Standardization News

ASTM International’s cannabis committee (D37) is developing several proposed standards, two of which address  safety and education concerns in the industry.

According to ASTM member Trevor Morones, one of these proposed standards (WK84667) will help document engineering controls for air filtration and personal protective equipment (PPE) in cannabis processing facilities. The proposed standard will help keep workspaces and employees safe from inhalation exposure adverse effects of ground cannabis dust and hemp dust in processing practices, e.g., Seed Dust, Stalk Fiber/Hurd Dust, Florescence/Inflorescence, Whole Plant, and Crystalized dust. Cultivators, harvesters, extractors, and other processing operators will find the proposed standard guide useful. 

“We are working to develop a robust community of cannabis professionals who can share their experiences in workplace and personnel safety,” says Morones.

The second proposed standard (WK84589) will establish an agnostic standard to source a standardized metric for determining the intoxication level of a cannabinoid.  The standard will focus initially on delta9-THC which will then be used as a basis for comparable equivalences for other cannabinoids relative intoxication.  Ultimately, this standard, coupled with subsequent applications,  will communicate to consumers how intoxicating a final form of cannabinoid product is to an average person. The proposed standard will help raise public awareness and promote public health and safety regarding products containing cannabinoids.
 
According to ASTM member Pamela Epstein, the proposed standard (WK84589) is an important part of developing a mechanism of measurement similar to the alcohol by volume metric known as ABV. In addition to consumers, the standard will be useful to manufacturers and regulators.
 
“Beyond providing consumers with a complete assessment of a product's total intoxicating/impairing effects, the proposed standard may provide regulators with a methodology to meaningfully account for public health and safety,” says Epstein. “The specification can unify consumer awareness and can be used across all product types and jurisdictions.”
 
“This effort brings together scientists, regulatory experts, consumer advocates, and operators to develop a critical missing standard within the cannabinoid marketplace, a standard which can determine the intoxicating effect of a cannabinoid and  then used to provide the consumer with an understanding of the totality of all cannabinoids contained in a final form product,” says Epstein.
 
ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. JOIN ASTM.

Learn more about the cannabis committee.

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