From: DCHAS Membership Chair <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Top 4 Food Safety Hazards for the Cannabis Industry
Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2018 07:55:43 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 40FFBD88-5E13-474A-A7C8-E52397455444**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


This article may be of interest to both our chemical safety-oriented members and our Cannabis sub division members.

- Ralph

https://www.cannabisindustryjournal.com/feature_article/top-4-food-safety-hazards-for-the-cannabis-industry/

Top 4 Food Safety Hazards for the Cannabis Industry

As many US States and Canadian provinces approach legalization of cannabis, the question of regulatory oversight has become a pressing issue. While public awareness is mainly focused on issues like age restrictions and impaired driving, there is another practical question to consider: should cannabis be treated as a drug or a food product when it comes to safety? In the US, FDA governs both food and drugs, but in Canada, drugs are regulated by Health Canada while food products are regulated under the CFIA.There are many food safety hazards associated with cannabis production and distribution that could put the public at risk, but are not yet adequately controlled

Of course, there are common issues like dosage and potency that pharmaceutical companies typically worry about as the industry is moving to classifying its products in terms of percentage of chemical composition (THC, CBD, etc. in a strain), much as we categorize alcohol products by the percentage of alcohol. However, with the exception of topical creams and ointments, many cannabis products are actually food products. Even the herb itself can be brewed into teas, added to baked goods or made into cannabis-infused butters, oils, capsules and tinctures.

As more people gain access to and ingest cannabis products, it"s only a matter of time before food safety becomes a primary concern for producers and regulators. So when it comes to food safety, what do growers, manufacturers and distributors need to consider? The fact is, it"s not that different from other food products. There are many food safety hazards associated with cannabis production and distribution that could put the public at risk, but are not yet adequately controlled. Continue reading below for the top four safety hazards for the cannabis industry and learn how to receive free HACCP plans to help control these hazards.


Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
rstuartcih**At_Symbol_Here**me.com

Membership chair
American Chemical Society
Division of Chemical Health and Safety

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