The GMP Collective is a proud sponsor of the 2022 State of the States Report published by the Americans for Safe Access (ASA). With over 150,000 active supporters, ASA is the country’s largest member-based medical cannabis advocacy group. Since 2014, the organization has published this comprehensive report that grades the laws and regulations of U.S. states, D.C. and the four U.S. territories. If you look at the reports over the years, it provides a snapshot of medical cannabis access and regulatory progress. As time passes, ASA adapts the report with the times, adding valuable sections, such as how states handled the COVID-19 response and starting to give penalties for rules that limit patient access (Kentucky, New Mexico, and North Carolina having the most penalties in this most recent report). ASA also updated the rubric to prioritize the needs of patients today.
We believe it is important to support advocacy groups such as ASA to ensure medical cannabis patients are not forgotten in the growing wave of adult-use legalization. To support the ASA’s efforts in producing this valuable resource, we helped grade the most complex section: Consumer Protection and Product Safety. With The GMP Collective’s vast experience in these subjects, we evaluated the states’ program requirements regarding staff training, quality management systems, standard operating procedures, required testing, packaging and labeling, complaints and adverse event reporting, recall protocols and more for cultivations, manufacturing operations, retail stores, and testing labs.
If you are looking for more tools for your advocacy belt, look no further. The State of the States Report is an important, free resource that can be used to assess and improve medical cannabis programs. It is broken up into five sections, which are summarized in ASA’s editorial briefing of the 2022 report and listed below.
Civil Rights & Patient Protection
Access to Medicine
Affordability
Health & Social Equity
Consumer Protection & Product Safety
Overall, ASA saw the following cross-country trends.
We encourage to do a deeper dive of the report so you can be armed with information to promote policies aimed at improving patient access to safe cannabis products. Over the years, we have seen some states act on the recommendations produced by ASA, signifying the importance of this report. You can see this echoed in the slide below from the ASA’s editorial briefing about the 2022 report, where we see more states scoring a B- or C+, from 2021 to 2022.
How did your state score? Don’t be disappointed if you don’t see an “A” for your state. No state scored above a “B-.” Make sure to check out your state’s specific regulatory recommendations based on their grade. Maybe you can use that information in conversations with your legislatures and regulatory bodies and hopefully one or more states will score an “A” next year!
Not only does the report provide a snapshot of medical cannabis access and the gaps in legislation and regulation that exist across the states, but it also includes several other assets. In the report, you’ll find:
In conclusion, the State of the States Report is an excellent resource to send to your local and state legislators and regulators, journalists, and local communities. If you thought the report was valuable, we encourage you to become a member of ASA. For as little as $35 a year, you can support ASA’s legal, policy, social, and educational work!