Organically Grown Standard

Cannabis Certification Council

Overview

Organically

Grown Standard

The Cannabis Certification Council aims to create a basic organic standard for indoor, greenhouse, and outdoor cannabis production. The first draft of the Organically Grown Cannabis standard and certification is here and available for public comment. The final version is expected to be published in October.

Press Release for the Organically Grown Cannabis standard and Certification

The Technical Advisory Committee and Standard Writer will build upon existing organic standards in the common marketplace while creating an accessible pathway to organic production and market share in the cannabis industry.

Founding Supporters

Timeline

The development of the Organically Grown standard has been underwritten by three companies that we are calling our “Founder’s Core.” Support is currently provided from businesses located in Washington, New Mexico and Colorado. This is an effort that is likely to continue to attract international attention in mainstream, agricultural, industry trade and other categories and offers an excellent value for non-profit support.

April 2020

Core standard development to begin. Founding partners and other existing supporters and partners can provide initial industry cohorts for feedback. Notice for public commentary to begin.

July – August 2020

Proposed standards released for public review and feedback. Public comments to begin on initial draft of standards. Calls for input will have been ongoing for at least two months prior to the commentary window beginning.

October 2020

After consultation with TAC and public input, revisions to the standard will have been thoroughly vetted and ready to publish.

– Cannabis Certification Council

2020

Technical Advisory Committee

The TAC is composed of cannabis experts from all corners of the country to ensure geographic diversity in the development of the standard.

Taylor Robinson

Silver Bullet Corp

Taylor Robinson is the Research & Development Manager and Chief Chemist for Silver Bullet Water Treatment with expertise in molecular and cell biology, general water chemistry, microbiology, and industrial water treatment and reuse processes/chemistries. During his time with Silver Bullet, Taylor has led, conceptualized, organized, and completed numerous research & development and pilot projects related to water treatment for the horticulture, livestock, cooling water, aquaculture and data center industries.

Jason Aweida

Durango Organics

I am the cultivation manager for Durango Organics, with different cannabis cultivation experiences since 2001. Specializing in organization, efficiency, and plant flow, with a belief that many grow methods are the “right way to grow”. I’ve spent many years gardening, trail building, and designing landscapes and unique custom greenhouses. With a love of all plants, and an affection for everything outdoors, I live in the mountains outside of Durango, Colorado with my wife and two daughters.

Cassandra Maffey

Force of Nature LTD

Recently named one of the Top 50 Women in Cannabis by HighTimes Magazine, Cassandra Maffey has over 20 years of cultivation leadership experience within regulated cannabis markets across the United States and Europe. She pioneered the Scalable Living Soil Cultivation system, which produces award-winning cannabis in commercial scale gardens worldwide. Cassandra is CEO and Founder of two cannabis startups: Force of Nature LTD which specializes in commercial living soil cultivation consulting, and FireTower.us a cannabis cultivation task management and productivity platform currently in beta testing.

Rudy Ellenbogen

Whole Grow

From his early days in the industry back in 2014, Rudy learned that this plant has much to offer if refined with natural processes. He became the managing partner and CEO of one of the largest living-soil indoor cultivators in Colorado: Verde Natural. While leading the company, Rudy acquired invaluable knowledge and hands-on experience on how to establish, design, build, operate and grow a successful cannabis business.

Now as CEO of Wholegrow, Rudy has passionately helped numerous startups develop comprehensive business plans, state-of-the-art facilities and unique cultivation processes that have led them to much success in a highly-competitive and commoditized market. He continues to empower new cannabis entrepreneurs to take control of their business narrative while focusing on their people.

Rudy’s proven experience as a successful operator includes business strategy, facility design and construction, organic cultivation, extraction, retail operations, and team building

John Chandler

Consultant for NOP Certified Farms

Chandler has been managing and consulting for NOP Certified Organic farms since 2004 and began growing commercial Cannabis in 2012. He’s been passionate about Organic production as soon as he understood the difference between conventional and Organic while getting his degree in Horticulture from Texas A&M University. He served on the board of the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association from 2007 to 2009.

Harry Etra

HXE Partners

Harry Etra is the CEO & Founder of HXE Partners. Harry’s experience is in advising public and private companies on their sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies. His experience includes working with clients to develop annual sustainability reports and earn recognition for their ESG initiatives through reporting programs such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and ENERGY STAR. Harry holds an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and a B.A. in history from Yale University.

April Crittenden

CCOF

As the chief certification officer at CCOF, April Crittenden has a wealth of knowledge about the National Organic Program and environmental stewardship in farming systems. Before her years devoted to organic certification, Crittenden studied at the UC, Santa Cruz, where she completed a double major in environmental studies and anthropology. Crittenden began her career with CCOF over 12 years ago as a farm certification specialist, where she gained an understanding of the organic regulations for both growers and livestock producers. April has long seen a need for standardized organic regulations for cannabis and in 2016, she worked with SC Labs to develop and implement the Envirocann Certification Program, which offers certification services to cannabis producers.

Sam Streeter

Associate Professional Soil Scientist

Sam has a background in update and initial Soil Survey Mapping projects. His area of expertise is in geospatial soil science, digital soil mapping, soil health, and data management. Sam has contributed to six published USDA soil surveys. His experience spans over eight years integrating science and technology to solve

diverse geospatial soil interactions. He

has a degree in Soil and Crop Science from Colorado State University. Sam is an Associate Professional Soil Scientist, and is FAA certified in Small Unmanned Aerial Systems. Sam has grown hemp since 2018.

Jill Ellsworth

Willow Technologies

Jill Ellsworth is the founder and CEO of Willow Industries, Inc., one of the first cannabis decontamination companies. Hailing from the food & beverage industry and armed with a strong science background, Jill’s mission is to protect consumers and patients by helping producers put organic, clean, safe products on the market. Since 2015, Jill has established herself as a leading voice for greater transparency and legitimacy in the cannabis industry.

Lori Ann New Breast

Consultant

Lori’s has an extensive professional background working with tribal, indigenous, federal, national, state, international entities, public and private foundations and non-profits in community mobilization, establishing cross cultural-networks, planning for organizational and policy change actions dedicated to the advancement of human rights, and the development of inclusive strategies to support all communities and peoples’ wellbeing. Lori’s work is dedicated to the principles of self-determination and cultural expression to support indigenous peoples’ wellbeing and ensure community health and safety.

Richard Clough

Consultant

Co-Founder of certified organic plant based company under the brand name “balancedgreens.” Grew the “balanced greens” brand from one product / one sku to six products / 24 sku’s in six years. Proficient in regulatory compliance, licensing, food safety standards for inspection by Organic Certfier, FDA, USDA & Oregon Department of Agriculture. Member of IOIA ( International Organic Inspectors Association) – 100 Level Crop Standards.

Anthony Mollins

AJ's Farm

AJ Mollins currently owns and operates a licensed recreational cannabis facility that is focused on permaculture and energy efficient design. Mollins’ cannabis roots originate in Tahoe, California, where he began his career in one on one conversations with dispensaries under the Compassionate Care Act. He continued on to support the set-up of 30+ indoor cultivation facilities and manage outdoor farms for medical cannabis in California. Adding to his cultivation experience, Mollins shifted to the retail space, from 2009 to 2013 as part of Tahoe Herbal Care, Lake Tahoe’s longest running collective. As a leader to his team, Mollins’ efforts have most recently been spent on expanding his cultivation by supporting his team and sharing his cultivation history of having successfully grown 200+ strains. This growth and evolution of his farming methodology has led Mollins to now be cultivating in one of the most sustainable facilities coupled with strictly organic grow methods to produce some of the finest cannabis in the competitive Colorado market.

Nick Drury

Lightshade

Nick is a highly skilled cannabis cultivator who holds a Bachelor of Science focusing in Horticultural Science with a minor in Organic Agriculture from Colorado State University, who also has extensive experience in the design, operation, and optimization of commercial production facilities. Nick has worked with clients across multiple U.S. States and Canadian provinces to establish state of the art facilities, solve infrastructural challenges, and develop operational SOPs. In addition to his production and design experience, Nick has overseen the development and implementation of multiple cannabis-specific research and cultivation optimization efforts that have left him with invaluable insights into the sciences that underlay cannabis cultivation. Experienced grower with a demonstrated history of working in the research industry. Skilled in IPM, Integrated Pest Management, Experimental Design, Science, and Environmental Monitoring.