Cannabis industry watchdog adopts BNSI industry standards

The medical cannabis industry has embraced quality assurance as the industry’s regulator joins forces with the national standards agency to develop new standards for the industry.

The Barbados National Standards Institution (BNSI) on Thursday delivered new industry standards to the Barbados Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Authority (BMCLA), setting testing parameters for raw cannabis as well as the packaging and labelling of medicinal cannabis products.

Officials of the two agencies have hailed a strategic partnership between the two agencies as ensuring the medicinal cannabis industry follows the highest ethical standards.

It brings together BNSI’s standards, test methods, certification, support for technical regulation and training, with the BMCLA’s regulatory oversight of the cannabis industry. This partnership, they said, will establish optimal qualities for medicinal cannabis products.

The standard for testing raw cannabis was developed by the BNSI in collaboration with the BMCLA and technical experts, a government statement said. Raw cannabis material is the central ingredient in the production of medicinal cannabis products. It contains tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), the main chemicals used in medicine.

The packaging and labelling standard, also developed by the BNSI for the BMCLA, is intended to provide clear information to industry applicants and licensees on how to meet the requirements of applicable regulation in keeping with the law.

Labelling and packaging represent an “important plank” in ensuring high quality for the medicinal cannabis industry, said BMCLA’s Chief Executive Officer Dr Shantal Munro-Knight. This would help create a “culture that fosters consumer trust and confidence that products, produced locally and abroad are safe and efficacious”, she added.

“It is imperative that our growers and processors can confirm the contents of their products, so that information can be passed on to protect consumers,” the industry’s chief regulator said.

BNSI’s Chief Technical Officer Fabian Scott said: “The contributions of both the BNSI and the BMCLA present the industry with coherent business acumen, scientific and technical expertise. In this regard, the strategic partnership between the BNSI and the BMCLA provides both steering and supporting mechanisms in the forms of quality benchmarks, hand-holding and training, to name a few. Quality infrastructure support also helps shorten the life cycle from plant to product as quality is built into each step along the production value chain.

“The strategic partnership, between the BNSI and the BMCLA, demonstrates the leadership and maturity of the BMCLA having embraced a quality culture. A quality culture embedded in the cannabis industry illustrates the BMCLA’s understanding of the needs of [its] clients and investors. The BNSI looks forward to further deepening its relationship with the BMCLA as Barbados builds its cannabis industry.” (SD/PR)