Cannabis Can Help South Africa

The ASTM D37 Global Workshop on Cannabis/Hemp Standardization will be held Wednesday-Friday, October 21-23, 2020. This workshop is sponsored by ASTM Committee D37 on Cannabis and will be held virtually via Webex, but will take place in Prague.

As we emerge from a global state of prohibition, the need for harmonized international standards that assure the quality and safety of cannabis/hemp-derived products becomes even more urgent. The lack of standards has led to unreliable testing data and a consumer base that is left responsible for ensuring the products they are purchasing are safe. ASTM International’s technical committee D37 on Cannabis has been hard at work creating market relevant standards for the global cannabis/hemp industry to address these quality and safety issues.

Our goal is to establish standards for cannabis/hemp, including products and processes, through the development of terminology, classifications, specifications, test methods, practices, and guides for cultivation, manufacturing, quality assurance, laboratory considerations, packaging, security, and other market relevant issues. We cannot do this alone. The D37 Committee is 100% volunteer-based and needs more dedicated and passionate cannabis/hemp industry stakeholders to take the lead in developing the foundational standards that will shape the industry for years to come.

The objectives of the ASTM D37 Global Workshop on Cannabis/Hemp Standardization are to update participants on the rapidly changing international landscape of the cannabis/hemp marketplaces, and solicit, not only participation from stakeholders, but also the creation of new standards and the appointment of regional liaisons responsible for updating the D37 on developments in their area.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Regional Updates from Around the World
  • Needed Test Methods and the Development Effort
  • Fit-for-Purpose
  • Equality in Opportunity to Participate in the International Cannabis/Hemp Economy
  • Building a Sustainable Future, Working Cannabis/Hemp into the UN Sustainability Criteria
  • Creating Influencers

For full descriptions of the these topics, please click here.

The workshop intends to provide cannabis/hemp industry stakeholders with the knowledge they need to be effective participants in the international community. Presentations will be concluded by question and answer sessions intended to keep the audience engaged.

Fields of Green for ALL will be presenting on Friday, 23 October 2020 under the theme Equality in Opportunity to Participate in the International Cannabis/Hemp Economy. Our topic will be centralized around standardization within the Dagga Private Club structure.

South Africa’s model of European Social Clubs is called Dagga Private Clubs and is based on the country’s unique privacy laws. The model’s integrity was initially upheld, but later warped into a legal threat to the future of these Clubs in SA. This created the need for a guideline. The South African National Operating and Quality Standard for Dagga Private Clubs aims to use a QMS approach to structure and guide Club operations. Most potential and existing Dagga Private Clubs owners are from all backgrounds and do not necessarily have the knowledge or skill set to adequately manage the attention to detail that this endeavour requires.

South Africa’s unique approach to community-based savings systems called “Stokvel” is a township structure from apartheid times, when people of colour did not have access to banks. By pooling their resources together within a close-knit and trusted, known group, they act for the good of the group. This same approach is applicable to Dagga Private Clubs. To make operating a Dagga Private Club a possibility for ALL of South Africans, the Standard must cater to all the socio-economic levels within South African communities.

The Standard is an evolving framework with the goal of providing ALL South Africans with adequate access to quality, traceable Cannabis and Cannabis products that has been ethically and safely grown and produced. Fields of Green for ALL is committed to making Cannabis accessible to ALL South Africans and the standardization of Dagga Private Clubs makes this goal a very tangible reality.

All presentations will be recorded and made available after the event. View the technical program here.