The Committee has expanded from a handful of companies in 2010 to more than 140 companies today.
Michael McGuffin, President of AHPA, said in the release: “At a time when cannabis didn’t garner much attention from other natural product trade groups, the newly established Cannabis Committee pushed AHPA to aggressively advocate for a legal pathway to market for cannabis products. One of the Cannabis Committee’s first actions back in 2010 was to support federal legislation to legalize hemp production in the U.S., an effort that ultimately succeeded when the 2018 Farm Bill decriminalized hemp.”
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Elan Sudberg, Founding Cannabis Committee Chair and CEO of Alkemist Labs, added: “Although we anticipated that the time had come for the legalization of cannabis products, it’s especially rewarding to see how much the industry and the AHPA Cannabis Committee have grown and evolved over the years. The cannabis industry has benefitted greatly from the Committee’s leadership and the Committee has benefited in turn from the extensive input of rapidly expanding membership.”The Committee is currently advocating for FDA to use its existing authority to create a legal pathway to market for hemp-CBD products. The Committee also produces guidance and in-person and online educational events to help the responsible cannabis industry understand the evolving legal landscape and develop and adopt best practices.
“When an herb experiences explosive growth, it attracts players with both short- and long-term interest,” said Jane Wilson, AHPA’s Director of Program Development and staff liaison to the Cannabis Committee since 2013. “Working to institute a level playing field through industry best practices helps ensure the cannabis market has a long future as a significant segment of the herb industry.”
