CUMCS-GAP - Control Union Medical Cannabis Standard Gap

Control Union Medical Cannabis Standard GAP (CUMCS-GAP) is globally the leading certification standard for medical cannabis certification. The goal of the standard is to ensure the best quality and consistency in the production of the product.

A growing number of countries have implemented legal frameworks for the cultivation and use of medical cannabis. In December 2020, the UN recognized the medical value of cannabis. As a consequence, the market requires strict adherence to quality systems and cultivation procedures like compliance with guidelines such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) Good Agricultural & Collection Practices (GACP). Therefore, independent verification for compliance by third parties is becoming common practice in the industry. The CUMCS-GAP standard serves as a practical manual for Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) of medical cannabis anywhere in the world and allows for objective auditing by qualified auditors.

CUMCS-GAP has been benchmarked against the Israeli Medical Cannabis Standard (IMC-GAP) towards full equivalency. Therefore, CUMCS-GAP is a recognized and accepted program by the Israeli Medical Cannabis Agency (IMCA) - Ministry of Health, for all imports of medical cannabis into Israel.

The CUMCS-GAP standard is based on:

1. The World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines: WHO Guidelines on good agricultural & collection practices (GACP) for medicinal plants - Geneva 2003
2. European Medicines Agency (EMA GACP): guideline on Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP) for starting materials of herbal origin(July 2005);
3. Guidelines of the Dutch Government for Cannabis for Medical Use: Guidelines for cultivating cannabis for medicinal purposes, Nederland, December 2002;
4. International Standard for Good Agriculture Practice: GLOBALG.A.P. IFA 4.0 (FV), March 2013.

The scope of CUMCS-GAP covers medical Cannabis propagation, cultivation and post-harvest processes and is fully compliant with both the WHO and EMA GACP guidelines. Certified organizations will receive both CUMCS-GAP certificate and   GACP compliance certificate for both the WHO as well as EMA GACP guidelines.