A newly created international coalition of cannabis stakeholder groups held its first meeting as it embarks on a mission to strengthen the industry worldwide.
The Federation of International Cannabis Organizations (FIHO) met on March 17 to unveil an interim council and planned activities aimed at tackling major issues affecting the industry.
In a mission statement unveiled during the meeting, the group said it will bring together industry leaders, market expertise and resources to speak with one voice on cannabis issues globally and to identify and create opportunities to scale sustainable cannabis production and marketing, and trade to benefit the global cannabis industry, consumers and the environment. ”
Challenges identified
FIHO said it will promote cannabis production, processing, marketing and trade; facilitate the exchange of information; identify emerging industry issues; development of position papers; coordinating the development of research and standards; engage in outreach and outreach; and promoting innovation and technology for cannabis production.
Product and process standards, crop protection, maximum chemical residue levels standards, seed registration and maximum THC levels for hemp flowers and finished goods are among the many pressing issues identified by the initiative.
said Ted Haney, president and CEO of the Canadian Commercial Cannabis Alliance, who has been elected to serve as interim board chair.
Communicate with major agencies
announce their intentions last JulyRegulators said the new consortium would represent cannabis stakeholders before global intergovernmental agencies, with a primary goal of removing cannabis and hemp extracts from the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
The group said at the time that it intended to reach out to international agencies such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development; and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on matters relating to that agency’s Codex Alimentarius, internationally recognized standards for food production and safety.
FIHO will also work on environmental issues and represent the cannabis industry before the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, affiliated with the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization.
Make-up temporary council
In addition to Haney, the elected officials of the interim board are: Daniel Cruz, President of the European Industrial Hemp Federation (EIHA), Vice President; Jeff Welling, President (US) National Hemp Association (NHA), Treasurer; and Hongliang Ding of the Chinese Hemp Alliance, secretary.
In the other appointments announced, Lorenzo Rolim da Silva, President of the Latin American Industrial Association, is Chairman of the Communication and Participation Committee; The co-chairs of the FIHO Policy and Regulation Committee are Lorenza Romanez, Managing Director of EIHA, and Erica McBride-Stark, Executive Director of NHA; Keith Jones, former president of the CHTA, will serve as chair of the Research, Standards and Sustainability Committee.
Other interim directors and the industry organizations they represent are Patrick Atage, President and CEO of the National Cannabis Industrial Council of America; Kyle Bingham, president of the Texas Hemp Growers Association; Hunter Buffington, Chair of the Colorado Hemp Advisory Committee; Gaurav Dixit, General Secretary, Uttarakhand Hemp Society, India; Jason Fung, Chinese Cannabis Association; Joseph Hickey, board member of the Kentucky Cannabis Industries Association; and Charles Coves, Secretary of the Australian Industrial Hemp Alliance.
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