An array of industry experts will come together next month to lay down the groundwork for the development of voluntary consensus standards for cannabis.

The goal of the gathering: to identify specific standards needs; determine if ASTM International should formally launch a new activity; and, if so, develop and approve title, scope, and structure of a new technical committee.

The no-fee meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 9 a.m. EST at ASTM International’s global headquarters in, West Conshohocken, Pa., USA. Industry stakeholders and others interested in charting a path towards voluntary consensus standards related to cannabis are welcome to attend.

Consensus standards from organizations like ASTM International have been used to enhance safety and efficiency in a wide variety of industries. New standards in this area could address the full life cycle of cannabis, including consumable cannabis products. Potential areas for initial standards work include cultivation, sampling, testing, quality management systems, processing, handling, labeling, and more. This could include but is not limited to medical applications.

The work of the committee would be coordinated with other ASTM International committees and other interested organizations.

The meeting will include: an overview of ASTM International, background on industry and government interest in standards development, and a review of initial areas to be considered. To register, click here, or contact Christine DeJong cdejong@astm.org.  Media contact Nate Osburn at nosburn@astm.org.

DeJong, director of business development, notes that ASTM International stands ready to accommodate this new effort. With nearly 150 committees and more than 12,000 standards in its portfolio, ASTM International is one of the world’s largest developers of globally recognized standards and related products and services. It provides a management system to develop standards for materials, products, systems, and services across many industries. 

ASTM International meets the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles for developing international standards, and ASTM standards are used globally in research and development, product testing, quality systems, commercial transactions, and more.

To learn more about the ASTM International process, visit www.astm.org/ABOUT/full_overview.  To join, go to www.astm.org/JOIN.

ASTM Cannabis Organizational Meeting: Feb. 28, 2017, ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA, 19428-2959 USA.