2015, regulations allow the distribution of not only the dried form of cannabis but also their extracted forms.

In the US, at the federal level, cannabis is still 100% illegal. Public statements from the federal administration dictate that they steadfastly oppose legalization of cannabis and other drugs. They are concerned that legalization would increase the availability and use of illicit drugs, and pose significant health and safety risks to all Americans, particularly young people. At the state level, legalization laws are rapidly changing. The office of National Drug Control Policy lists 23 states (a rising number) and Washington DC that have passed laws allowing cannabis to be smoked for a variety of medical conditions. The state laws do not change federal regulation. Many local governments are creating zoning and other restrictions that prohibit dispensaries from operating in their communities. That being said, voters in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington state support legalizing the sale and distribution of cannabis to adults over 21. There are many differences in the regulation of marijuana within each state, municipality and within the country itself.

Internationally, Canada has a platinum reputation for delivering and regulating quality consumer products. Within the Canadian cannabis industry, many feel Health Canada’s regulatory regime is inaccessible, restricts production to large corporations and limits distribution channels. The average start up cost of even a small licensed facility is around $4-5M CAD. On top of the financial costs, production companies have to compete with the other 2000 or so applicants who have been waiting, in some cases up to two years, to hear back from Health Canada if they will succeed in the licencing application process. In response, Canada has seen many tolerances made to allow dispensaries to distribute marijuana at the municipal level, even though not allowed as per regulation.

Many Canadian dispensaries operate with professional policies and procedures including providing customers with access ID cards and offering physician consults. Vancouver became the first city in Canada to license and regulate marijuana dispensaries. The number of licenses within the city exceeds both Tim Hortons and Starbucks Franchises combined. Many dispensaries provide bar and café settings for people to enjoy a “bong shot” or café au lait infused with cannabis. Licensing dispensaries has become a great financial resource for the city, charging $30,000 CAD per licence. Vancouver’s dispensaries have been a topic of debate across all levels of government. The Health Minister asked Vancouver to shut the dispensaries down, while other municipalities have started to expand the same concept. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canada’s federal police force, has started raiding various dispensary locations. Part of the new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau’s, political platform and claim to fame is to legalize cannabis recreationally across Canada. How the framework will unfold is still in the works and subject not only to local jurisdictional reform but also to international negotiations.

Editor’s Note: Eurofins-Experchem has helped submit over 150 MMPR applications to Health Canada and continues to work with 10 of the 27 licensed MMPR producers in Canada. Their regulatory affairs division has started working with companies applying to produce and distribute cannabis in those states, which are new to its sale and distribution. They offer services include writing SOPs, training staff and performing mock inspection audits.