NCIA hosts a weekly podcast with guest members who share their experiences, challenges and successes operating businesses serving the legal cannabis industry. This week, our President and Founder, David Vaillencourt was interviewed to discuss how The GMP Collective team is revolutionizing how cannabis producers achieve success. Listen to it here or find it on your favorite podcast app. The podcast is named “Cannabis Industry Voice” and is joint venture between NCIA and CannabisRadio.com

We attended the NCIA’s annual Northeast Cannabis Business Conference last week. There was a wide variety of excellent speakers and booths – in fact, there were times when I felt the need to roll the dice to determine which room to sit in on.

The CBD industry in the United Kingdom has been put on notice. CBD is a novel food. Cannabis GMP Consultants can assist you with navigating the hemp and CBD compliance issues.

At the recent ASTM International Committee week, the Cannabis Standards Committee Chair, Ralph Paroli, Ph.D. recognized David Vaillencourt, President and Founder of The GMP Collective for his significant contributions to Committee D37 on Cannabis. In doing so, David was presented with an Award of Appreciation during the opening meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. David worked hard to develop and pass the Laboratory Subcommittee’s first Standard on Method Development and Validation. Learn more about ASTM and the D37 Committee here.

Does your cannabis or CBD based business have what it takes to succeed in 2020? A look at the objective reality that compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices will separate those who sink and those who swim.

The beauty of the Cannabis Industry is it is not limited by prior experiences. But an abundance of options to sculpt the Industry’s future combined with the absence of pre-established protocols can force a company into an arduous situation. This combination leads ownership to rashly define a weak strategy plan. This forces management to frantically react leading to confused employees, upset vendors, and contributes to company waste. Ultimately, this common situation leads to disgruntled employees at all levels. Employees will disengage after their employer teaches them processes and documentation are disposable because the unexpected is to be expected. In the third and final installment of “The Four Elements of the Organizational Process: Change Management,” the cure to chaos amidst change, will be dissected.

Cannabis businesses are struggling to generate profits and meet demands in a continually evolving regulatory space. 2019 has seen a continued spree of mergers and acquisitions, firing of Board members, and flagrant disregard for regulations resulting in the demise of once largely respected licensed cannabis operators. The result is predictable if one looks to the history of consumer goods regulations. As the industry matures, compliance requirements continue to become more stringent and the consequences for violating more severe. Only strategic companies that are well-prepared to respond to regulatory evolution will survive and thrive.

After almost twenty years in the FDA regulated drug and medical device industries, I have taken the challenge of navigating the Cannabis industry. During the 4 years that I have been involved with THC regulations, I have been observing the Hemp/CBD side, originally with mild interest. After the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill everything changed and many organizations realizing the potential, became emboldened with the CBD market and products, selling across state boundaries with internet sales and scrambling how to source raw materials and manufacture products, sometimes at the expense of quality, certainly with limited regulations and standards. It is fascinating to me following this unprecedented growth on many levels, particularly the development of regulations.

As a cannabis business person, do you feel like the cards are stacked against you by the federal, provincial, or state regulatory authorities? Just when you feel like you’ve made the modifications necessary to meet the latest requirements, another set of regulations are imposed, leaving you with little time to adapt. It is an all too familiar scene, and it is frustrating. Like it or not, this is a common reality in an industry with no universal regulations or imposed guidelines. What are actions that manufacturers can undertake to try and limit this feeling of being in an endless rat race short of taking a trip in Doc’s DeLorean? As has been repeated all too often, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Spoiler alert: Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) are a large part of the solution.