Cannabis Trade Association UK
YourHemp had no hesitation when joining the CTA as we want to operate at the highest standards with full transparency and legitimacy.
We are proud members of the Cannabis Trades Association UK, our customers and staff’s health and wellbeing are the most important thing to the business and being a CTA member not only establishes that but also brings you the highest quality and safest CBD products with up to date regulations.
Who are the Cannabis Trades Association?
The Cannabis Trade Association UK or the CTA is the UKs only centric trade association working with all sectors of the hemp and cannabis industry. Their focus is to promote good practice, provide practical advice and ensuring consumers of legal cannabis and hemp products have access to information provided first hand from the government.
The CTA work closely with the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) and the FSA (Food Standards Agency). Ensuring any member follow the official guidance given by both authorities.
They ensure each member follows government establish legislation by following proper and effective guidance to safeguarding the industry.
Regulatory Framework & Rules for Association Members
- To uphold the tenets and integrity of the Association, to maintain a professional and reputable business always in line with running a legal and responsible business model.
- Never knowingly engage in activities likely to bring the legal cannabis and hemp trade sector into disrepute.
- Hold valid and appropriate insurances in respect of public and employers’ liability and any other required insurances.
- Respect Intellectual Property and legal commercial agreements, including Trade Marks, Patents, Licences, Goodwill, and Distribution Agreements.
- Keep records of adverse effects and incidents involving any products you have manufactured, imported, or sold and where necessary notify the relevant authorities.
- Provide suitable warranties and guarantees consistent with prevailing consumer and sector related legislation.
- Take a positive and responsible attitude towards product information and latest information as it becomes available.
- Never knowingly sell or misrepresent counterfeit or substandard products.
- Ensure that all reasonable efforts are made to abide by the laws and regulations governing the manufacture, import, distribution, and sale of CBD products.
- To never knowingly sell CBD products to anyone under the age of 18, anyone purchasing on the behalf of an under 18 must be aware that products sold as food supplements, traditional herbal remedies or products with marketing authority have stipulated recommended doses.
- Ensure all products meet the labelling criteria the Association requires and clearly states recommended dosage instructions.
- Promote the responsible usage of cannabis derived products.
- Promote and where responsible, the membership benefits of the Association.
- Report to the Association any products or sellers that may cause damage, harm or bring disrepute onto the industry.
- Ensure that all sellers of branded products adhere to the rules of the Association.
- Allow any authorised member to request samples for testing at your own expense with an authorised testing facility.
- To provide samples for routine testing at suitable periods and to ensure those records are kept up to date.
- Inform the Association of any changes in product line up and to ensure labs are in place before offering for sale.
- To reasonably ensure lab reports are available for all products and available on request to the public.
How did the Cannabis Trades Association start?
In 2016 the MHRA formed the idea that CBD products should only be controlled by the government health authorities. As the industry was so small CBD products were marketed to the public from retailers as medicines. This was completely wrong by the retailers and dangerous. The issue here is, CBD is not a medicine. Medicines must go through years of clinical trials to see whether it is has therapeutic benefits or not.
CBD has not gone through these clinical trials, meaning that CBD is not a medicinal product in any way shape or form.
The current products in the CBD market are not medicines, they are food supplements. This is very important to note, if anyone tries to tell you otherwise, they would be incorrect.
To stop the CBD food supplement industry from being shut down, the CTA was created to act as an Organisation that represents the CBD retailers. This is to protect the flourishing CBD food supplement industry that keeps growing & growing.
Cannabis Trades Associations Mission
The Association founders came together to create a body to eliminate bad practice in the market and to ensure that member businesses continue to trade legally and ethically in the Hemp and CBD market. We up until now have focused on the growing CBD market, but our reach includes hemp and hemp products which are after all legal definitions of the same plant, Cannabis.
“Our members agree to uphold standards based around the ethos of fair and transparent trading conditions ensuring members of the public know who they are dealing with, displaying correct and proper business information, ensuring they trade legally with respect to insurances and registration and above all fairness. No member of the Association will make medical claims nor provide medical or medicinal advice. Lastly no member will slander or denigrate another members’ business.
They are a group of likeminded and honest businessmen and women who believe that Hemp and Cannabis products have the power to revolutionise modern life. Above all else our work is to change perceptions based around decades of misinformation and prejudice.”
Who Are The MHRA?
The MHRA are The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, who are an executive agency of the Department of Health.
Their main responsibilities are:
- ensuring that medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion meet applicable standards of safety, quality and efficacy
- ensuring that the supply chain for medicines, medical devices and blood components is safe and secure
- promoting international standardisation and harmonisation to assure the effectiveness and safety of biological medicines
- helping to educate the public and healthcare professionals about the risks and benefits of medicines, medical devices and blood components, leading to safer and more effective use
- supporting innovation and research and development that’s beneficial to public health
- influencing UK, EU and international regulatory frameworks so that they’re risk-proportionate and effective at protecting public health
MHRA & CBD OIL
The MHRA stance on CBD is that if anyone is marketing this as a medicine, they would need to apply for a product licence. Meaning an application is made and the product will be assessed in terms of its safety quality and efficacy in the medical claims made.
This means that companies who sell CBD products MUST NOT make any medical claims about CBD. If they do, they MUST hold a medical license.
We advise not purchasing from any companies making medical claims about CBD that don’t hold a medical licence. This is putting at risk the sale of CBD to the public but also breaking trust with governing bodies that have set these guidelines.
Would it make sense to purchase from a company not following governing body guidelines?
Who Are The FSA?
The FSA stands for ‘Food Standards Agency’. They’re an independent Government department working across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to protect public health and consumer wider interests in food. Making sure food is safe and what is says it is.
Food Standard Agency on CBD Products
Due to CBD being widely available on the high street but not properly authorised has caused concern due to the amount of seller selling unsafe and untested CBD.
The FSA on 13th February 2020 released a statement asking for the CBD industry to provide more information about the safety and content of products to the regulator before 31st March 2021 or the products will be removed from the shelf.
In addition, the FSA has advised pregnant, breastfeeding or taking anyone on medication should not consume CBD products. Anyone that doesn’t is recommended to not consume more than 70mg a day.
We at YourHemp have always provided safe CBD. As CTA members we were aware of this and have already contacted the relative bodies so our product will not be removed from the shelf.
CTA Member Benefits
There isn’t another Cannabis/Hemp association in the UK that offers us at YourHemp the benefits which we receive from being a Cannabis Trades Association Member. Being a member makes us part of the largest organisation of its type.
Not only do we receive the highest level of support but also:
- Regular Industry Updates
- Compliance and Due Diligence
- Access to payment providers and insurance brokers
- Access to Industry Specialist Lawyers
- Active Board of Directors
- Stakeholder Representation with Agencies – MHRA, FSA, Home Office, Trading Standards and EFSA.
- Marketing Compliance
The future of the CTA and what it means for YourHemp
Well, CBD & Cannabis products in general are here for the long run. With the new information from the FSA means its only positive news for the CBD industry. The Cannabis Trades Association looks to be the ‘Go to’ resource for the public as well as the UK governmental and enforcement agencies, ensuring all members supply safe, legal and above all quality products from the UK.
This is exciting and promising news for all YourHemp customers as being a valued member of the CTA and with their close relationships with the FSA, MHRA, Government and enforcement agencies, following their guidelines are what’s keeping all CBD products safe and legal.
You can view our authenticity on the Cannabis Trades Association UK
https://cannabistrades.uk/membership-account/directory/?ps=your+hemp&limit=50
