In the growing industry effort to normalize cannabis-based medicines and health aids, clinical research should be centered around a Patient Focused Certification (PFC) regime that assures compliance with a wide range of other standards for medical cannabis products, according to the Prague-based International Cannabis and Cannabinoid Institute (ICCI).
“PFC provides consumers a way to recognize products that have been produced according to highest safety standards, and a way for companies to demonstrate their commitment to those standards for consumers and governments,” said Pavel Kubů, CEO of ICCI, which launched last year.
A focus on hemp
Started in the United States under Americans for Safe Access Foundation (ASAF), which works to advance medical cannabis under a non-profit certification program, PFC aims to provide quality assurance by taking in needs of patients, caregivers and healthcare providers first. At the same time, education and standards development activities under PFC address industry and government.
While in the U.S.A, the PFC standard was created for medical marijuana, ICCI’s pilot program in Prague is also dedicating itself to the standardization of industrial hemp production for such products as medical CBD.
“With PFC, we can not only standardize hemp production, but also create better laws that will help the conditions for hemp that’s destined for human consumption,” Kubů said.
Securing the value chain
The goal is quality standards to control the whole production chain while at the same time giving assurance to the public and in medical circles, leading in turn to broader acceptance of cannabis medicines by the public and in health care circles, according to ICCI. Adopting such a regime can advance Europe’s CBD which along with clinical research is held back long-term by a slowly evolving regulatory landscape for medical cannabis, Kubů said
While PFC is front and center with ICCI, the Institute is also currently working on Continuing Medical Education initiatives while it further maps priorities for an ambitious global agenda it has set for itself, including active efforts to help shape hemp and cannabis legislation.
“Legislation is different in each country, but the final standard should be the same everywhere, which will distinctly help the world’s hemp business,” Kubů said.
ICCI’s international management team
Founder: Ben Bronfman
ICCI was started by American entrepreneur and environmentalist Benjamin Bronfman, who serves as Director of International Business Development. He has positions in several tech startups and serves as managing director of Global Thermostat, which is developing technology to capture and concentrate CO2. He was recently the recipient of the Global Green’s impact Entrepreneur Award.
Pavel Kubů, MD
Chief Executive Officer
Expert in medical informatics and addictology
Steph Sherer
Director of Innovations
Founder and Executive Director of Americans for Safe Access
Tomáš Zábranský, MD, PhD
Chief Scientist, Former Research Fellow, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
