The Scientific and Technical Liaisons Group exists to improve visibility across cannabis-related standards, technical guidance, and related research and regulatory support efforts.
Standardization-related work is underway across multiple organizations simultaneously. Without visibility into others' work, organizations can unknowingly duplicate effort, miss useful resources, or develop guidance that could have been stronger through coordination.
This quarterly update aims to solve that problem. It provides a shared view of active projects, recent progress, technical needs, and opportunities for collaboration across participating organizations.
For background on why the group was formed, see Purpose of the Scientific and Technical Liaisons Group (STLG). Earlier quarterly updates are collected under STLG Updates.
Featured Resources
Many great standardization efforts and useful resources emerge outside standards organizations. Here, we highlight resources relevant to cannabis standardization that fall outside the organizational updates below.
The Green Glossary explains cannabis terminology used across the industry, offering a useful reference for clearer communication among technical professionals and consumers.
USDA GRIN-Global provides hemp germplasm information and evaluation data, including cannabinoid profiles, supporting standardized plant characterization and comparisons across hundreds of accessions.
Quarterly Updates
Below are updates reported by participating organizations for Q3 of 2026. Each section summarizes current projects, recent progress, needs, and opportunities for coordination.
ACIL Cannabis Working Group
The ACIL Cannabis and Hemp Working Group operates within the American Council of Independent Laboratories (ACIL), a trade association founded in 1937 representing independent scientific and testing laboratories across the U.S. The group focuses on improving cannabis and hemp testing through standards development, technical research, and regulatory education.
Needs or opportunities for collaboration
ACIL’s 2026 Annual Meeting is being held in San Francisco, California, November 10–12, 2026.
ACS-CANN
CANN (Cannabis Chemistry Subdivision) operates within the American Chemical Society (ACS), a scientific society dedicated to advancing chemistry and supporting the broader scientific community. CANN focuses on fostering collaboration among cannabis scientists and professionals, advancing cannabis chemistry research, and promoting scientific integrity and innovation in the field.
Major initiatives and updates
- Journal Club - Terpenes for pain in a mouse model of chronic neuropathic pain with Dr. John Streicher.
- Link to the presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZOonEteXwk
- Submission for the annual eBook completed.
- Topics include lab testing and lab shopping, synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids, cannabinoid conversion chemistry, and more
- National Cannabis Research Conference, San Diego, October 19–21, 2026.
- Chair Kyle Boyar and Programming Chair Evan Friedmann hosted a session on Monday, October 19.
- Grant received for convergent cannabis communication.
- The grant will support establishing ACS policy on cannabis and collaboration across divisions. Participants include delegates from divisions AGFD, ANYL, CHAS, CHAL, MEDI, SCHB, and YCC. A planning meeting will be held in New Orleans, LA, in March 2027 before the ACS Spring National Meeting.
Needs or opportunities for collaboration
- Next journal club
AHPA
Founded in 1982, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is the national trade association and voice of the herbal products industry. AHPA is comprised of more than 350 member companies, consisting primarily of domestic and foreign companies doing business as growers, processors, manufacturers, and marketers of herbs and herbal products as foods, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and non-prescription drugs, and also including companies that provide expert services to the herbal trade.
Major initiatives and updates
- On September 25, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) hosted a joint workshop examining regulatory pathways for botanical and herbal medicinal products.
- Discussions highlighted differences between U.S. botanical drug development pathways and the European system, which provides traditional-use registration and well-established-use authorization pathways for certain herbal medicines.
- AHPA reported that Holly Johnson discussed the space between dietary supplements and full FDA drug approval.
- AHPA sees an opportunity for EMA and FDA collaboration to support herbal and botanical products, including over-the-counter medicines and products beyond dietary supplements.
Needs or opportunities for collaboration
Below are takeaways from the meeting.
Key Standards Topics:
- Botanical characterization: Chemical fingerprinting, identity testing, marker compounds, batch-to-batch consistency, and quality standards for complex botanical mixtures.
- Regulatory pathways: Comparing FDA botanical drug development with EMA herbal medicinal product pathways, including traditional-use registration and herbal monographs.
- Research challenges: Establishing safety, efficacy, and reproducibility for whole-plant extracts versus purified cannabinoids.
- Evidence development: Incorporating historical use, published research, real-world evidence, and innovative clinical trial designs.
- Standards opportunities: Developing industry consensus standards for botanical quality, analytical testing, manufacturing consistency, and clinical material characterization.
Needs or opportunities for collaboration
FDA Request for Information. Public Comment Deadline Was November 3, 2026
FDA requested stakeholder input on advancing botanical drug product development (Docket FDA-2026-N-9550). Cannabis researchers, analytical laboratories, manufacturers, clinicians, and standards organizations were encouraged to submit comments addressing the following topics.
- Development experience: Challenges encountered in botanical research, clinical trials, investigational new drug (IND) submissions, and regulatory compliance.
- Complex botanical products: Scientific and regulatory challenges of whole-plant and minimally purified extracts compared with isolated compounds.
- Analytical and quality standards: Opportunities for standardized chemical fingerprints, manufacturing controls, specifications, and batch consistency.
- Regulatory modernization: Guidance improvements and scientifically credible approaches to streamline botanical drug development.
- Clinical and real-world evidence: Appropriate use of traditional-use information, existing scientific knowledge, innovative clinical study designs, and real-world evidence.
ASTM International Standards Committee D37
ASTM’s Committee D37 on Cannabis and Hemp operates within ASTM International, a global standards development organization that brings together industry, regulators, and technical experts to develop voluntary consensus standards. Committee D37 focuses on developing standards for cannabis and hemp, including laboratory testing, cultivation, processing, quality, and regulatory support, to promote consistency, safety, and technical rigor across the industry.
Major initiatives and updates
- The committee reported that its new subcommittee on Human Health held its first meeting on October 28, 2026, at 1 p.m. Eastern, with non-members welcome to attend and participate.
- This new subcommittee will be developing standards for cannabis-derived products intended for human health and wellness, including medical-grade products. Its work will cover:
- Product Quality and Supply Chain: quality from cultivation through delivery to patients and consumers.
- Health Evidence and Data Standards: clinical, real-world, registry, and patient-reported data that support reliable health evidence.
- Health Impact and Responsible Use: patient safety, benefit-risk assessment, responsible communication, and meaningful health outcomes.
- This new subcommittee will be developing standards for cannabis-derived products intended for human health and wellness, including medical-grade products. Its work will cover:
- Ballot Results
- In August, several ballots went out to all ASTM Committee D37 members for feedback on the following standards topics. The committee reported these ballot results.
- Practice for Identification of Beverage Container Liners Intended for Use with Cannabinoid Beverage Formulations by ATR-FTIR or Raman Spectrophotometry (negatives received)
- A revision to a Guide for Requirements for Analytical Laboratory Related Professions Within the Cannabis and Hemp Industries (approved)
- Specification for the Design for Disposal of All-In-One (AIO) Electronic Cannabinoid Delivery Systems (ECDS) (approved)
- Classification for Electronic Cannabinoid Delivery Systems (ECDS) (approved)
- A revision to a Test Method for Measuring the Probability of a Full Length Burn on a Cannabis/Hemp Pre-roll (negatives received)
- A new Guide for Determination of Cannabinoid Concentrations in Cannabis Plant Material and Extracted Oil Using Near-Infrared (NIR) Spectroscopy (negatives received, with an October reballot planned)
- A revision to a Practice for Applying a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) System for Cannabis Consumable Products (negatives received)
- Additionally, a ballot went out for a second attempt at revising the Committee bylaws to establish a Divisional structure for Cannabis, Hemp, and Administrative matters. This item received 12 negative votes, all of which must be considered by the Executive Subcommittee or revised and reballoted to all members.
- In August, several ballots went out to all ASTM Committee D37 members for feedback on the following standards topics. The committee reported these ballot results.
Next Committee Week in February - Gumbo and Mardi Gras Edition
- The Committee will have its next in-person meeting February 1–3, 2027, in New Orleans, with hybrid options reported as available for most meetings. A draft agenda for the 2.5 days is available here. The committee reported that room blocks would be announced for all ASTM members.
- Attendance is open and free to all. You do not have to be a member. For more details, please reach out to Dave Vaillencourt (Committee Chair) at [email protected]
CSQ (Cannabis Safety and Quality)
Cannabis Safety & Quality (CSQ) is a global cannabis/hemp safety and quality certification program launched in 2019 to promote industry best practices and improve the overall safety, quality, and risk management of cannabis/hemp and cannabinoid products from seed to sale. CSQ develops and maintains accredited, internationally-aligned safety and quality management standards and certification schemes based on ASTM, ISO, cGMP/cGACP, and other recognized frameworks, helping operators minimize risk, protect their brands, and meet regulatory and market requirements across cultivation, extraction, manufacturing, retail, and distribution.
Major initiatives and updates
- CSQ launched the Maryland CSQ CLEAR Pilot Program in collaboration with the Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA). Anonymized results are expected to be published in December 2026.
- CSQ reported the October 2026 release of its Pharma-GMP Addendum, covering EudraLex Volume 4, Parts 1 & 2, U.S. 21 CFR 210 & 211, and their associated annexes and regulatory guidance documents.
- CSQ Laboratory is planned for 2027.
Currently seeking
Certified quality auditors in Australia, Canada, the European Union, and the United States familiar with pharmaceutical-level cGMPs for botanical drug products/medicinal herbal products, EudraLex Volume 4, Parts 1 & 2, US 21 CFR 210 & 211, and their associated annexes and regulatory guidance documents to perform CSQ Audits to the CSQ Pharma-GMP Addendum.
S3 Collective
S3 Collective is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on advancing the cannabis, hemp, and botanical products industries by converging scientific research, standards development, and public safety. The Collective brings together experts from science, industry, and policy to promote collaboration, education, and the creation of objective, globally relevant frameworks that improve quality, consistency, and safety in cannabinoid-containing products.
Major initiatives and updates
- Universal cannabis labeling. S3 launched a new research project to evaluate which contents are critical for universal cannabis product labels. The work reviews existing standards and consumer research and will engage regulators, industry, and public-health stakeholders before recommending revisions to ASTM D8449 or a successor standard.
- Universal intoxicating-cannabinoid symbol. The national consumer survey testing the ASTM/IICPS symbol has been launched. Questions are running through NORC AmeriSpeak. The project is supported by researchers at the UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute, Doctors for Drug Policy Reform, and the University of Michigan. Findings will be published open-access.
- Toxicological-Risk Assessment for Inhalable Products project continues its analysis with several toxicologists and analytical laboratory researchers as part of the development of a new ASTM standard.
- Supported working sessions between CANNRA and ASTM Task Groups on terminology and vaporization devices.
- Featured in the Global Cannabis Regulatory Summit 2026 White Paper as one of three organizations positioned to support standards and regulatory coordination. Board Chair David Vaillencourt led the summit's standards workshop and co-authored its opening paper available as a free download here.
- Resumed the S3 x Leaf411 monthly webinar series: “Medical Cannabis in Modern Care” with Dr. Peter Grinspoon and Dr. Dana Lillestol (September). Watch it here.
- S3’s Medical Advisory Committee began building a clinical reference library and a Clinical Certificate of Analysis template for practitioners.
- FDA botanical drug RFI response. S3 Collective submitted comments on November 3, 2026, in response to FDA’s request for information on advancing botanical drug development (Docket FDA-2026-N-9550). Developed with contributions from the Medical Advisory Committee and experts in laboratory science, product characterization, and standards development, the submission recommends minimum safety testing, consistent characterization of study materials, disclosure of active and inactive ingredients, independent testing and certification, and consensus standards to improve laboratory comparability. It also supports research on whole-plant and minimally purified products, patient-benefit assessment, real-world evidence tied to well-characterized products, and FDA engagement with researchers and standards developers. S3 offered its Medical Advisory Committee’s baseline testing guidance for FDA’s consideration. The recommendations are S3 Collective’s own and do not represent ASTM International or its committees.
Upcoming events
- Tune in to our next webinar November 18, 2026, at 2 p.m. Eastern, titled “Beyond the Laboratory: How Academic Cannabis Research Is Informing Policy and Practice,” with Dr. Linda Klumpers, President of the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) and Riana Durrett, JD, Director of the Cannabis Policy Institute at UNLV. RSVP here.
- S3 Collective will be participating in the UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute’s 2026 Symposium on December 3, 2026, in Las Vegas.
Closing
Thank you to the organizations and individuals contributing to this effort. Standards work is often slow, technical, and spread across many different groups. Better coordination will not solve every problem, but it can reduce wasted effort and help important work move faster.
Please share updates, active projects, resource needs, and opportunities for collaboration for inclusion in future STLG updates. Email [email protected].