Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) is the pharmaceutical industry’s term for summarizing all the practices involved in manufacturing drugs that are safe for human consumption. The sum of the practices are called “quality systems.” It’s not just the pharmaceutical industry that uses cGMPs – the food industry does as well. cGMPs is a new concept to the marijuana industry, but there are a few companies that have already embraced it. The most prominent one that comes to mind is APHRIA, hailing from the breadbasket of Canada, in Southern Ontario.

Early adaptation to cGMPs are important to the industry. When medical and recreational cannabis become federally regulated and legalized, cGMPs will be required to ensure product and consumer safety. The evolution of GMP had good reason behind it – people were dying as a result of bad manufacturing practices. On average, the industry has more people hurting themselves while attempting to manufacture drug products, rather than consuming them. This, however, does not mean that the products are all safe for human consumption. The companies that take the time to implement cGMPs from the beginning of their business will have a drastic advantage over those that try to retool their process and standard operating procedures (SOPs). The benefits of GMP go beyond the minimum requirement of having a safe to consume product – it also builds the reputation of your company’s brand and its image.

GMP and ISO are both quality systems that are used to manufacture goods under specifications that either ensure consumer safety, or exact specifications guaranteed to be true. The difference is that GMP is a federal requirement for a drug product, whereas ISO is a voluntary certification. For example, a company manufacturing marijuana and concentrates will need to be a GMP facility in the future, whereas a marijuana testing facility would only need to be a ISO certified lab since they are only testing marijuana.

GMP Cannabis is the future of the industry. The early adopters of the practices employed by the pharmaceutical industry will be ahead of the regulatory curve and be best positioned for success in the market.

If you have more questions, check out www.oriongmp.com and get a free consultation on putting together your Cannabis related Good Manufacturing Practices and Quality Manufacturing Systems.

 

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