During the last few years, an increased interest in the role of cannabis in treating medical conditions has led the pharmaceutical industry to expand its research, in search of scientific evidence to support the use of medical cannabis. Furthermore, an overview of laws and policies around the world, including legislation on the production, distribution and consumption of cannabis-based products results in an emerging market.
The pharmaceutical industry is using medical cannabis produce as an API starting material or as an API. In all cases, the herbal substance used shall be of suitable quality and safety. To achieve this, a medical cannabis producer shall develop and implement a Quality System that will ensure that the growing and harvesting of medical cannabis is done using the best cultivation/harvesting practices. This Quality System along with the Good Agricultural Practices for cannabis cultivation is essential for ensuring consistency of the outcoming products required by the Pharmaceutical companies.
Q-CERT has developed the current GACP Standard to facilitate the market of medical cannabis by building trust and confidence between producers and the pharmaceutical industry. To achieve this, Q-CERT has incorporated a highly specified set of rules for the cultivation, harvesting, and post-harvesting processes that fall under the GACP requirements into the present standard.