Cannabis Safety & Quality Launches New Retail Standard for Dispensaries
Accredited cannabis certification organization launches new standard focused on retail safety.
In a recent announcement, Cannabis Safety & Quality (CSQ), an accredited cannabis certification program, introduced a new safety standard built to safeguard licensed dispensaries in any legal cannabis market. The new CSQ Cannabis Retail Standard (1) reportedlyoutlines the criteria for a cannabis dispensary to meet the basic safety requirements of applicable regulatory agencies and the public. The standard also evaluates the competence of a site’s overall cannabis safety management system and the system’s ability to control and mitigate safety risks in a retail environment.
“We are taking the average cGRP (Current Good Retail Practices) audit and including unique criteria for cannabis retailers to remain compliant,” said Matt Regusci, CSQ’s Technical Director. “There’s an emphasis on security precautions and processes for disposal of expired products that other retailers of food or consumer goods don’t need to worry about.”
The 20-page Cannabis Retail Standard document offers people an introduction and several detailed modules for people to follow. According to the company, CSQ standards were created by a team of food safety experts to improve the overall safety and quality of cannabis and cannabis-infused products available at licensed dispensaries. They also offer four other CSQ standards that meet International Organization for Standardization (ISO) requirements and regulatory requirements from seed to sale. Other standards include:
- Manufacturing and Infusion of Cannabis into Food & Beverage Products
- Growing and Cultivation of Cannabis Plants
- Manufacturing and Extraction of Cannabis
- Manufacturing of Cannabis Dietary Supplements
For more information visit: https://csqcertification.com/
Reference
Cannabis Safety & Quality, Retail Audit Requirements, July 2023, https://csqcertification.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CSQ-Retail-Audit-Requirements.pdf
Ep 24, Part III: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Kahn
December 26th 2024In the final part of this episode, Evan Friedmann and Yasha Kahn discuss the need for a national entity to centralize cannabis data collection, moving from snapshot data to continuous updates. They emphasize the importance of accurate lab data and adverse event tracking, suggesting QR codes on packaging to report issues. Yasha suggests harsher consequences for result manipulation and suggests collaboration between state departments and federal entities to support underfunded regulators. They also discuss the potential benefits of off-the-shelf testing and the importance of stability testing. Finally, Yasha shares his top three reading recommendations for the audience.
Ep 24, Part II: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Kahn
December 12th 2024Evan Friedmann and Yasha Kahn, co-founder of MCR Labs, discuss the discrepancies between current regulations and data on mycotoxins and pesticides in cannabis products. They highlight the need for updated regulations based on new data, emphasizing the importance of accurate testing and labeling. They also discuss the issue of result manipulation, particularly in THC content, and the need for public health officials to address this. Yasha suggests making testing data public to enhance oversight and suggests a national entity to manage this data for better consistency and public safety.
