As of July 2023, Australia now requires all imported medicinal cannabis products to be produced under GMP standards. “As a lot of illegal products were making their way into the Australian market, the import regulations have become more strict. It is evident that GMP requirements are becoming more important in the industry, and more markets will likely implement those requirements,” says Chad Brian, Greenhouse Management Consultant at Morning Dew Greenhouse Consulting. According to Chad, not many Canadian cannabis producers have the GMP certification at the moment, and many would not be able to achieve it.
Chad Brian
Cultivating to a high standard
Morning Dew Greenhouse Consultants assists hydroponic and organic growers of different crop types. The consultants help growers to gain full cultivation comprehension in order to increase yields and quality. With 25 years of experience in horticulture, Chad is also specialized in working with cannabis growers. He says that GMP certification will become increasingly important in the global cannabis industry. “GMP certification is, of course, essential to export cannabis products to international markets requiring that standard.”
One such country is now Australia. “With illegal imports and lab shopping frequently occurring, the GMP certification guarantees that the products entering the Australian market are safer than before.” Yet not many Canadian growers are on that level of cultivation, Chad says. “There’s a lack of knowledge about how to grow to those standards and how to establish the proper SOPs. At the start of the Canadian cannabis industry, the banks were pushing for companies to go big, or they wouldn’t get the money. Meanwhile, there was not as much of a focus on the quality of the production.”
Chad expects that more countries will follow Australia’s example to implement GMP requirements for their cannabis imports. “Product quality and safety are becoming more and more important in the industry. This could have major consequences for countries like Canada, where not many producers are achieving those standards.”
For more information:
Morning Dew Greenhouse Consulting
www.morningdewgreenhouseconsulting.com