The Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA), a non-partisan, non-profit association of government agencies involved in cannabis, cannabinoid and hemp regulation, held their 4th Annual Member Meeting in San Diego, California from December 2-5.
The meeting was restricted to member government agencies and invited governments. It also included more than 260 regulators and government officials from 38 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Canada, the Netherlands and Albania, according to the organization.
“Our member meeting is a core part of what we do at CANNRA and I’m heartened that it’s grown so much over the years,” said CANNRA executive director Dr. Gillian Schauer in a statement. “We were founded as an association that convenes, connects, educates, and supports governments in this space – and that’s exactly what this member meeting accomplished.”
“As the birthplace of modern cannabis culture and a cornerstone of the nation’s legal industry, California was honored to host CANNRA’s Annual Member Meeting to connect states and nations to drive the kind of collaboration that makes CANNRA’s work so vital,” added director of the California Department of Cannabis Control and CANNRA board member Nicole Elliott.
CANNRA Regulatory Work
The Member Meeting included an in-person board meeting as well as a meeting with CANNRA Voting Members (a designee from each member U.S. jurisdiction). As part of that meeting, CANNRA members committed to pursue the development of a framework to expand existing international participation to eligible regulatory bodies from tribal and indigenous nations, according to the organization. CANNRA’s current international members include Canada, the Netherlands, Malta and Albania.
“CANNRA’s growing and diverse membership is essential to carry out our regulatory work, navigate complexities, and identify areas for ongoing growth within our respective programs,” said CANNRA president Dominique Mendiola in a statement, who is the senior director of the Marijuana Enforcement Division in the Colorado Department of Revenue. “The expansion of CANNRA participation to include governments in international jurisdictions, including a forthcoming framework for tribal and indigenous government engagement represents a critical point in CANNRA’s growth that the board looks forward to helping implement.”
Topics at the meeting included discussions about:
- Lab testing and product safety
- Product contamination
- Recalls and embargoes
- Use of quality management systems and GMP
- Cannabinoid hemp
- Lab testing of novel cannabinoids
- Measuring and addressing the illicit market
- Human trafficking in illicit markets and licensed spaces
- Equity in cannabis and hemp
- Insights from patients and clinicians for medical cannabis programs
- Enforcement of policies related to products that appeal to youth
- Analyzing and sharing data
- International policy lessons learned
- U.S. policy considerations for states
- Balancing operational and regulatory duties
A link to the meeting agenda can be found on the CANNRA website.
